New Belgium Brewing

Let's catch up, Asheville ❤️ Join us Monday, December 16 for our grand re-opening here at 21 Craven St., where we'll be slinging beers from 12-8 PM, resuming normal business hours from there on out. So much work has gone into restoring our production spaces and our beloved Liquid Center, and while there's plenty more to be done, we can't wait to see your friendly faces here once again. (Heads up: we're not yet offering brewery tours — we'll let you know when they will resume.) Thanks for all your patience and support over these last two turbulent months. See you Monday ✌️

As you read this, our Fulfillment team is running full speed to keep up with the influx of online store orders that come in over the holiday season. After Black Friday, this crew of three will see, on average, over 100 orders a day, all of which must be located in the warehouse, investigated for damage or deficiency, delicately packed, and shipped in a timely manner. It's a tall order — they also fulfill merch requests from distributors & sales teams and handles customer inquiries — but it's a privilege to have such a reliable crew of championship-pers moving our gear and goods to beer-lovers around the country. We asked Jason Stoltzfus, Point of Sale Shipping & Inventory Associate, what shoppers should keep in mind as they hit 'submit order' on our online store. His response: "We're a small team, we're human, and this is the busiest time of the year. A little grace goes a long way." The most fulfilling part of Fulfillment, according to Jason? Being in the business of making people's day. Whether you're shopping for a loved one, replacing a trusty piece of New Belgium merch with the next one, or your dog REALLY did eat your hat, know that Jason and his team are on the other side of the screen, ready to help make someone's day, and, for the next few weeks, to spread some holiday cheer(s).

Frambozen, Flemish for “raspberry,” is our big, luscious celebration of the ruby red fruit found in Belgium’s Framboise ales. Each year, whether big or small, we find a way to brew Frambozen and keep the holiday tradition alive. Enjoy this special 2024 small batch featuring delightful notes of malty-sweet chocolate and fresh raspberry juice exclusively at our Liquid Centers. Santé!

Back in 2006, we felt it was time to update our logo from the original globe glass icon to something different, something that put an emblem core to our company history and deep-rooted love of fun — the bicycle — at the forefront of our brand. We recently came across a collection of logo options from our 2006 rebrand with Cultivator Advertising & Design, which tout unique and hand-drawn typefaces, illustration styles, and perspectives. 18 years and a few brand refreshments later, that iconic bicycle design we chose from this batch still serves as our logo today, a testament to its timelessness. Though we're loyal to that bike (in the same sentimental way you may be loyal to yours), it's fun to look through these alts and imagine the plethora of different paths our brand could've ridden down.

Welcome, friends, to the Foeder Forest 🌳 Comprised of 55 towering oak barrels (foeders), our Fort Collins wood cellar is the largest in the U.S. and second largest in the world, home to a cast of household sours like Dominga, Le Terroir, Transatlantique Kriek, and, of course, La Folie: the first foeder-aged sour produced in America. Jack Hansen and Chase Howard are part of a team of six brewers that overlook all the happenings in the Forest, though "caretaker" would make for a more accurate title. Despite their immobility, these barrels are living, breathing vessels, each with their own names, quirks, habits (both good and bad), and gustatory personalities. Our stewards are tasked with keeping them happy, because a happy foeder makes happy beer, and happy beer makes a happy customer. "You spend so much time with them that you know where they leak and what their tendencies are," Jack said. "Some of them are really nice in the summer, and then turn around and leak in the winter, and vice versa." As Chase mentions, cellar work is extremely specialized. Foeder specialists aren't an abundant lot, which means every day this crew writes their own rulebook regarding maintenance, procedure, and repair. "These are old vessels, they're very finicky," Chase said. "So while repairing one is scary and intimidating, when you do solve it, you get this crazy confidence boost. It's cool knowing that you used esoteric methods to fix something." Those esoteric methods obviously apply to brewing as well, considering this team seeks out the most exotic and unlikely ingredients with which to brew. Take Buddha's Hand, for example, a South Asian citron described by Chase as an "orange squid hand thing," which they used to brew a Wild Ale named Buddhacello in 2023. (Seriously, look it up.) By sourcing and experimenting with novel adjuncts and techniques, this team consistently pushes the limits of what beer can be, crafting memorable, inimitable sensory experiences in every New Belgium bottle. "Just like these foeders and wild beers, this job embodies the unexpected and unpredictable," Jack said. "No day is the same, and that's a big part of the fun of it."

Smoke and Embers: 2024 Great American Beer Festival gold medalist. A pilot batch brewed here in our Fort Collins pilot, this Festbier style lager uses beech wood smoked malt from Troubadour Maltings here in Fort Collins, CO. After primary fermentation, we lagered for 12 weeks before kegging. Big kudos to our Lead Research & Development Brewer Kelly McKnight, creator and brewer of this recipe and one of the most talented brewers in the industry. Try Smoke and Embers exclusively on draft at our Fort Collins Liquid Center. View the full list of 2024 GABF medalists here: https://lnkd.in/guZ2pD_Z

La Folie Reserve elevates the expression of our iconic sour brown ale with a twist of luxury by featuring producers and ingredients at the top of their game. The award-winning Onyx Coffee Lab is just that. For this year’s rendition, we found the perfect pair to La Folie with Onyx’s Costa Rican yellow honey beans from the famed Las Lajas Farm, which we added to our foeder-aged dark sour blend to ‘steep’ for 48 hours. This process infuses the coffee’s aromatic essential oils for a giant coffee bouquet but does not impart any bitterness, so you experience something totally new — a tart fruit coffee explosion. Bottled on nitro for an enhanced texture and pillowy crema to achieve the cascade, this year's La Folie Reserve is one of the finest to emerge from the wood cellar. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gtDZmuSB