New Belgium Brewing

Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch founded New Belgium in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1991; the recipe for Fat Tire came from a cycling tour of Belgian breweries. In 1999 it became the first US brewery to run on wind power, and by 2017 it sold in all 50 states. It added breweries in Asheville, North Carolina, and Daleville, Virginia. Kirin’s Australian arm, Lion, bought it in 2019, and since October 2025 it has reported to Kirin directly; Bell’s belongs to the same group. In 2023 New Belgium changed Fat Tire from an amber ale to a lighter beer, and Voodoo Ranger is its IPA line. La Folie, a sour brown ale, comes from its barrel cellar, and the BJCP names its Le Terroir as a mixed-fermentation sour.