Aug 10, 2026

4 Fort Collins Breweries That Take Dogs, and the 2 That Let Them Inside

Colorado has a statute governing dogs on patios, and one of its conditions is about doorways rather than dog policy. It explains every yes and no in Fort Collins.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Fort Collins, Colorado10 min readEat & Drink

Fort Collins has more breweries than most cities twice its size, and a reputation for taking dogs everywhere. Both of those things are true. What almost nobody explains is the rule that decides which patio says yes, and it is not about how much the owner likes dogs.

Colorado has a statute for this, and reading it changes how you plan a beer afternoon.

The law that governs every patio in the state

Colorado Revised Statutes 25-4-1615, added by Senate Bill 20-078, permits a pet dog in the outdoor dining area of a retail food establishment only if all of the following hold.

The establishment elects to allow it. Nothing is compulsory.

A separate entrance exists through which the dog enters and exits the outdoor dining area without passing through the establishment.

The dog stays off chairs, benches, seats, and other furniture or fixtures.

The outdoor area is not used for food or drink preparation, except that staff may refill a glass out there from a pitcher.

The dog is leashed or in a carrier and under a person's control.

The licensee complies with local ordinances on sidewalks, public nuisances, and sanitation, plus any other control measures approved by the county or district public health agency.

You are responsible for your dog's behaviour, in the statute's own words.

And local government can override the whole thing. A city or county may prohibit pet dogs in outdoor dining areas within its jurisdiction. Nothing in the section restricts service animals.

Here is why that matters practically. Look again at the second condition. A separate entrance is architecture, not attitude. Two identical patios on the same street can differ because one has a gate onto the pavement and the other only opens through the dining room. When a place turns your dog away, that is usually the reason, and no amount of charm will change it.

1. New Belgium Brewing Company

The headline name, and one of only two that take dogs indoors.

Visit Fort Collins states that New Belgium allows your furry friends to come inside, alongside outdoor patio and yard space with Rolle Bolle games.

Why indoors is even possible. The statute governs outdoor dining areas of retail food establishments. A taproom whose primary business is pouring beer rather than preparing food sits outside that frame, which is the likeliest explanation for why some Colorado taprooms admit dogs indoors while every restaurant patio in the state runs on the seven conditions above.

The yard is the reason to come with a dog. Lawn games and open space beat a narrow patio, particularly for a young dog with energy to spend.

Confirm at the door anyway. New Belgium's own site does not publish a pet policy, so the tourism board is the source here rather than the brewery.

2. Odell Brewing Co

The other one that reportedly takes dogs inside, with a patio and an outdoor fire pit.

Visit Fort Collins lists Odell as allowing pets indoors and on the patio.

The fire pit is the seasonal advantage. Fort Collins evenings cool fast at 5,000 feet, and an outdoor heat source is the difference between a shoulder-season patio and a real one.

A caution worth stating. Some published accounts describe Odell as patio-only, permitting dogs inside just long enough to order. Those accounts and the tourism board disagree, and Odell's own site does not settle it. Ask when you arrive rather than committing to an indoor plan.

Keep the dog off the furniture wherever you sit, since that condition applies to any outdoor dining area in the state.

3. Horse & Dragon Brewing Company

Patio, with water bowls out. Visit Fort Collins lists pets as allowed on the patio, with water bowls provided.

Water bowls unprompted is the signal to look for. A venue that puts them out has decided dogs are part of the business rather than something to be tolerated, and that shows in how staff handle a busy Saturday.

4. Zwei Brewing

Patio, also with water bowls. Same listing, same provision.

Zwei is the quieter of the four, which makes it the right pick for a dog that finds New Belgium's yard overwhelming.

The four at a glance

#	Brewery	Dogs indoors	Patio	Extras
1	New Belgium Brewing	Reported yes	Yes, plus yard	Rolle Bolle lawn games
2	Odell Brewing Co	Reported yes, confirm	Yes	Outdoor fire pit
3	Horse & Dragon Brewing	No	Yes	Water bowls provided
4	Zwei Brewing	No	Yes	Water bowls provided

A note on sourcing, because it matters here. None of these four publishes a pet policy on its own website. Every venue-level claim above comes from Visit Fort Collins, the city's official tourism organisation, which is a credible source but not the operator. Policies change, staff differ, and patios close seasonally. Telephone or ask at the door before you plan around an indoor visit.

Why the "15 dog-friendly breweries" lists do not hold up

Search this question and you will find lists naming a dozen or more Fort Collins breweries as dog-friendly. It is worth understanding what those lists are and are not.

They are mostly inference from photographs and reviews. A brewery with a patio in a city with a patio-dog statute and a strong dog culture will almost certainly have had dogs on that patio. That is not the same as a policy, and it is definitely not the same as a policy that will be applied consistently by whoever is working when you arrive.

The verifiable set is much smaller. Four breweries appear on the city's official tourism listing with a stated policy. Everything beyond that is a reasonable guess, and PetCompass does not publish reasonable guesses as facts.

Which does not mean the others refuse dogs. Fort Collins has well over twenty breweries and a genuine dog culture, and many of the unlisted ones will happily seat you. Funkwerks, Equinox, Maxline, Purpose, and Jessup Farm Barrel House all come up repeatedly in local discussion, and none of them publishes a policy either way.

So treat the four as your reliable plan and the rest as upside. Phone ahead for anywhere you are travelling specifically to visit, and use the door test below when you are simply walking Old Town.

The door test, in ten seconds. Is there a gate from the pavement straight onto the patio, without going through the building? If yes, the statute's hardest condition is satisfied and the answer is probably yes. If the only way in is through the dining room, expect no, and do not take it personally.

Beyond beer

Ginger & Baker goes further than anyone else in town, with a pet-specific menu that Visit Fort Collins describes as running from pup-pops to paw-fogato. If you want the dog to have its own order rather than a bowl of water, this is the stop.

Wagz Pet Market, on College Avenue near Trimble Court, is a pet boutique where pets are welcome in store. Useful when you have forgotten the collapsible bowl again.

Five hotels are listed as pet-friendly: the Fort Collins Marriott, the Hilton Fort Collins, Quality Inn and Suites, The Armstrong, and The Elizabeth Hotel.

And the wider Old Town patio circuit, which is restaurants rather than breweries, is in 12 Old Town Fort Collins patios that take dogs.

How to make a brewery afternoon work

Walk the dog properly first. A dog that has already had a real outing lies down under a table. A dog that has been in a car for two hours does not. The Poudre corridor sites in the Poudre is Colorado's only Wild and Scenic river are the obvious pre-beer walk, and the fenced parks in 4 Fort Collins off-leash dog parks are the alternative.

Go early or midweek. A crowded taproom is a poor environment for most dogs, and the patios that take dogs are the ones that fill first on a warm Saturday.

Bring the bowl and the towel. Two of the four provide water. Two do not.

Check the ground temperature. A dark patio slab in Front Range sun is hotter than the air, and thermal injury to paw pads becomes a risk from around 77 degrees of air temperature, when asphalt reaches roughly 125 degrees.

Know the local rules. Fort Collins prohibits dogs at large under municipal code 4-93, requires immediate removal of waste, and prohibits excessive barking under code 4-94, all set out on the NoCo Humane animal control page. Animal Protection and Control dispatch is 970.226.3647, extension 7.

Service animals are a separate matter entirely, protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and by the final subsection of the Colorado statute. No venue on this page may refuse one.

What the statute means for the rest of your trip

The patio rule is the most visible piece of a wider pattern, and once you see it the whole region makes sense.

Colorado legislates access rather than leaving it to custom. The state chose to write down when a dog may sit beside you and what conditions apply, which is why a Fort Collins patio afternoon is more predictable than the equivalent in a state with no statute at all.

The same instinct runs through the land management rules, and there it cuts the other way. Larimer County defines physical control so tightly that voice command and electronic collars do not qualify. The City of Fort Collins closes seven of its 51 natural areas to dogs completely. Rocky Mountain National Park bans them from every trail it has and enforces it in federal court.

So the region is generous about where a dog can drink and strict about where it can walk. That is the opposite of what most visitors expect from a mountain state, and planning around it is the single most useful thing to understand about bringing a dog here.

The practical version of that trade. Build the day around a leashed walk in one of the 40 permitted natural areas or along the Poudre, finish on a patio, and skip the places that will turn you away. The full picture of the closures is in the 7 natural areas where Fort Collins bans dogs and the wildlife and regulatory traps are in 9 Colorado hazards that catch Fort Collins dog owners off guard.

Frequently asked questions

Does Colorado allow dogs on restaurant patios? Yes, conditionally. C.R.S. 25-4-1615 permits a pet dog in the outdoor dining area of a retail food establishment if the establishment elects to allow it, there is a separate entrance so the dog does not pass through the building, the dog stays off furniture, the area is not used for food preparation, and the dog is leashed or carried and under control.

Which Fort Collins breweries allow dogs inside? Visit Fort Collins lists New Belgium Brewing and Odell Brewing Co as allowing pets indoors. Neither brewery publishes its own policy, so confirm at the door.

Which Fort Collins breweries have dog-friendly patios? New Belgium, Odell, Horse & Dragon, and Zwei Brewing. Horse & Dragon and Zwei are listed as providing water bowls.

Why do some Fort Collins patios refuse dogs? Usually the separate-entrance requirement in the state statute. A dog must be able to enter and leave the outdoor dining area without passing through the building, and not every patio is built that way.

Can my dog sit on a chair at a Colorado patio? No. The statute specifically prohibits allowing a pet dog on chairs, benches, seats, or other furniture or fixtures.

Can a Colorado city ban dogs from patios entirely? Yes. The statute allows the governing body of a city, county, or city and county to prohibit pet dogs in outdoor dining areas within its jurisdiction.

Sources

Venue-level pet policies here come from Visit Fort Collins rather than from the operators, none of whom publishes a policy on its own site. Policies, hours, and patio access change without notice, so confirm directly. This article is general information and is neither legal nor veterinary advice.