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Yurts and beer. Seems like a perfect combination, doesn’t it? We have two great examples of breweries in our home state who have added a yurt with great success.
Outer Range Brewery in Frisco and Horsefly Brewery in Montrose found themselves with a similar dilemma. They had a popular summer seating area on a patio, but lost it as soon as cold weather started. Both pitched a yurt to solve their seasonal seating shortage.
Outer Range Brewing is a microbrewery that specializes in IPAs and Belgian ales. They opened in December, 2016, with the intent of pairing love for the mountain lifestyle with love of craft beer. Outer Range is in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, with 360-degree mountain views, and six ski resorts within a thirty-minute drive.
Outer Range Brewing yurt on a snowy winter evening
During the summer season, customers can sit on the patio and take in the views surrounding the brewery. In the winter, they can now sit inside the yurt. Emily Cleghorn (one of the owners of the brewery) says, “We wanted a space that could help us with additional seating, and that was authentic to what we love about mountain living.” They’ve hosted private events in the yurt, utilized the extra seating and they even brewed an IPA in the yurt’s honor (The Yurt Life IPA sold out).
Yurt Life IPA
Emily says, “We also chose a yurt because they are very structurally sound. We wanted something that we could put up year after year.” Why a Colorado Yurt? “You guys have been awesome to work with. Brad was proactive in helping us navigate town codes and made the entire process very smooth and enjoyable.” Emily says, “Customers love the yurt! Who doesn’t want to drink beer in a yurt while looking out at epic mountainscapes!”
On this side of the divide, Horsefly Brewing Company was established in 2009 in our hometown of Montrose. They have a full menu and a wide selection of beer on tap. Located in the heart of downtown, Horsefly is a popular restaurant, pub and hangout for locals and tourists.
Horsefly’s yurt on the patio
Winter on the Horsefly patio
Phil Freismuth, owner of Horsefly, says, “In the summer we utilize our outdoor patio to increase sales and provide a more relaxing environment for our customers. Then winter comes, and we lose that extra seating. What we like about the yurt is that it heats up quickly with our natural gas heater, and stays warm all day. When people walk into our yurt they are impressed. It adds approximately 20 more seats during the winter which helps with the bottom line. Many groups have used the yurt for business meetings and private parties because they can go inside, close the door and have privacy.”
Warm, inviting interior of Horsefly yurt
He adds, “Colorado Yurt was great to work with. They made the transaction really smooth. Cliff met with me and explained all the details of the yurt. He then showed up with the yurt and a crew and assembled it for us the first time.”
If you visit one of these brewery yurts this winter, be sure to drink one for the skilled crew that built the yurt- working hard in Montrose. (And send us a photo!)
