Equinox opens new tap room

After a renovation that closed business for three days last week, Old Town Fort Collins microbrewery Equinox has reopened with an expanded tap room and doubled seating capacity.

Owners Colin and Shannon Westcott opened Equinox four years ago at 133 Remington St., next to their homebrew supply shop, Hops & Berries. In April they expanded the shop, moving it across Old Town to 130 W. Olive St.

Now Equinox's tavern-style tap room stretches across both retail spaces. The bar, seating area and bathrooms have doubled in size, with a few walls knocked down between them.

Colin Westcott said he was concerned with long lines for customers inside the tap room.

"We're focusing on keeping the same business model," he said, explaining that the brewhouse was unaffected by renovations. Limited distribution and in-house sales will continue to drive business.

Equinox's new layout features a large, wraparound bar for ordering, two- and three-stall men's and women's bathrooms, respectively, and 150 seats inside for more visitors.

A back patio and beer garden went unchanged, but another draw to the brewery — live weekend music — will be tweaked by the end of summer.

Just behind the brewery's front-and-center picture window, Westcott plans to build a "New Orleans-style" stage for performers.

Equinox is open regular hours this week while construction continues. Once finished, the Westcotts are planning a grand reopening.

Information: www.equinoxbrewing.com.