Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and your current job?
My name is Neil Fisher and I am the Co-Founder and Head Brewer of WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, CO.
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
My passion for brewing started in my garage, where I brewed on a 20-gallon system with about 10-15 different friends and became an informal homebrew club. Colin Jones, my business partner, was part of that group and there was a longstanding bet with the group that if we won awards at one of the larger homebrew competitions, we would seriously consider opening a brewery. And Colin held me to that bet after we won more than 8 medals in the course of just a few months, and in February 2015 we opened WeldWerks Brewing Co.
We focus on innovation in brewing, whether that means bringing new life to a traditional style, such as Vienna Lager, or venturing into more contemporary styles, such as New England-style IPAs. We also have both clean and sour barrel aging programs, which produce styles ranging from 15% ABV Imperial Stouts aged in bourbon barrels for more than a year to mixed-fermentation sours aged in barrels for nearly two years. We take an uncompromising approach to quality, no matter the style, and we are currently the 25th highest rated brewery in the world, according to Untappd. We are also committed to giving back to our local community by supporting local non-profit organizations working to help those in need in our area.
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene?
The craft beer scene in Colorado is one of the most diverse, exciting, thriving, and competitive scenes in the country. With more than 300 breweries, Colorado is the third highest state in terms of number of breweries per capita in the U.S. As a result, we have an incredibly diverse selection of craft beer in Colorado, with each brewery contributing their own creativity and originality to brewing
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene?
The best advice I can give breweries in planning is to build your brewery with success in mind. Expect that if you execute the strategy laid out in your business plan that you will be successful and size your system, taproom, production space, etc. accordingly.
