OPENING SOON! Washington-based Locust Cider is opening a second Colorado taproom in Fort Collins, CO, joining ourhard cider production facility in Boulder, CO (opened in July 2019). Our newest taproom is located just off College Avenue on Walnut Street in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins, next door to The Welsh Rabbit.
Our Fort Collins taproom will offer 16 taps (all Locust Cider) made up of HARD CIDER flavors that include core favorites (Original Dry, Dark Cherry, Honey Pear, Vanilla Bean), popular returning seasonals (Mojito, Watermelon) and limited small batch specials (single varietal heirloom blends, fun flavor combinations like Pineapple Smoked Pepper). Although we will continue to source most of our apples from Washington, we will leverage Colorado for local ingredients, creating special blends that are only for our Colorado market. In addition to cider, we will offer an expanded food menu created exclusively for us by our neighbors The Welsh Rabbit that complements our cider flavors. The menu will include small shareables such as a cheesemongers choice cheese plate, brie with fruit, jam and crackers, salads incorporating our cider (smoked vegetable salad with Dark Cherry dressing) as well as hot plates like street tacos and gouda fries, all to be enjoyed inside our taproom or on our large outdoor patio. There will also be a kid’s corner for the wee ones and retro video games for all ages (when restrictions are lifted).
Our seating will be set up to meet current state guidelines for COVID-19 re-opening phases, including meeting required capacity (indoors and out), tables set up 6 ft apart, regular sanitizing schedules and hand sanitizer stations, and proper mask policies. We will offer takeout for those who prefer not to dine in or once we have met seating capacity. Takeout will be available to order online for pickup or delivery and includes our full food menu, growlers and grunts, 6 packs of cans, and gift cards.
The Locust Cider Fort Collins Taproom is located at 200 Walnut Street, Fort Collins, CO.
Locust Cider, founded in 2015 by brothers Jason and Patrick Spears, is based in Washington, specializing in smooth, crisp modern ciders. Locust currently has a cider and beer production facility and taproom in Woodinville, WA, standalone taprooms in Seattle (Ballard, Alki Beach, Market Place, Post Alley and First Hill), Tacoma, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Vancouver, WA (with plans to open additional taprooms in greater Washington in 2020). Beyond Washington, we also have cider production facilities with adjoining taprooms in Fort Worth, TX and Boulder, CO (as well as new taprooms coming to Colorado in 2020). Currently cider cans can be found throughout Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, California, Florida and Texas with plans to continue expanding distribution nationally. We also now ship to almost every state with more to come soon!
Owners Jason and Rebecca Spears spent over 10 years in Colorado and are graduates of Colorado School of Mines and University of Colorado at Denver Business School respectively and they wanted to bring their ciders back to a place they once called home, hence our first cidery in Boulder was born. Our new Colorado taproom is part of an expansion plan to make cider more accessible to a larger audience while providing a space to educate on the nuances of the cider world, allowing us to localize our efforts on a deeper level in the communities where we serve.
“On a very high level, we are opening new cideries and taprooms so we can get as close to our customers as possible,” said Jason Spears. “It is fine to throw some cans on the grocery store shelves and hope people buy them. But what does a customer learn about us? What do we learn about the customer? That can of cider doesn’t tell them about the people who worked so hard to make their cider, about how we source apples from all over the Pacific Northwest, that we work with some of the world’s biggest growers and orchards as small as 2 acres, about our cause (Hydrocephalus), or about the story behind the name. They can’t talk back to that can and tell it they love it or hate it or share their ideas for the next great cider. We can’t help them learn about cider, about bittersweets and sharps and everything in between. Opening new taprooms is our focus because of all of these reasons.”
Locust is not just about the cider and beer. A portion of proceeds for all cans and bottles as well as our club The Swarm are donated to the Hydrocephalus Association, an important and personal cause to owners Jason and Rebecca Spears whose daughter lives with the incurable brain condition. To learn more, visit www.locustcider.com/our-cause
