Family and community are core principles at this local favorite, and you’ll want to call their taproom ‘home’
If you’ve ever found yourself in Fort Collins wondering where to grab a pint from a local favorite brewery, look no further than Horse & Dragon Brewing Company. Nestled at 124 Racquette Drive, this family-run gem is about much more than brewing. It’s a community engine, a gathering space and a bold little dragon of a business, proudly flying its flag in Colorado’s stacked craft beer scene.
They’re also one of our best-selling breweries at Mulberry MAX. So we wanted to highlight their great brews and good works in case they weren’t on your radar. We’ve made them our “Featured Brewery” for July and have deals on their wonderful beers.
A brewery born from global wandering and local love
Horse & Dragon wasn’t some impulsive, hops-fueled startup. Founders Tim and Carol Cochran spent decades dreaming, planning and quietly preparing. The dream took hold after a disappointing attempt at wine-tasting on their honeymoon in Napa. (Spoiler: they bailed on the cabernet and found the only brewery in town instead).
That trip, and many beers since, planted a seed. “From that time they talked about opening a small brewery, and they continued to explore the idea and build a business plan over the next 20+ years,” said Tatum Cochran, their daughter and the brewery’s general manager.
Tim and Carol lived half their adult lives in Asia, in countries where the dragon is a revered symbol. The other half? In the American West, where the horse reigns supreme. Hence: Horse & Dragon. And yes, Tim was born in the Year of the Horse, Carol in the Year of the Dragon. It’s fate and branding synergy.
Why set up shop in Fort Collins, a town already crawling with craft beer talent? It wasn’t just sentiment, though there was plenty of that. Carol’s grandparents worked for CSU and her parents moved here after the grandparents passed. Tim and Carol visited Fort Collins for years.
But they also did their homework. Fort Collins checked all the boxes: quality of life, potential for growth, and “a highly educated consumer craft beer palate that allows no margin for error,” as Tatum put it. “[The couple] knew they had to locate the business in a place where we had some connection and that might give them a business toe-hold,” she said. Lucky us.
Four tenets, one mission: Make great beer (and good vibes)
Horse & Dragon runs on four simple, powerful tenets:
- Make great beer
- Treat everyone ethically
- Operate as a triple-bottom-line business, including goals for environmental and social sustainability along with finances
- Be proactive members of the community
“The first one is necessary to accomplish any of the rest,” Tatum pointed out. No beer, no mission. So they prioritized access to quality ingredients, skilled brewers and equipment that gets the job done right.
The Lead Brewer is Jordan Friesen, who brings California roots and a talent for turning ideas into crowd-pleasers – like his “Friesenbrau” German lager and several hop-forward IPAs and pale ales.
One of their core brewing goals? “Make beers you’d like to drink a second pint of,” Tatum said. Nothing over-hyped, over-hopped or gimmicky. “The goal is balanced beers of multiple styles available at any time.”
The result? A surprisingly consistent chorus from new visitors: “I never like every beer in a flight, and I liked every beer in this flight.”
Meet Sad Panda, Silver Lion and their flavorful friends
Let’s talk flagships. You’ve probably already met Sad Panda Coffee Stout, created by the brewery’s first Head Brewer, Lindsay Cornish. It’s a Fort Collins staple, for good reason. It’s “a really great combo of a fantastic, light-bodied base stout and additions of cold-brew coffee, chocolate, and vanilla,” Carol said. “We didn’t have any idea it would resonate so well in the community.”
It exploded in popularity after their then-lead sales guy (now Director of Operations), Luke Margheim, noticed a market gap for year-round, drinkable dark beer. Enter Sad Panda. Local restaurants and all us beer hounds gobbled it up. The rest is delicious history.
Other top hits include:
- Silver Lion Czech-Style Pilsner, created by Josh Evans, their second Head Brewer.
- Haze & Dragon Hazy IPA, created by previous Head Brewer Tanner Hulse, has given Sad Panda a run for its money as the brewery’s most popular beer in recent years.
- Friesenbrau, Jordan’s bright, clean lager that shows off just how seriously H&D takes approachability.
Every brewer who’s come through has left a creative fingerprint on the lineup. “It’s cool that each of our brewers has had a lasting impact on the brands,” Tatum said.
Collabs, and why the taproom feels like your living room
Horse & Dragon doesn’t stop at just brewing good beer. The team loves collaborations – especially when they embrace perspectives from people such as chefs, brewers, and even their neighbors at Sandbox Solar. “It’s amazing how additional viewpoints reinvigorate you and have a multiplying effect on both the process and the product,” Carol said.
When it comes to the taproom vibe, forget everything you know about pretentious craft spaces. “You’ll have to work hard to find a beer snob in here,” Carol said. The goal? A welcoming, comfortable spot where everyone feels at home. “We want this to be as safe a space as possible for everyone. We always say we want you to be able to treat this as your own living room.” When you need your living room to accommodate 70 people, Horse & Dragon is a solid Plan B.
The décor? Cozy, full of plants, upcycled wood, and “in NO way fancy or modern,” Carol said. In other words, it’s real. No over-designed aesthetic, no minimalist coldness. Just a great place to kick back and drink a beer that tastes like something.
Community over everything
Here’s where Horse & Dragon truly stands apart. Beer is the vessel, not the endgame. “Our overarching ‘why’ is: because beer brings people together,” Tatum said. And she doesn’t just mean happy hour with your pals. She means community, resilience and good old-fashioned connection.
Horse & Dragon hosts community conversations, lends its space out to local groups free of charge, and supports nonprofits however they can – often with more product and time than actual cash. “We have a zero-dollar marketing budget but a much larger donation rate,” Tatum said.
Even when times are tight, they give what they can. “Although we are operating in good years at a break-even point, we do our best to support efforts in the community.” That’s not a line in a brochure. That’s who they are.
The team behind the brews (and the smiles)
With just 16 employees – eight full-time and eight part-time – this place runs on passion and hustle.
Let’s meet a few key players:
- Luke Margheim, POATA (yes, really: Purveyor of All Things Awesome). He’s been with H&D since before the doors opened and now runs the sales and production side.
- Tatum Cochran, General Manager and daughter of the founders. She handles tasting room operations, HR, bookkeeping, supply chain and most of the community engagement.
- Jordan Friesen, Lead Brewer, recipe wizard and quiet powerhouse.
- Sofia Woods, Bree Emerson and Marleyna Baggett, the friendly faces running the tasting room. Sofia also moonlights on the admin side.
- Jeff Franklyn, Laura Bass and Nate Degen, holding down sales, keg cleaning, and general beer-moving magic.
Carol and Tim? They’re still around, still handling administrative duties and helping as needed daily, and yes – even scrubbing floors and toilets when needed. They embody the collaborative spirit of the entire Horse & Dragon enterprise.
Looking ahead without selling out
So what’s next for this little red brewery?
“We’ve always had the goal of building out demand to maximize production here – without adding overnight or weekend shifts,” Tatum said. That means slowly growing capacity by around 1,000 barrels to a total of 3,500 per year, while staying true to their roots and continuing to focus on quality over scale.
Efficiency is a big deal, too. “We’re working on ways to improve water and energy use. The solar panels (from their collab with Sandbox) are a big step toward that.”
The team is also realistic. “Whether or not we achieve this remains to be seen! In these current times we are grateful to remain in business and have the loyal and new customers we see each year.”
Legacy in the making
If you ask Horse & Dragon what kind of legacy they want to leave, you won’t get some sanitized corporate mission statement.
They hope to be “a valuable contributor to and part of the Northern Colorado community,” Carol said. They want to earn enough to pay off their startup loans (relatable) and “pass along to the next generation a solid brand and tradition that is viable into the future in a market that is becoming more challenging and less affordable to small manufacturing businesses,” she said.
And then there’s The Beach. In 2022, they planted two trees in the reclaimed backyard space behind the brewery. “We hope they grow to provide shade and beauty to the little red brewery in 2052 and beyond,” Carol said.
We like their chances.
Final sip
Horse & Dragon isn’t trying to be the biggest. They’re trying to be the best at being themselves. If you want great beer without pretense, a warm place to hang without snobbery, and a business that believes in community over clout – then head to Horse & Dragon. Order a Sad Panda. Say hi to Tatum or Luke. Chill on The Beach.
Just don’t expect to leave with any of those tired beer clichés. Around here, they don’t chase trends. They just brew damn good beer. And invite you in for another pint.
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Ready to support a community leader and sip a great brew? You can pick up several Horse & Dragon beers at Mulberry MAX or at the brewery.