After a little more than six months in town, I finally got around to a couple of Durango’s biggest pastimes – biking and craft beer – last weekend for the inaugural, unsponsored and one-man Durango Beer and Bike Tour-ery. I decided to take those city mainstays and combine them with one of my own, offsetting exercise with beer consumption, and bike to all six local breweries that showed up on Google maps.
The ride itself clocked in at a little under 90 minutes, but I was out there from about 11:30 to 4-ish, and there’s a large swath of time at Durango Beer and Ice, Animas Brewing Co., Ska Brewing Co., Carver Brewing, Steamworks and Anarchy to highlight, so let’s get it.
The Sunday fun day crowd hadn’t arrived on the patio yet, though happy hour prices were in place, and I kicked off the day with a Purgatory Ale. The IPA, recommended by the bartender, was bright, crisp and ideal for a late-morning patio snack.
However, what stood out to me was the Derail Ale, an 8.9% imperial golden ale that, had this not been the first stop, I would’ve tried a full pour instead of a taste. Normally, I don’t ask for tasters because I’m pretty fluent in beer menus and am fine committing to a pint. That, and it feels kind of obnoxious. I made an exception for the tour-ery so I could try more offerings and somewhat conserve my liver.
After a quick jaunt down the Animas River Trail, I found myself on the deck of the brewery by the same name. First up was a taster of the Lost Souls Lager, a German-style maibock that’s described as “spicy.” I got less of that than expected but pivoted to a Riverside Kolsch because the bike ride was like 5 minutes, and it was still relatively early.
Putin the sun, the Dandelion Festival provided a little ambiance with what I can only assume was a high school garage band doing its best rendition of Phoenix and thenBeck’s “Loser.” The tunes and smell of patchouli oil wafting over from the park paired well with the lighter beer even if I kind of wished I’d went with the Lost Souls. (A better match with the ’90s alt rock.)
I wanted to put the farthest ride in the first half of the tour-ery because to avoid pulling off the river trail and spewing chunks into the chum next to the Sunday kayakers. It proved to be relatively harmless, and this is about the time I realized that the suds were going to outweigh the biking.
Then I saw the tap room-only offerings after taking a seat at the bar, ordered a west coast pilsner, License 2 Pilz, and settled in. I’m not too sure who started the bicoastal battle for superior hops, but west coast offerings are a little more sessionable than its hazy New England brethren.
Hazys – one of which I selected next, a Lil Buddy IPA – take a lot of execution and touch, and if one or both are lacking, the beer is rough. At 4.2% ABV, the Lil Buddy drank different. For example, Tecate, a cheap Mexican beer, is just as “strong.” Winner: West coast.
Two quick notes. Ska’s social tonic – aka bubbly water with a little CBD and even less THC – was quite … hydrating. Also, apparently there’s an expectation by some visitors of Ska that they also, and exclusively, play ska music. Didn’t know that was a thing, but bless those employees for swimming through an endless stream of Reel Big Fish.
A quick safety meeting and a 3-mile pedal put me downtown at Carver. Full disclosure: I’ve done a fair amount of “research” as these next three pubs, so I didn’t really feel obligated to nerd out. I had two of my staples in the Regen Ale west slope IPA and the Lightner Creek Lager. Super tasty, a lot of depth and worked well in a pinch because I went there seeking the seasonal Dandelion Festival beer, which might be on right now but wasn’t Sunday as they were waiting for a keg to kick to tap it.
I did have a taste of the Iron Horse oatmeal stout on nitro and made a note for another time.
I went with a new favorite, the Aldrin’s Buzz, a pale ale, and an old favorite, the fish and chips. The water and food was crucial, and as it happens, mandatory. The best thing about Steamworks is there’s always an open seat at the bar regardless of how busy it is, and the service is attentive and fast.
A patron next to me was asked if he wanted to see a food menu three different times. They asked me if I wanted a refill just as much. It’s not pushy if three different bartenders are checking because they want to make sure someone did.
The last stop is probably my favorite place, especially when the garage door is open. The music is strong, the beer is stronger, and it’s far enough off the map that you don’t have to elbow a bunch of tourists for a barstool. I ordered a Tig Ol Bitties – because it was the lightest beer on the board. The hint of melon in the lager was a lot more subtle than its name, and refreshing.
Next up was Sex Panther, an IPA that 70% of the time is my last beer every time. And it was, and I probably didn’t need it, or the pizza soon thereafter.
sbeckwith@durangoherald.com
