The Odell family started its brewing odyssey in 1989, in a converted 1915 grain elevator in Fort Collins, Colo.  Odell's was just the second microbrewery to open in Colorado. No one knew what "craft beer" was in those early days….not home brew, or worse, bathtub brew, but small batch, hand-crafted, commercially brewed distinctive beers.

Since then, Odell Brewing Company has become a huge success, available throughout the U.S. and abroad.  Its classic beers, such as Easy Street Wheat, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, 90 Shilling and IPA, have earned the company a wall full of national and international awards. 

The brewery uses a number of renewable energy sources for its needs, including biodiesel (B20) in its delivery trucks.  The company also uses wind power, and photovoltaic electricity generation.
 
“As a manufacturing company we understand our impact on energy usage and feel it is our responsibility to explore and promote all possibilities,” said company founder Doug Odell.

Odell Brewing has been named a “Best Company to Work For” in Colorado, and biodiesel may play a role in that. “Everyone here is environmentally minded and they are happy that their using biodiesel, but the great thing about using it in our delivery trucks is that it really doesn’t function any differently,” said Karla Baise, community outreach coordinator. 

Summer 2010