Have Fun at Work!

Today, our last full day in Fort Collins, we took the guided tour of New Belgium Brewing -- the primary purpose of our visit. (It's also one of the items on my bucket list.)

New Belgium is an employee-owned company that has grown rapidly while adhering to its environmental consciousness and philanthropic values. It produces a wide range of excellent beers, and is planning to build a new brewery in North Carolina to satisfy the demands of its fans on the east side of the US.

After touring several breweries in my lifetime, I'd reached the been-there-done-that stage, but I expected something different from New Belgium. I wasn't disappointed.

If all the employees of NB are as enthusiastic as our tour guide, Lauren, it's no wonder the company is so successful. She explained the brewing process in simple terms, with humor, and was able to answer all the technical questions thrown at her by the beer geeks in our group.

We started in one of the brew houses and followed the process through to the bottling and packing lines. At each stop, Lauren poured a different beer sample, and talked about the characteristics of the beer. The tour lasted an hour and a half, but it was over too soon. Cynthia and I (and other tour members) consoled ourselves with a glass of our favorite beer in the tasting room.

I almost forgot to explain my photo. One of the company's core values is that employees should have time for fun. The slide is just one of the amenities to help them do that. We were invited to try it at the end of the tour -- I declined.