FCB (The Fort Collins Brewery), maker of Chocolate Stout, Red Banshee, and Rocky Mountain IPA, is embracing the growing international appreciation for American craft beer by opening distribution in Sweden. In late April, a container was filled with cases of FCB’s Rocky Mountain IPA and Red Banshee and sent on its way to Europe, where it will land in early June. The beer will hit shelves in mid June, and Swedish beer lovers will have the opportunity to taste this Colorado craft brew.
“Exporting was not part of our strategic vision,” says FCB’s marketing director, Charles Stanley, “ but we were approached by Galatea Distributing’s US liaison, who made us aware of the growing demand for US craft beer in Sweden.”
Despite this demand, FCB was cautious, and it took its time with the decision. “This is entirely new ground for us,” says Doug Smith, FCB’s Operations Manager. “Freshness of the beer was a big concern, of course. The beer takes a long time to get to the shelves compared to distributing in the US, but after talking through the details with Galatea, we were convinced that transit time would be kept to a minimum and our beer would be kept refrigerated every step of the way.”
If Rocky Mountain IPA and Red Banshee are well received, FCB and Galatea plan to put additional styles in the market.
For additional information about FCB, visit
Website: fortcollinsbrewery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/fortcollinsbrewery
Twitter: twitter.com/fortcollinsbrew
For additional information about Galatea Distributing, visit Galatea.se
Collusion Brew 2013
We did things a little different this year, though. Rather than have all the breweries come together to make a single beer, we all started with the same base recipe, and each brewery worked with two other breweries to make something unique. FCB’s brew was made in collaboration with Coopersmith’s and Black Bottle. Together, we decided on additions to the malt bill, chose the yeast strain, and chose the hops. In our case, because we love smoke beer so much, we added smoked malt to recipe.
On brew day, we all got together and shared some beers and stories…oh yeah, and we brewed the beer, too.
FCB’s Collusion brew will be available in the Tasting Room starting May 13th, and all 9 of the Collusion brews will be tapped at Black Bottle on May 13th.