Maxline Brewing
The brewing industry has always been a lucrative endeavor for those who have aspired to make beer, but never before have we seen an explosion in popularity and subsequent gathering of beer businesses as we have in Fort Collins in the early 2000’s. Among one of the breweries that has found success in Northern Colorado is Maxline Brewing, a brewery that had a nontraditional rise to success in an already oversaturated beermaking market.
Maxline Brewing owner and founder, Kevin Gearhardt, started experimenting with homebrewing in the late 1980s as a hobby, learning a lot about the craft, but not really considering it a super serious endeavor. In 1992, Kevin – along with a few friends at work, decided to compile their homebrewing efforts and started a small homebrew supply business named Big Butt Brewing. Over the course of the next 10 years, the Big Butt Brewing gang got together two or three times every month in Gearhardt’s garage and aside from the infrequent experiment gone wrong, created some incredibly fine ales that they would share with friends and family during occasions and get-togethers.
In 2002, Gearhardt put a stop to the Big Butt Brewing days in his garage and instead decided to favor the rapidly expanding selection of beers and brews from multiple Fort Collins breweries and beer establishments. Another 10 years flew by before Gearhardt saw a social media post from an old college friend who had built a really innovative electric homebrewing kit. This inspired Gearhardt to get back in the game and his wife, Cathy, took it a step further and suggested to her husband, “Why don’t we just open up a brewery?” Gearhardt ran with the idea and has never looked back.
Maxline Brewing was originally named Hardihood, but was forced to change its initial name and take down the façade of their brewery just weeks before its grand opening due to a cease and desist request from another brewery. Having to come up with a new name in a short timeframe, Kevin Gearhardt opted for Maxline in tribute to the local Fort Collins public transportation bus route (named Max) that ran close to his business.
Maxline Brewing is most known for fostering craft, community, and culture. Maxline Brewing has a dedicated commitment to quality malt, hops, water, and yeast that they aren’t shy to brag about. In addition to the warm and spacious environment and taste room that they provide for customers, Maxline Brewing has a strong commitment to community service as the company requires all employees to log a minimum of 6 community service hours each month.
Tours & Events
Maxline Brewing provides plenty of space for customers to book their own event or occasion, and offers two special rooms, “The Brewers Lounge” and “The Taphouse” for those who desire a more private venue for their gathering. To talk to someone at Maxline Brewing about hosting your own event, please visit their website at https://maxlinebrewing.com/private-events/
In addition to hosting a variety of events, Maxline Brewing always offers Bingo Mondays, Comedy Nights with 970 Comedy, and a bevy of food trucks and live music year-round.
What’s on tap?
Maxline Brewing offers a wide variety of craft beers for their customers, but some of the local favorite craft beers that are available year-round include a Witbier, a Peach Mango Pale Tango, a Beer Shot Brown IPA, an Irish Red, and a Woodchip Coffee Porter. Some of the favorite seasonal brews that Maxline Brewing provides include a Plum Spice Ale, a Chocolate Stout, and a Mean Heat Wheat.