The Distinct Beer That Helped Make Colorado's Craft Scene A Destination

Colorado is a central hub in the craft brewing world, and Fort Collins, in particular, is the perfect city for beer lovers. Though home to more than 20 breweries, one beer in particular helped fuel that prominence: a famous ale from New Belgium Brewing Company called Fat Tire.

The creation of Fat Tire began in Europe. In 1987, brewery co-founder Jeff Lebesch toured Belgium on his mountain bike — which featured, you guessed it, fat tires — sampling local beers along the way. When he returned home to Colorado, he channeled that trip into a brand-new brew, naming it Fat Tire in honor of the ride that inspired it.

Lebesch and his then-wife and co-founder, Kim Jordan, soon set up a brewing area in their Fort Collins basement and began working on developing the beer. They debuted Fat Tire in 1991, selling it at that year's Colorado Brewers' Festival. It grew from those humble beginnings to eventually become one of the biggest and best-selling craft beers in the U.S., winning several awards along the way. That propelled New Belgium to success and helped make the state and city craft brewing hot spots.

The impact of Fat Tire's popularity went beyond just Colorado, as it became an important influence in the overall rise of craft beer. It was an American amber ale, a style known for its reddish color, malt-forward profile compared to paler lagers, and flavor notes like citrus and toffee. That was different from what most people were drinking at the time, and its success helped open younger people's eyes, in particular, to craft brews. While the late Anthony Bourdain was dismissive of craft beer — he thought it was a fad, and overrated — it expanded beer-making horizons beyond dominant giants like Budweiser and Coors.

After more than 30 years, New Belgium gave Fat Tire a makeover in 2023, aiming to appeal to the tastes of a new generation. While the basic flavor remained similar, it was remade to be lighter and crisper, with a paler color. It was reclassified as a blonde ale, and the revamped version is now considered one of the best "gateway" beers. The company also redesigned the label to emphasize the brewer's commitment to combating climate change, building on Fat Tire being named the first certified carbon-neutral beer in the U.S. beer industry.

To mark the 35th anniversary of New Belgium's establishment, the brewery announced in 2026 that Fat Tire's classic amber ale would make a limited-time return in early May. It also brought back two of its other early brews, Sunshine Wheat and Blue Paddle, for the occasion.