Entry No. 16 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: dive bar
Bruce's Bar
In the tiny town of Severance — whose welcome sign reads "Where the Geese Fly and the Bulls Cry" — Bruce's Bar has been Colorado's temple of Rocky Mountain oysters since 1957. Founder Bruce Ruth started serving the breaded, fried bull testicles in 1959, and the kitchen hasn't looked back: the bar now moves 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of oysters annually, sliced and breaded on the premises and served in baskets alongside cold beer. Murals painted by a freelance artist in 1972 still wrap the exterior, including a golfer and protesting bulls. The annual Nut Run motorcycle rally draws crowds who down upward of 1,000 pounds in a single afternoon under the tagline "No Bull, Just Balls."
The story
Severance greets you with a welcome sign reading "Where the Geese Fly and the Bulls Cry," which pretty much gives away the plot before you even park at 123 1st Street. Founder Bruce Ruth opened the doors in 1957, but it was in 1959 that he started slicing, breading, and deep-frying bull testicles in the back kitchen. The kitchen hasn't looked back since. Today, this low-slung roadhouse processes between 40,000 and 50,000 pounds of cattle offal every year, all prepped and battered on the premises.
Before you step inside, walk the exterior perimeter. The outside walls are still wrapped in hand-painted 1972 murals by a freelance artist, depicting a local golfer sharing space with a herd of distinctly protest-minded bulls. Inside, the place is an unvarnished, old-school Colorado dive where cold draft beer serves as liquid courage for newcomers attempting their first bite of organ meat, while locals at the bar just treat a basket like an ordinary weekday lunch.
If you want the full-throttle experience, time your visit for the annual Nut Run motorcycle rally in the spring or summer. Bikers swarm the lot and crush upwards of 1,000 pounds of oysters in a single afternoon under the tagline "No Bull, Just Balls." It isn't a modern PR stunt—it's a 60-plus-year-old High Plains tradition of converting ranching scraps into a genuine roadside rite of passage.
What it's like
Park off 1st Street in quiet Severance and walk right into a classic small-town dive bar—dim, loud, and completely unpretentious, with live country music taking the stage a few nights a month. The Rocky Mountain oysters arrive hot in plastic baskets with dipping sauce, sliced thin enough that the breading does most of the heavy lifting. If you are coming on a Friday or Saturday night, pull in before 7 PM to claim a table before the evening crowd piles in. Both cash and cards are accepted. If you happen to visit on a Nut Run rally Saturday, expect an elbow-to-elbow crowd and a parking lot packed wall-to-wall with motorcycles.
The move: Dare each other to order the Rocky Mountain oysters — the classic bucket-list test of Colorado nerve. The dive-bar setting is unpretentious and genuinely fun; bet a round on who finishes first, then compare notes on what you actually think they taste like.
📍 Before you go Cash and cards accepted; the bar is small and fills up on weekends — arrive before 7 pm to beat the crowd. Rocky Mountain oysters are available daily, not just on special occasions. The Nut Run motorcycle rally (spring/summer) packs the lot, so check social media before going on a Saturday. Severance is a 20-minute drive northeast of Fort Collins on US-287 to CR-74E.
- 📍 Severance
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 123 1st St, Severance, CO 80550
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum — Pair a basket of deep-fried bull testicles with the world's largest collection of vintage washing machines just four miles down the road in Eaton.
- Sip n' Flip Arcade & Soda Bar — Follow up dive-bar offal with a non-alcoholic 'dirty soda' and retro pinball four miles south in Windsor.
- Greeley History Museum — Rattlesnake Kate's Snakeskin Collection — Double down on brutal High Plains history by driving south to see a dress stitched from 140 rattlesnakes killed by Kate Slaughterback.
Good to know
What exactly are Rocky Mountain oysters?
They are deep-fried bull testicles, sliced thin, breaded on-site, and served hot in baskets alongside standard dive-bar sides and cold beer.
Do I need to go on a specific day to get them?
No, Bruce's serves Rocky Mountain oysters daily during normal kitchen hours.
How do I get to Bruce's Bar from Fort Collins?
Take US-287 northeast out of Fort Collins, then head east on County Road 74E directly into Severance; it takes about 20 minutes.
What is the Nut Run?
It's an annual spring/summer motorcycle rally hosted at the bar, where the kitchen serves over 1,000 pounds of oysters to massive crowds in a single day.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Westword · Yelp · denvergazette.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-11