Dave’s First and Last Beer at Fort Collins’ One and Only ‘Crank-N-Stein’

On Saturday (April 18) I stopped in to say ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ to what was a quintessential Fort Collins establishment, known as ‘The Monster’

The Coloradoan tweeted out on Saturday about how Crank-N-Stein would be closing its doors after that day. I felt bad, because I am a big craft beer fan and a recent bike enthusiast; I should have frequented the place. So, I decided that on its last day, I WOULD go and enjoy a beer at the espresso shop, café, tap house and bike shop!

The fact that Crank-N-Stein was closing wasn't (to my surprise) because of a lack of business. The owners had apparently just had enough of the rat-race of running a small business. Fair enough. They did try to get someone else to take over the lease and continue the shop, but to no avail.

I didn’t have my bike on me, so my brother and I drove down to the establishment located on North College that Saturday afternoon. I was shocked at how ‘Fort Collins’ it really was. I had kind of thought that they were trying something and missed the mark, so now they were throwing in the towel. On the contrary, the place was very cool and interesting. Nice and big, with room to park your bikes inside if necessary; lots of space to gather with friends or just as a couple. They seemed to have a great little café menu, which featured an item that caught my eye, the ‘Nelly Frittata!’ They beer selection seemed pretty decent too- my beer that last day (again, my FIRST and ONLY at The Monster) was ‘Brainless IPA’ from Epic Brewing out of Denver.

If I had had my bike, I might have been able to get them to give it a tune-up there in the back. Out front, the place seemed pretty busy. Folks talking, a woman crocheting, another woman reading a book (‘Who You Should Have Sex With”- I kid you not). The artwork was simple, but very good. We sat beneath two portraits of Robin Williams, while across the room was a giant piece of work entitled “Faces”. I could have taken all three pieces home for about $8,000!

It turns out that the place next door, a cider place called ‘Scrumpy’s’, is going to be expanding and taking over the Crank-N-Stein space. Cider IS in the realm of craft beer, maybe they’ll keep some of the same feel. That’d be great. I think I missed out on enjoying many an afternoon at ‘The Monster’

[Source: The Coloradoan]