New Brewery Series: Fossil Brewing

With the flourish of breweries opening up in Colorado Springs, the west side is poised to make an impact on the beer scene here in 2014. With Paradox setting the precedent just a short drive up the canyon, and Manitou Brewing quickly getting ever closer to opening, another outfit is readying themselves to help draw you towards the mountains in search of your next frothy beverage. If you've driven on Hwy 24 westbound, you may have already noticed the unassuming sign above the door of a building just a stones throw from Rudy's Country BBQ.Founded by Josh Bye, Rich Benson, Graham Clark, Katrina Benson and Colleen Bye (and some newborns!), Fossil Brewing is looking to expand on Josh's success with his home-brew recipes in order to help bring the beer drinking masses to the west side. I visited with Josh and Rich last week, and they were excited to show off their plans for the space. The previous occupant was a boudoir studio, so since they've gotten the keys, they have essentially gutted the "tiny hideaway rooms" that comprised the space. Now, laid out in tape on the concrete floor is the boundaries for their cooler, fermentation room, grain "cage" and brewhouse. While there wasn't much to look at just yet, I could definitely sense the excitement these guys have for their brewery.

With the new revolution in fundraising being centered around Kickstarter, Fossil Brewing is one of the first in our area to use it for a brewery startup. They're initially using the fundraising platform to help buy their fermenters, with their stretch goals helping to complete their locally made brewhouse, and to keep it local, they enlisted a team from UCCS to help them conceptualize, film, and edit both their video and the accompanying soundtrack. They're planning on starting with a 7BBL system made locally here in Colorado Springs by Sigma Metals. The guys at Fossil say it'll be the first system made by Sigma, but also allowed them to fully customize it to their needs. Fossil Brewing also met with some of the Marketing students to brainstorm ideas and ways to market themselves in Colorado Springs. While they wouldn't give away too much, I'm still excited to see what they have in store for us, and having the action happen right in our backyard will make it ever easier to get updates and see things progressing! You can check out their Kickstarter here.[flexiblemap address="2845 Ore Mill Rd, Unit 1" title="Fossil Brewing Company"]Fossil Brewing Company2845 Ore Mill Rd, Unit 1Facebook  Twitter- - -Stay updated with our email updates and like us on Facebook. We're also on Twitter and Instagram at @focusonthebeer.