Odell Brewing Company — Restaurant in Fort Collins

My first experience with a brewery tour in Fort Collins was at the New Belgium brewery, whether or not the beer was better makes no difference, NB was by far a more entertaining an fulfilling experience on all counts. That tour put this one to shame, and that probably has something to do with the way the tours are scheduled -- NB is booked for the next 5 Saturdays which is why we didn't go this Saturday. But Odell has a first come first serve system which I'll go into depth about.

As soon as my girlfriend and I arrived I asked one of the bar tender if it was too early to sign up for the next tour. She explained that she would announce when we could sign up. I asked her where to go to sign up and she told me "The Tap Room" Which is the first room you go into. After ordering my beer I asked another beer tender where to be to sign up and he said by the gap in the bar. So we sat at a table right next to it. When she announced the sign up I hurried to that spot although about 20 people rushed in. She had a cup full of beer caps and she passed them out. I literally got the last two and she said "Thats it!"

When the tour started she didn't even ask for our bottle caps and I'm pretty sure some people joined the tour despite not having a cap. The tour starts upstairs, we were told to stay within the circle in the middle of the room and, unlike New Belgium, we were encouraged NOT to get close to look at any of the steeps (I forget what they are really called, the big metal beer cooking cylinder things.

Another downside to this tour is that you don't get to try any beer during the tour. You are allowed to bring a pint, but you must pay for it. The only free sample you get is an 8 ounce at the end of the tour. NB gives you a pint at nearly every stop on the tour and it is completely unnecessary to purchase any beer and leave with a buzz, although I do think you pay in advance at the NB tour (I didn't because it was part of a college group trip).

The tour guide sounded like she was giving a high school public speaking presentations. Wasn't very energetic or funny. And didn't really seem into it. Again, NB beats them hands down with tour guides. The NB tour guide not only knew EVERYTHING about NB but you could tell this guy was passionate about beer and was hilarious. Although I'm sure they give these tours 100 times my NB tour guide felt more friendly.

We went on a Saturday and apparently none of the equipment is running on that day so we didn't get to see the bottling in action, everything was stagnant.

I still give it four stars because the beer is awesome even though I had to pay for it. The atmosphere was great and I had a really good time. Probably because I was drinking great beer. If you can't book a tour with NB then this is a great option since Odell is first come first serve. I wish the people were more energetic and friendly. For f** sake you work at a brew pub. Although I'm sure drunk people do...

Short Description: Great beer, good variety, super friendly beer tenders, nicely designed inside and outside, dog friendly... can't wait to go again!

Long Description: When you arrive, you will notice the building has a stunning mix of elegant and industrial textures with a stacked stone turret on one side and exposed vertical tanks on the other.

After you park in the ample parking lot or get out of your Uber ride (highly recommended), you be greeted by welcoming friendly faces who are very helpful as you browse their awesome selection of beer. We recommend doing a flight so you can sort of speed date through the options to see which beer steals your heart.

I can't rave enough about how amazing each beer was! I personally LOVED their seasonal experimental IPA for 2022 called Wolf Picker. It was hop forward in the most elegant way. It was not too bitter and in your face. The fresh hop aroma was just heaven for my nose! My wife likes sours so she loved the Sippin' Pretty, Friek, and Sippin' Tropical Sour. Lastly, their flagship ale, 90 Shilling was just fantastic! It was an easy drinking beer with beautiful subtle flavors and not too bold in any way. 90 Shilling is just a lovely ale.

The inside seating areas where beautifully designed and very cozy. We opted to sit outside on the lovely patios because the sun was out. We quickly noticed that even though it was still super cold outside, it didn't stop the massive amount of customers from hanging out outside as well enjoying the scenery and the amazing beer!

Every other group of people had a dog or two on the patio. I love the dog friendly policy of dogs being welcomed outside but not in the main inside seating areas. I feel that is the most hygienic and fair. That being said, I enjoyed meeting the friendly people outside and petting their super friendly puppies and dogs.

Overall, it was the most fun and best beer I had during my stay in Fort Collins. If we find ourselves back in Fort Collins, Odell Brewing will be on the top of our...

One star review solely because of the service. The beer and atmosphere deserve five stars, but my experience with the servers is what left a lasting impression--get ready for a Soup Nazi experience at the counter.

The protocol here is that you order your beer(s) at the register, then go to the bar around the corner to receive it. I appreciate that this design may be more efficient, but it seems that some confusion might naturally arise if two consecutive customers order the same beer, and the server is not the same person who took the order at the register--this is exactly what happened to me.

Here's a blow-by-blow of my visit on Friday, 6/15: After ordering a Myrcenary (short pour) at the register, I came around the corner to grab the beer. A Myrcenary came out and looked like no one was grabbing it, so I approached and asked "Is this the Myrcenary short pour?" One server responded with a note of hostility that it was NOT (his emphasis) a short pour and that customers should order at the register (I had). When the rightful owner came to grab the beer, I tried to give it to him but the server couldn't help but remark that I had messed everything up (he used a ruder verb that "mess"). I apologized, but they continued to behave as if I either wanted to steal a beer or that it was my personal mission to make their job harder. When my beer did come out (it was the VERY NEXT beer), the other server deliberately averted his eyes and was extremely short with me in delivering it.

I do apologize for any confusion that I caused, but it seems to me that it was an honest and understandable mistake--definitely not deserving of the nasty response from both servers. Again, I love the beer and brewery, but I'll always have the association with...