The Eldo Brewery

We stopped here while in Crested Butte skiing. The bar was lively and well laid out. Little nooks allow nice parties to take place simultaneously. The two hazy ipas I tried were good and the food was good too. We had fried noodles with chicken and fried rice with shrimp. Highly recommended for food, beer, and great atmosphere.

 

 

 

V-The Eldo bills itself as a "Sunny Place for Shady People," but the truth is that the Eldo is perfect for Crested Butte, which isn't all that shady. It is upstairs with a long, thin layout, not much room to maneuver, a stage in the back, and a bar on one side. This place is a bar, not a taproom, but if you want to drink a beer in CB and hang with locals and Texan tourists, this is a great spot. I have been on many occasions and each is about the same: good people watching and a dive-bar feel in the heart of CB.

Q-The Eldo has its own line of beers, which are pretty mediocre for the most part. If you want an easy drinking beer with more flavor than Coors Light, you'll find it, but not much more. They also have some big-name craft and BMC.

Ser-The bartenders have usually been prompt and courteous when I have visited. The bartenders aren't afraid to provide advice on the Eldo beers (even if the beers are only OK). Beers are served in a pint glass.

Sel-The Eldo has half-dozen Eldo beers on tap and a number of other options. This isn't the Falling Rock or some place where you can find 50 good craft brews, but you won't be stuck drinking Sam Adams or Fat Tire, because there are some options.

O-The Eldo is a CB institution. Don't come here expecting the next big beer that your friends will try to trade you for (sic), but come here expecting to hang out in a great bar in a great mountain town.

 

 

This is your ultimate dive bar/ taproom. They only had 3 of their own beers on tap and a bathroom that I would have rather used a portajohn on a sunny day. I like a good a good dive like the rest of them, but this place was just not good. I guess no competition to deal with allows you to be ho hum.

 

This was my first stop while on vacation in CB. Actually, we stopped in here twice. The first night we came in, the bartender said that there were no beers on tap due to a breakdown in the bar's cooling system. So only bottled beers on the menu. They had mostly macro stuff, but did have two New Belgium bottles and one Odell bottle. I managed to convince people to stay for one beer (had the Odell 90 Schilling).
The next time we stopped in, it was right after the town's 4th of July parade. The place was hoppin'. There is a large deck overhanging Elk Ave that was packed with people watching. There's a stage in the back that featured a local punk band playing classic cover tunes. They rocked. And...the beer was fixed. They had five beers on tap: Kolsch, Northside Bitter, Session Ale, Secret Trail Ale (tried - ok), and Old Pro Porter (tried- not bad). The first time I ordered beers, I was charged $2.50 total for two beers in plastic cups. Deal! Then I ordered a solo porter in a glass and that was $3.50. Still not too bad. They have a small kitchen in the back that looks to feature burgers. Not a lot of seating though. Beers didn't blow me away, but this seemed like "the" place to hang out.