USA, CO: Sparge Brewing to open its doors in Wellington next month

The town of Wellington is on the verge of getting another craft brewery, The Coloradoan reported on February 14.

Sparge Brewing plans to open in March just off Interstate 25 at 3999 George W. Bush Ave. in the town just north of Fort Collins that has grown to about 10,000 residents.

The operation will join other Wellington brewery taprooms Old Colorado Brewing and Soul Squared Brewing — which brews on a private Fort Collins farm but has a Wellington taproom.

“I fell in love with Wellington throughout the process,” Sparge founder Rich Efird said. “It is the perfect town for what we want to do.”

Sparge Brewing — named after a rinsing method used in the brewing process — plans to focus on sessionable beers.

The brewery also plans on offering a gluten-free beer made with a seeded grass called millet.

“We will emphasize refreshing, easy-drinking but flavorful beers,” Efird said. “I came to the conclusion that if everybody will drink it, people will stay longer.”

Efird became interested in craft beer about a decade ago and began homebrewing about eight years ago. He grew up in a military family — he was born in North Carolina, later lived in Germany and graduated from a South Dakota high school. Efird later moved around the country as part of his own U.S. Army career.

Efird and his wife Leslie settled in Fort Collins a decade ago. He’s been working with an IT company called World Wide Technology but decided to launch a brewery as a way to fulfill his dream of running his own business.

Efird initially looked to open a craft brewery in Fort Collins but eventually discovered the more affordable opportunity in Wellington.

“I want to create something that people can enjoy,” Efird said.

While Efird has plenty of homebrewing experiencing and competition awards, he’s hired a head brewer to run things at Sparge Brewing.

Colorado State University fermentation science program graduate Rick Hatch will lead the brewing operations on Sparge Brewing’s five-barrel system. Hatch also apprenticed at Denver Beer Co. before accepting the head brewer position.

14 February, 2019