Loveland Colorado

Still breaking ground in their 20th year, New Belgium Brewing has dipped into the world of publishing with Tour de Fat; Sights, Sounds, Feelings, Flavors, a coffee table art book celebrating the first eleven years of the Colorado brewer’s traveling, philanthropic bike festival. The limited edition hard cover book chronicles the trials and triumphs of building an event from the ground up. From the early years when the whole show fit in the back of a pickup truck to 2010’s hometown Tour de Far with more than 15,000 attendees, the story is a first-person narrative from the cyclists, carnies, performers and car swappers who lived to tell the tale.

“Having seen this thing grow up from the get-go,” said New Belgium Spokes Model, Bryan Simpson, “the book truly reflects and celebrates the blood, sweat and perseverance it took to build this event into a powerful philanthropic engine and a bike advocacy building block.”

The project stems from a long-standing collaboration with Fort Collins-based independent publisher, Wolverine Farm Publishing. WFP staff and volunteers have traveled with the tour for the last six years extolling the virtues of literature married to activism and art. Publisher Todd Simmons published and edited the book.

“Tour de Fat rises above every other summer festival in its commitment to artistic integrity, philanthropic protest, and complete worship of the bicycle, and this book is merely an extension of that—a wildly flung tail of the last eleven years,” said Simmons.

This season Tour de Fat is expected to surpass $2 million raised for bike advocacy since its inception. With stops in 13 cities throughout the summer and fall, the Tour raises money for non-profits thru beer sales and challenges one driver from every city to give up their car for a year in exchange for a bicycle. Every event starts with a costumed bike parade followed by a mix of music, vaudeville and general spectacle topped off with the actual swapping of a car for bike and a celebratory dance party.

The book is available online at or at Tour de Fat events throughout the year.

New Belgium Brewing (www.newbelgium.com) today announced two new releases in its Lips of Faith series, “Kick” and “Clutch.” Both are collaboration beers suitably named in honor of their collaborative counterparts and each offers something fine and rare in the Lips of Faith tradition. Lips of Faith beers are New Belgium’s more esoteric creations, delivering palate-elevating brews that are only available for a limited time.

New Belgium’s Founder and CEO, Kim Jordan, and Seattle-based Elysian Brewing Founder and Head Brewer, Dick Cantwell, are in cahoots again with Kick, a ruby-hued, slightly sour ale. The rich and tart pumpkin cranberry ale is blended with wood-aged beer to deliver a uniquely complex harvest season sour. Kick’s ABV is 8.5%. Elysian and New Belgium have a history of celebrated creations with past “collabeerations,” including eight beers in the Trip Series.

Clutch is the result of synchronicity with the Maryland-based hard rock band with the same name. The sour stout has a pronounced bass line of dark chocolate, coffee and black malts that bridge the sourness of the dark wood ale for a fluid riff. Clutch’s ABV is 9%.

“Clutch is one of my favorite bands and this collaboration derives from the perfect storm of random happenings,” said New Belgium brewer Eric Salazar. “The band made a stop in Ft. Collins to tour our brewery, but we were closed. That day, I happened to run into them at a Ft. Collins restaurant and we started talking. I offered them a tour and the next thing you know, we’ve produced a soulful beer together.”

Kick and Clutch are available August through October. Pricing varies by market.

To find New Belgium beers in your area, you can use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: http://www.newbelgium.com/beer.aspx. You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/newbelgium.

New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, wants all fans of the slopes to meet them in Telluride on March 12 as it kicks off the 2011 New Belgium Scavenger Hunt Series. The Telluride event marks the first of three scavenger hunts, with additional stops in Taos, NM and Loveland, CO. At the scavenger hunts, costumes are highly encouraged, giant chickens are chased and unique riddles are solved, all while raising money for local non-profits.

“Drag out your Tour de Fat costume and join us on the mountain to help out a worthy cause,” said Shawn Hines with New Belgium Brewing. “This fundraiser is all about adding a little flare to the typical ski day, adding colorful culture and new knowledge to the downhill experience.”

Many of the scavenger hunt riddles are focused on New Belgium beer and culture, sustainability, Telluride Ski Resort and TASP, which helps enrich the lives of people with disabilities through educational and recreational opportunities. To participate it’s only $10 per person plus the cost of a ski ticket, with all proceeds for the Telluride stop benefiting TASP.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. with the scavenger hunt running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Groups of one to four people will search for both stationary and moving clues. Teams with the first and second highest point totals and the team with the lowest total will receive prizes at the post-party, held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The post-party will also include the chance to win a 20th anniversary New Belgium cruiser bike. Each participant will receive a New Belgium pint glass made specifically for the event.

New Belgium created the Scavenger Hunt Series five years ago and this is the third year that Telluride Ski Resort has hosted the event. For more information, check out http://www.newbelgium.com/events/event-map.aspx.

The Scavenger Hunt Series Schedule:

Telluride, Colorado March 12 Taos, New Mexico March 18 Loveland Ski Area, Colorado April 2