Anyone who knows me is probably scratching his/her head right now. I don't drink. Never have. Touring a brewery doesn't seem to be a good fit for me.
But there's more here than the brewery. The Visitor's Center sits next to the brewery and consists of a Biergarten, restaurant, and gift shop. The Fort Collins Brewery is also home to the Budweiser Clydesdales West Coast Team.
We couldn't take the brewery tour due to the altered Thanksgiving holiday schedule. But the "Brewery Lights" Christmas light display was now open for the season.
This was the second year for the annual display at the Fort Collins Brewery. We arrived at a good time of day to check it out - getting dark, but not too dark.
"Brewery Lights" occupies part of a large side yard next to the Visitor's Center and Biergarten.
The Biergarten is an outdoor pavilion that can be reserved for a private function. Anheuser-Busch's website mentions that you can do this accompanied by a stunning view of the mountains, which is true.
The backlighting from the sunset made for a good picture.
We were probably a little too early to get the full scope of "Bud Light City." This display is backlit and is probably best viewed when it's dark.
Beyond the Biergarten lies the real reason why we were here today.
The Fort Collins Brewery is home to the West Coast Team of the famous Budweiser Clydesdales.
Horses are to Heather what the automobile is to me. Just as I will gravitate toward a cool dealership or car show, Heather does the same with anything related to horses. She honestly wasn't sure if the team would be here today. But it certainly couldn't hurt to stop by and see the place.
A display case greets visitors to the stables. On display are several items from the Clydesdale team's 80 year history, such as a hand-crafted harness and collar.
The display case sits beside two of the famous red, white, and gold antique beer wagons.
The famous beer wagons were manufactured by Studebaker around 1903, and have been all over the world, and appeared in countless commercials and other media.
Budweiser beer wagons were made by Studebaker around 1903.
Budweiser beer wagons.
The long row of stables sits next to the beer wagons.
Long row of stables.
A display sign described some of the details of what happens when the horses are performing.
Sadly, none of the famous Clydesdales were on duty this evening. Hitch teams travel extensively and appear in many promotional events each year. I'm guessing they were enjoying a well-deserved Thanksgiving holiday vacation.
The "horses" that I am familiar with are all of the mechanical variety. I don't know much at all about this industry. I've been in horse stables before. But I can't help but think that these stables are a lot nicer than any I have ever seen. I guess that makes sense given who lives here.
This was a beautifully designed facility !
Stained glass windows in the stables.
We headed back outside to check out the lights now that it was getting darker.
Budweiser's Brewery Lights outdoor display.
The backlighting from the sunset made for a great picture !
I liked the "Bud Light Bright" display !
It brought back memories of the toy I had when I was a kid.
This display was functional.
The pegs were removable for anyone who wanted to show off their artistic talents, of which I have none. Heather gave it a shot, though.
The limited holiday schedule meant it was getting close to closing time. So we made our visit inside the Visitor's Center brief.
The restaurant and gift shop are located herein, along with a timeline of Budweiser's history from its introduction in 1876 in St. Louis, Missouri.
We hung around for a few minutes checking everything out. But soon it was time to head back into downtown Fort Collins to find some dinner and check out more Christmas lights.