Could This Iconic Colorado Craft Beer be Making a Comeback?

For many Colorado millennials, the first taste of a craft beer was life-changing. This wasn't your dad's garage beer; it was something more. The taste was different, it felt more meaningful, and special.

A Colorado Craft Beer Original

Like many Coloradans, my very first taste of a craft beer came from a Fat Tire Amber Ale that was brewed at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. The malty taste was unlike any other beer I had prior. It wasn't a light beer or a Budweiser that was lovingly known as a "Bud Heavy".

For years, Fat Tire Amber Ale was almost always in my refrigerator and my go-to any time I wanted to have a beer. In 2023, something changed with my beloved beer. New Belgium changed everything about Fat Tire. Veering away from its original recipe, to a lighter blonde ale, redesigning the logo, and essentially keeping only the name, nothing more.

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While I was scrolling on Instagram this morning, I saw a reel that immediately captured my attention from craft beer content creator, BeerAficionado, talking about New Belgium's Fat Tire. The video is part speculation, part evidence-based on Fat Tire's return to an amber ale.

New Belgium Brewery will be celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2026, and it appears the original amber ale recipe is making a comeback. One thing about government regulations surrounding alcohol is that approvals need to be made by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. One of these approvals is for the labeling of alcoholic beverages such as beer.

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On January 14, 2026, a label for New Belgium Brewing's Fat Tire Amber Ale was approved by the TTB. This label shows the original Fat Tire artwork, with the phrase Classic Recipe.

Fat Tire Permanent Return or Limited Run?

Will Fat Tire return to its original roots of the amber ale permanently, or will it only be for the 35th anniversary? I suppose we will have to wait and see what New Belgium Brewery tells us in the coming weeks to know for sure.

See the video posted on Instagram below by BeerAficionado: