After 5 years as a German taproom, a sprawling brick constructing in Outdated City’s Outdated Firehouse Alley is formally altering allegiances—simply ask the large German flag mural that was lately painted over as a part of its clear slate.
Outdated City’s former Prost Brewing taproom, 321 Outdated Firehouse Alley, is ready to grow to be Salt Street Brewing, a brand new brewery providing a variety of world beer types with a concentrate on Colorado elements, based on co-founder Scott Ficarra.
After entering into house brewing whereas residing in California within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, and pursuing the passion extra critically after shifting to Windsor in 2011, Scott mentioned his spouse and Salt Street Brewery co-founder Kelly Ficarra inspired him to pursue his dream of opening a brewery.
The couple began looking for vacant storefronts and buildings in Windsor, Greeley and Fort Collins about 4 years in the past, Scott mentioned.
“I by no means thought Fort Collins would occur,” Scott mentioned, including that he is nervous in regards to the brewery’s placement on account of Fort Collins’ fame as “such a high-end place for brewing.”
“I sort of plopped myself into the center of the massive leagues,” he added.
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However after the couple’s four-year constructing search proved fruitless — no less than a dozen of their potential areas fell via over issues like code points or development prices — Prost Brewing vacated its longtime Outdated Firehouse Alley house early this yr, clearing the area for a brand new tenant. The Denver-based brewery has since reopened its Fort Collins taproom throughout from Colorado State College.
As a result of the Outdated City area was beforehand house to Prost Brewing, Scott mentioned the constructing already had lots of the infrastructure Salt Street Brewing would want, chopping down on a heap of development instances and extra prices. The Ficarras hope to open Salt Street Brewing in March or April, Scott mentioned.
“It has been an extended journey,” mentioned Scott, who isn’t solely excited to convey his homebrewed creations to the plenty, but additionally spotlight native elements and just a little historical past. Salt Street Brewing is known as for the traditional community of commerce routes, or “salt roads,” that had been used to maneuver items all through Europe and Asia.
“They used to maneuver beer alongside these routes, and there have been farm breweries alongside this street that used what (elements) they’d close by,” Scott mentioned. “Because of this, lots of the beers we drink right now had been a results of utilizing elements that had been (in shut proximity to those breweries).”
Drawing on that historical past, Scott mentioned Salt Street Brewing is happy to brew world types utilizing lots of space elements, particularly Colorado malts that Scott mentioned he’ll use completely as his beers’ base malt.
“Our focus is on producing world class beer with native elements,” he mentioned, including that you may typically discover him brewing farmhouse ales and seasons. “These actually help you showcase what’s close by.”
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Scott mentioned he hopes to open Salt Street Brewing this spring with no less than 10 faucets, finally ratcheting as much as 12 to 16 totally different types of beer on faucet on a regular basis.
As for plopping himself into Fort Collins’ behemoth beer scene, Scott mentioned he is warming to the intimidating location, particularly after listening to from a few of his soon-to-be opponents.
“The breweries normally and the brewery homeowners have been so extremely supportive,” he mentioned. “We share the concept we’re stronger collectively and that extra competitors goes to make Fort Collins and Northern Colorado normally a vacationer vacation spot for craft beer.”