Fort Collins, CO – The 26th edition of the Colorado Brewers’ Festival (COBF), held June 26-28, 2015 in downtown Fort Collins, welcomed large crowds, popular new features, shorter lines, and a more beer-minded focus.
One of the five oldest beer fests in the US, the COBF is produced by the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association.
“Our goal this year,” says Jason Dennison, the association’s executive director, “was to increase the focus on Colorado beer, boost the COBF’s appeal to both beer lovers and brewers, and give all of our guests the best festival experience possible. We achieved that in a big fashion, and our beer drinkers and beer makers loved the changes.”
Overall attendance for the festival was 11,500 people.
The 2015 COBF began with a new pre-festival event (The Summit) that catered to beer connoisseurs. It featured over 40 Colorado brewers and their specialty beers and raised money for the Colorado Brewers Guild.
“The Summit,” says Guild marketing director Steve Kurowski, “was exactly the type of intimate beer experience we like for our guild breweries and beer lovers. It was a great event, and we really appreciate the COBF putting it on and being so supportive of the Colorado Brewers Guild.”
Another new feature – The Neighborhood – drew the biggest crowds of the festival. It featured live music from top northern Colorado artists (a longtime COBF tradition) and Fort Collins breweries pouring select beers in the shade of Washington Park.
Thanks to a greatly expanded and more efficient system for festival entry and beer service, the 2015 COBF featured dramatically improved service for its attendees.
There was no wait to enter the festival grounds and lines were short for the 50-plus beers from over 40 of Colorado’s best breweries.
“We promised to end the long wait times of last year’s festival,” says festival director James Yearling, “and we delivered on that promise. We’re happy that our streamlining measures worked so well.”
Those efforts and the fest’s beer-showcasing additions made for a successful, concerted effort by the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association.
“This year’s COBF was very successful on every level,” Dennison says, “and many of this year’s new features will return again next year.”
The COBF was started in 1990 when Fort Collins brewers Doug Odell (Odell Brewing) and Brad Page (Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing) approached the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association with the idea of a festival to showcase local brewers.
At the time, Fort Collins had just three microbreweries, Colorado had nine microbreweries and the state’s brewery total was 11. Today Fort Collins has 16 breweries, Colorado’s brewery total has surpassed 250 and the state is an epicenter of America’s craft brewing trade.
The COBF will return next year on June 24-26.
For more details, photos, interviews and other info on the COBF contact Marty Jones at 720-289-9345 (cell) or marty@martyjones.com.
About:
The Downtown Fort Collins Business Association (DBA), a non-profit corporation, is organized to assist in the promotion, development and improvement of the Downtown Area of Fort Collins, Colorado. Its mission is to “Promote Downtown and help it thrive economically, environmentally, culturally and socially. The DBA represents more than 260 business members and hosts First Night Fort Collins, the Colorado Brewers Festival, Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest, Great Plates of Fort Collins, Tiny Tot Halloween and various other events.