How Fort Collins breweries got their names

What’s in a name? For the craft breweries of Fort Collins, there’s plenty of inspiration drawn upon.

Choosing a brewery name has become increasingly more difficult with more than 5,000 U.S. breweries, and the entire alcohol industry to compete with, for trademarks.

In honor of National Beer Day, here’s a look back at how the breweries in the “Napa Valley of beer” picked their names.

CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing, 1989

Scott Smith named the town’s first brewpub after his son Cooper, who is now a senior product designer for Twitter in New York City. Scott, who launched the brewery with the aid of current Gov. John Hickenlooper, sold off majority ownership in 2014.

Odell Brewing, 1989

Co-founders Doug, Wynne and Corkie Odell used their last name. The trio elected to start the brewery in Fort Collins — where Corkie was living — after also considering Boulder and Flagstaff, Arizona. Doug and Wynne moved from Seattle because they felt the Pacific Northwest beer market was already saturated in the late 1980s.

More: Pour Brothers serving free pints for National Beer Day

New Belgium Brewing, 1991

Co-founder Jeff Lebesch was inspired to create his own brewery after mountain biking through Belgium  —  a trip that included numerous beer breaks. The adventure gave the electrical engineer the idea to introduce Belgian-style beers to the American beer market, which at the time had almost exclusively German influences. His mountain bike with “fat tires” from the trip would also inspire New Belgium’s trademark beer.

C.B. & Potts, 1996

This historic restaurant started in 1974 and added its own brewery about two decades later. The restaurant was initially named after a turn-of-the-century British law firm called Chesterfield, Bottomsley & Potts. The name was eventually shortened in the late 1990s in a restaurant contest. C.B. & Potts announced it will temporarily halt brewing in Fort Collins at the end of the month as it continues the search for a new brewing site.

Fort Collins Brewery, 2003

This brewery initially launched as H.C. Berger Brewery in 1992 but was shut down in 2002 for nonpayment of back taxes. New owners relaunched it with the city's name in 2003. Fort Collins Brewery originally brewed exclusively lagers but now makes a range of styles and also operates a restaurant.

Equinox Brewing, 2010

Co-founder Colin Westcott was relaxing at a river with his children on the first day of fall  —  a day known officially as the autumnal equinox. His wife suggested naming the brewery after the equinox that also marks the start of spring. Colin felt the concept of looking forward to a new season and reflecting upon the past captured his brewing philosophy of making beer in both traditional and non-traditional styles. Plus the couple had previously hosted parties for the first days of fall and spring while in college  — because why not.

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Funkwerks, 2010

This heavily Belgian-influenced brewery is named after the funky way in which Belgians brew. Funkwerks specializes in saisons and uses a variety of fruits in its beers. "Werks" is a German term used as an ode to a five-week brewing science program in Germany where the Funkwerks owners met.

Black Bottle Brewery, 2012

Founder Sean Nook had often used black bottles as a homebrewer. He also felt the name symbolized the blue collar worker. Ironically, the brewpub is about to start canning some of its beers for the first time.

Pitchers Sports Restaurant, 2013

This sports bar brewery cleverly used a baseball and bar receptacle reference. The brewpub near Rolland Moore Park offers discounts on beer pitchers to sports teams that come in uniform.

Horse & Dragon Brewing, 2014

Founders Tim and Carol Cochran have spent half of their life in Asia and the other half in the U.S. west. They reflected upon those experiences with their name — the horse symbolizes western culture and the dragon references Asian culture. Also Tim was born in the year of the horse and Carol is the year of the dragon in the Chinese Zodiac.

More: New Belgium to release 2nd Fat Tire flavor

Snowbank Brewing, 2014

Back when head brewer Dave Rosso was a homebrewer, he used snowbanks to chill his boil kettle. Rosso drew on the name when starting the brewery, also feeling it fit a Colorado theme.

Zwei Brewing, 2014

Brothers Kirk and Eric Lombardi initially launched the brewery as "Zwei Bruder" — which translates to two brothers in German. But a cease and desist letter from Chicago-based Two Brothers Brewing prompted the Lombardi’s to drop Bruder from the title.

Rally King Brewing, 2015

The term rally spoke to co-founders Matt and Michelle Kriewall. Both lost brothers who were in their 20s to tragic accidents. The married couple also had polarizing experiences running a small business together — Matt’s chiropractic office.  Rallying has been the couple’s mantra through life's ups and downs.

Soul Squared Brewing, 2015

Co-founders Jay Shambo and Aaron Gray wanted to use the term soul as a message that the brewery puts their heart and soul into everything they produce. Since the founding team was a pair, they added the squared math term.

More: New Belgium to release new IPA, aged saison

McClellan's Brewing, 2015

Joe McClellan used his last name for this brewpub. He also previously ran McClellan's Grill & Brewing in Canon City before setting up in Fort Collins.

Jessup Farm Barrel House, 2015

This brewery lies on a 13-acre property that was previously a farm. The land had been purchased by cattle farmer Joseph Jessup in 1897 and it stayed in the family for numerous years. The new artisan village development on the property includes a coffee shop, restaurants and retail stores. The brewery specializes in barrel-aged beers. The wood barrels used in production are on display throughout the brewery.

Three Four Beer Company, 2016

Co-founder Will Overbaugh paid homage to his popular Fort Collins bar Road 34. The remodeled campus bookstore opened as a bar a few months before adding its own beers in August.

Maxline Brewing Company, 2016

This brewery was originally named Hardihood, but changed its name and removed its building sign just weeks before opening after receiving a cease and desist from another brewery. Co-founder Kevin Gearhardt then selected Maxline as an ode to the nearby Max transit bus route.

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Intersect Brewing, 2016

The kid-friendly, music-themed brewery was originally named Absolute Threshold until receiving a cease and desist letter from Vodka maker Absolut. Co-founder Will Herdick then was inspired to rename it Intersect, saying craft breweries were the “intersection of beer, community and music.”

Gilded Goat Brewing, 2017

The brewery founders were inspired after spotting a goat hide on display at a Denver antique shop. The taproom is decorated with different goat-themed knickknacks.

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