Southwest Beer Trip: Brew Pub and Kitchen
It's been almost two months since we took a trip down to the Southwest corner of Colorado, and we almost forgot to finish our coverage!Durango is well known for being the birthplace of Ska Brewing, Steamworks, and Carver Brewing, among others, but it's the younger breweries who are continuing the tradition of making stellar beer alive. Places like Animas Brewing and BREW are both breweries started by ex-employees of some of the other breweries in town. While we were down in Durango for Ska's and Steamworks' anniversaries, we also got to check in on Trinity Brewing's old brew system, which now makes its home inside BREW Pub and Kitchen.
While the name is as unassuming as you can get for a brewpub, founders Erik and Lainie Maxson have transformed an often turned-over real estate spot into one of Durango's newest mainstays. Located right off College Ave., BREW is in an eclectic spot, sandwiched between the train tracks and a smoke shop, with the General Palmer Hotel across the street and Main Street just a half block away. It's a spot that's seen bars and restaurants over the years, but no tenants longer than Brew, at least from what we can remember.
BREW's setup reminds me of Trinity in that it's got a nice large bar area, but also is fairly wide open for seating. The brew house is crammed, and I mean crammed, into the back corner of the building. Being a brewpub, they not only have a plethora of their own amazing beer, but a great selection of other popular beers from around the country. Erik and Lainie pride themselves on serving top notch beer and fresh food, and they've definitely built another mainstay in the Durango brewery scene.
With a slew of house beers that sport actual first names, and with just about every stylistic category covered, Brew always has something for everyone. With many breweries running into legal issues when it comes to naming, Erik has taken a very rudimentary yet safe approach.We got to try a few while we were there:Buzz, a coffee stout served on nitro.Cat, a run of the mill ESB.Gudy was Brew's West Coast IPA.Ursula a nice dunkel weiss.Barreled Yngwie, a whiskey barrel-aged bock aged on Monmorency Cherries. (OUR FAVORITE)
Keep in mind, since BREW is a small batch operation, and it's more than likely none of these beers are on tap anymore...look for Joey(coffee kölsch) and Ilan(IPA) to satisfy your cravings.So next time you're down in the Southwest part of our fair state, stop in and try BREW Pub and Kitchen—it's worth it. Cheers!
