Outer Range, a US craft brewery in Frisco, Colorado is building a brewery at the foothills of the French Alps, thus staying true to its mountain roots. The Beer Idiots talked with Lee Cleghorn in Brussels to discuss his plans to brew in Europe and how his Belgian roots has guided his brewing philosophy.
Lee and Emily Cleghorn established Outer Range in Frisco, a mountain town, in 2016. Since then fans have made their brews famous. They expanded the Frisco brewery and added a taproom. We met up with Cleghorn at Beergium Bar, as he was in Europe to set up his new brewery in France, called ORB Alps.
They are known for their Belgian-style beers and hazy IPA. In expanding, they decided to buy new brewhouse systems, one to replace their equipment in Colorado, the other for a new brewery in Sallanches, France. He plans on opening ORB Alps in winter 2022.
According to the Full Pint magazine, the French brewery will include a restaurant, coffee roaster, a private event space for large parties or weddings, and a climbing wall with views of Mont Blanc.
As Cleghorn says in his interview with the Beer Idiots, his love of great beer started in Belgium, where he lived as a teenager. When his family returned to the US he began missing great beer, so he started homebrewing his own. That’s how he met Emily and they started Outer Range together. He later took brewing courses to complete his knowledge.
