Lights out, Fort Collins, and this time it’s on purpose: Horse & Dragon Brewing’s Winter Lights gingerbread stout returns Thursday, Nov. 5, National Stout Day, and the taproom will pour it by lantern. The brewery announced the 2026-27 batch, an 11.4% imperial stout, in an Oct. 30 blog post.
From 5 to 7 p.m., Horse & Dragon plans to switch off its lights and internet for what it calls the first planned H&D Unplugged event. Winter Lights will be poured “by lantern & flashlight” at the taproom, 124 Racquette Drive.
Why the Horse & Dragon launch goes dark
The idea came from the power company. The brewery writes that Xcel has been cutting its power “pretty often this year,” and that an unplanned dark evening last January turned out to be a hit. “No internet and very spotty cell phone reception out here in the airpark meant folks just met each other, chatted and hung out over beers,” the post says. Now they’re doing it deliberately.
Beer-release tracker JollyPint also picked up the release and lists it at 11.4%, matching the brewery’s post.
What we know about the Winter Lights gingerbread stout
- Style: gingerbread imperial stout
- Strength: 11.4% ABV
- Edition: 2026-2027, per the label art on the brewery’s site
- Release: Thursday, Nov. 5, with H&D Unplugged from 5 to 7 p.m.
Horse & Dragon hasn’t posted tasting notes for this year’s batch, so we won’t describe the flavor. You’ll have to bring a lantern and find out.
More November releases at Horse & Dragon
Winter Lights opens a busy month. The brewery’s November calendar lists these releases:
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: a dunkel, the brewery’s Munich-style dark lager
- Friday, Nov. 20: Divinator and a barrel-aged Osmiridium wee heavy, its two barrel-aged beers for the month
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: H&D Snug, a vanilla caramel double cream ale
The barrels came from Branch & Barrel Distilling in Denver and NoCo Distillery in Fort Collins, the brewery says. Ticketed Sip & Savor tastings on Nov. 18 and 19 offer a preview of the barrel-aged beers the night before they’re released. For other Northern Colorado taproom news this fall, see our brewery closures roundup, which includes Timnath Beerwerks’ Fort Collins taproom.
Bring a lantern on National Stout Day
A returning 11.4% gingerbread stout, a dark taproom and no Wi-Fi make for a pretty good National Stout Day. If you’re in Fort Collins on Nov. 5, get to Racquette Drive by 5 p.m., put the phone away and let the lanterns do the work. We’ll keep our own receivers dimmed in solidarity.
Transmission complete.
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