Diners wanting to sit in Carver Brewing Co.’s backroom pub and beer garden are going to have to wait a few weeks as it undergoes renovation.
Construction started roughly a week ago and the changes are supposed to make the room similar to the front of the restaurant and create larger windows so customers can peer in on the brewing room. A similar brick pattern is being added to the walls to match the front of the restaurant.
The owners say the room has not been renovated in almost 40 years dating back to when Carver Brewing Co. became the second brew pub in the state to open.
“We added like three fermenters and so we're just sitting back here one day and thought it would be cool to see those beautiful stainless steel tanks,” said co-owner Colin Carver.
On the right of the room, a large window shape has been cut into the wall so that customers can see the tanks.
Colin Carver said he and co-owner Claire Carver made the decision to start renovating in April because business is slow after Purgatory ends daily operations.
The pub will likely be open in about six weeks. The owners are also putting in a new bar that is made from the same tree as the bar at the front of the restaurant.
Plans to remodel the pub had been in place since 2020 before Colin and Claire took over the business. They postponed the remodel when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The bump-out has been a savior for the business because of the limited space caused by the construction. Colin Carver said they haven’t cut staff hours as a result of the pub being closed. Instead, they have been able to reassign wait staff to the outside bump-out.
Claire Carver said customers have been understanding about the closure of the back pub.
“I think this is just kind of the evolution of it, too,” she said. “There's been a lot of remodels on the building over the years and this is kind of our first one, and it's exciting.”
The brother-sister ownership team have been working on the renovations themselves and say they do it in the spirit of owning a family restaurant.
Claire Carver said restaurants are an expression of individuality, and it is easier to make renovations based on the restaurant’s concept if her and Colin work on the project.
The restaurant is likely to have an event to reopen the pub once it is finished, but no specific date has been set.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
