new wine brewing facility set to be built in existing fort Collins structure

A nationally known independent craft brewery based in Fort Collins expects to see work begin sometime early next year on a long-planned micro-winery that will also include blending and packing space.

The Odell Brewing Company, which was launched three decades ago inside a converted grain elevator, is today regarded as one of the largest breweries in the country with a distribution network comprising nearly two dozen states.

Now the company wants to transform an existing structure on property it owns at 824 E Lincoln Avenue on the eastern side of downtown Fort Collins.

As planned, the facility will house a wine cellar and tasting room, as well as outdoor shaded patio space.

The micro-winery will make Odell's first foray into the wine business.

The exact type of wine the brewery will produce has not yet been announced.  "It's wide open, both metaphorically and geographically," Odell director of marketing Alex Kayne recently told the publication The Drinks Business."

Upon completion sometime next summer, the facility will offer wine on tap, as well as packing it in cans for distribution throughout Colorado.

​By Garry Boulard

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