The Forge Publick House

As previous people have said, this place has a lot of hipsters and yuppies. While the Atmosphere (Walls, bar, seating, tables, etc.) is kind of nice, the seating is still limited after expansion. While I was there today I have yet to see a food menu, so I think they still only serve beer. While the bar is **CASH ONLY** (I suspect this is done for tax purposes, but at this point it’s only conjecture), they have a variety of beer. Their variety is very limited to beers on tap and the rest are in bottles. You can still go to other bars with equal or better atmosphere, with food, and more options with beer and typically at better prices. Places like The Mayor, Tap & Handle, Taps, Old Chicago’s all have a wide variety of options. When I was there today I also got crap service. In Fort Collins beer options are plentiful and new beers are coming out all the time, I typically ask for a small taste (½ oz, just enough to get your tongue wet with flavor) and most every place will let you taste 2 or 3 before you have to make a decision on a beer. Today they were only willing to give me 1 small taste before I had to decide on a beer. What if I didn’t like that beer? Then my next beer is a gamble. The beers are pricey. I was spending $ 5-​$ 7 for a 12oz beer, I wasn’t even getting a pint (16oz) of beer. Again with so many options in places to get beer that also give you a plethora of beer options, I don’t feel the need to ever come back to The Forge. I have had better customer service and I also rarely carry cash, to go there I typically have to plan because I have to go out of my way to pull $ 30 out of the bank. Today I only ordered 2 beers, I typically order 4 – 5 beers. Between not being able to get a small taste so I can find a beer I want to spend money on, lousy customer service, and over priced beers I paid my $ 12 and $ 1.00 tip and I left. With Fort Collins having so many breweries and locations that offer 50, 75, 100, etc beers on tap, there is no reason to go to a place that only has maybe 20 or so beers on tap and the rest in bottle. Trust me when I say there are better options than this place and I urge you to seek them out.

Love the atmosphere. Dimly lit, fireplace in the corner, old wood and brick. Good for discussing philosophy. Reminds me of an old British pub, especially with their great selection of ciders.
Cash only.
Thanks to the bartender Kelsey for her friendly, knowledgeable service.

Quite possibly becoming a favorite establishment of mine to indulge in a pint of not so common, probably mostly seasonal type ales, because of the unique and eclectic feel (interior décor).
Best found walking in the alleyway East of Walnut and North of Linden; access off of Linden or Pine.
Have cash on hand, it is all they take. Cheers!

My husband loves this place especially during Friday happy hours after his workout. He knows ft collins better than I. My challenge is to find it. The iPhone doesn’t help much as the forge is in the MIDDLE of the block bordered by Pine, Walnut, and Linden streets. Take an alley off Linden or Walnut streets. They have a nice selection of beers. See the picture – I’m looking toward Walnut St.

CASH ONLY***CASH ONLY***CASH ONLY
ok, with that being said… I love that this spot is off the beaten path in Old Town Fort Collins. The douchey college crowds are at a minimum. Great selection of beer. I would have rated this 4 stars, but it took forever to get a beer. We kept getting passed over so that regulars might be served. Bummer. I might check this place out again before I move.

The Forge is the best kept secret in Ft. Collins’ brew scene! There’s a fantastic array of beery styles, and they focus on very high quality, and often time hard to find beers. Lately, it’s also become one of my favorite places for Sour Beers and Ciders.
The staff is very knowledgeable, and the setting is very «English Pub-​like!‘
Only downside is that they only take cash. They do have an on-​site ATM, but it never has any paper in it to print a receipt of your transaction.
All-​in-​all I’ll keep coming back!

The servers are not always nice to you or explain the beers fully. Food is not worth it. That being said, the atmosphere and beer are incredible.

Classy beer bar is classy. Located off the beaten path (in an alley), the place sells itself very well.
Do I go to the cool bar in the front or the cool bar in the back? One has more stool/​table type seating and the other is more like a living room (a cozy and stylish one) with a smaller bar. Simple brick and mortar, classy furniture, works of modern art/​photography, a fireplace, fine woodwork, and professional lighting really set the mood in this place. Some tastefully hung lights and garland add a few cozy nostalgia points during the winter. Background stereo plays laid back songs that you know and love. Games, books, and a newfangled competitive Pacman machine fend off the just-​staring-​at-​eachother-​drinking stupor.
They don’t have massive lineups of tapheads, but what they have is more than adequate. You won’t be able to drink them all in a single visit and they rotate frequently. Unlike most of our local beer bars, CO beers aren’t the highlight (though they do serve the best indigenous brews), great beers are. Every time I’ve been here, they’ve had at least a couple stellar beers from California. The bottle list (reserve list) is quite good and prices are reasonable. Most of the beertenders are seasoned beer geeks and have a solid repertoire of beer knowledge and expertise.
To your health!

We came here early in the afternoon and really enjoyed it. It’s a great little spot with a unique and interesting beer selection and friendly staff. It gets a nice afternoon light and has some couches for lounging.

If I owned a bar in Fort Collins, this would be it. Out of the way hidden in downtown FC yet if you’re looking for it you’ll find it. Dark wood atmosphere, brick walls, a select amount of patron space, a great selection of beers, and good company. You don’t want to miss it.

I wouldn’t exactly call Forge a tap house. They have a few beers on tap but not many. What makes their menu so impressive all of the different kinds of beers they have available in the bottle. I mean the list is huge!
The bar itself is very small and they only accept cash your plastic payment cards are no good here. The atmosphere is cozy and fun… a place that may attract the starving artist types in town that are not really starving. I have heard several people say that the Forge has been ‘discovered’ and that they feel like they have to move on to find another ‘underground’ bar. Personally I think such talk is utterly ridiculous. First of all Fort Collins is a college town and not really a large town at that so the notion of trying to ‘discover’ things is almost an oxymoron. In a town this size everything will be found out sooner or later and usually it is sooner.
With that said Forge is in a odd location of sorts. It is in an alley way and you cannot access it unless you go down it. The main streets will not take you there. Furthermore I would recommend since this is a very small bar it is bound to get full very quickly on a weekend in which it will spill onto their patio so therefore to avoid a crowd of claustrophobic proportions you should go here on a week night.

Just saw this last review and it made me want to chime in too! For being a very small, off the beaten path, pub, this place is pretty amazing. I love that they made the small space so nice and cozy. AND the back deck is great for the summer weather we have been having. My BF tells me that the beer choices are outstanding too. I cant say from experience because I dont drink a lot of beer. I have also noticed that the bar tender knows his S%#T when it comes to the beer they have. Last time I was in I ordered an Easy Street and he quickly suggested about 5 other beers I would like. A+ for service. Lost a star because of the size, been several times and not had a place to sit inside. Forced to sit outside with the smokers… Still Ill be back!

Absolutely love it!
It’s my favorite bar in town, just make sure you bring cash. You’ll never get waited on, you just have to saddle up to the bar and order.

Decent addition to the Fort Collins bar scene although it tends to cater to and attract yuppies and hipsters. There is a great beer selection but beware that it is expensive, especially by Fort Collins standards, and they only take cash. There is also no food, no booze, and one shared bathroom. If you go when it’s busy expect not to get a seat as there is not much space to being with.
This place loses points as during my last visit someone asked for water and was provided with a bottle for $ 3. The customer replied they actutally wanted tap water and the response from the bartender was «we don’t have tap water». Really? As I said, not a cheap place to drink, even if it’s water. Go for the beer, leave when you’re over the slow service and the yuppies giving the stink eye.

In a recently renovated alley, a small but beautiful new pub is open, giving people yet another reason to drink and hang out in old town.
First of all, the place is understated, so much so, I walked by it a couple times without even realizing it was open. When my friends brought me there, I was absolutely impressed with what they did with the place. Beautiful brick walls on the inside, nice bar, comfortable furniture that provides the ambience of an old-​school English pub. On the menu, two pages of beerss, mostly in bottles. They have a handful of taps, and rotate them constantly, but the primary attraction is bottled beer that is not your typical domestic fare (although you’ll find some great microbrews in bottles on the menu).
The staff is friendly as well. Our server gave us a great tip — show up around five or 6 PM on Monday evenings, when they have a barbecue running up front, and free food awaits those fortunate enough to pass by that time. I think I know where I will be next Monday!

Great bottle selection! I like the small tap number, it keeps great beer rotating fast. It only accepts cash which is a downside, but as long as you plan on going there, it’s no big deal. Very intimate atmosphere with not much seating, but I like that. It attracts a much different crowd than most of the bars in Old Town, which is also a big plus – no drunk college kids. Great place, I definitely plan on going back!

Very cool place! Went here on a Wednesday night for the first time and was very pleased with the beer selection and friendly bartender. They only have a handful of beers on tap, but they were all delicious and awesome (Young’s Double Chocolate Stout on nitro, anyone?). They also have over 100 bottled beers, both domestic and imports. The bartender was excited about beer, was knowledgeable, had great recommendations, and was fun to shoot the breeze with.
It’s very dark and small in here and reminiscent of a small English pub (think that’s what they were going for). Small bar with additional seating via classy arm chairs and an outdoor patio. They have local art and it’s a generally comfy, cozy, and well-​designed place. I felt very at-​ease and welcome here.
FYI: They are CASH ONLY but have an ATM on site (charges $ 1.50 for withdrawls), so plan ahead and make sure you have cash to avoid fees!
And perhaps I’m just becoming a giant beer snob and forget that «cheap beer» exists, but I think on average I wouldn’t classify this place as «pricey» necessarily. There are lots of beers in the $ 5 range (and local favorites – Fat Tire and Sunshine – are only $ 3), although they do have some higher-​priced items for the more adventurous. It’s definitely not somewhere for you to get sloshed and plan to leave without an empty wallet, but if you just want a beer or two with some friends after work, then the price isn’t too bad.
I kind of don’t want people to know about this place because it’s a fun little hidden gem, but I suppose enough people need to come to keep it open, so you can thank me later for telling you about the newest best-​kept secret in FOCO!

This is THE new place to go for those of us interested in something other than your typical «bro» or «hipster» scene. Great beer list, interior is dark and intimate with a really cozy feel, and the owner provides some fun banter.
Only downside was one of the barkeeps is a pretty surly fellow who does his best to ignore your wishes to order beer and seemed generally peevish at the world.

Smallish, dark interior, provocative art, experienced bartenders, comfy chairs and couches. Cool.

There’s nothing not to like about this place: the beer selection is first rate, the staff is knowledgeable and friendly and the vibe is convivial and comfortable. For a place that’s only been open a few weeks, it feels like it’s been there forever. I can’t wait to hang here on a cold winter night with a good glass of stout.
They could use a few more lower priced beers (Fat Tire and Sunshine wheat, two of my least favorite beers, are the only $ 3 candidates), as paying 5 or 6 bucks a glass will take it’s toll, but you do get what you pay for. Maybe some Session or Sam Adams for the budget buyers?
All in all, a beautifully conceived concept, well executed and in a fantastic location. Well done, Forge folks.