Avalanche Café

 

V-Avalanche is located on the only paved street in Silverton. The space inside is simple with a skiing theme, but it is not over-the-top on the decor. I visited on a Saturday night two days after Christmas and the place was half-full with a few large groups reminiscing about their snowy adventures from the day. A few other locals sat at the bar chatting with the bartenders. It felt friendly and fun in there.

Q-I tried two beers, a black lager and a pale ale. The black lager was the better beer of the two, but I am a sucker for the style, so it may have a bias. Still, the beer was clean, lighter on the palate, and flavorful, i.e., a pretty good beer. The pale was fine, but nothing that I would go out of my way to drink.

Ser-The staff was friendly and service was prompt. My pours were in the right type of glassware, but the servers were not terribly interested in the beer they were selling.

Sel-Avalanche had about six beers on tap and no guest beers. There was the requisite IPA, the black lager and pale that I tried, a porter, and a wit if I remember correctly. So, a decent spread of styles, but in the middle of winter, when it was below zero and snowing, I was not in the mood for a wit.

F-The Avalanche menu leans heavy on pizza, but I had a Thai chicken wrap. The wrap was a little dry, but the filling ingredients tasted fresh and there was a ton of meat in there. Bag of chips for a side...decent meal, but a little plain.

O-Silverton used to be an absolute ghost town in the winter, so it is nice to see some good beer and food. I would definitely hang out here again if I am down in Silverton.

 

Great little brewery in Silverton in the middle of the mountains. Great beer, food, and staff. Been here a few time and its best not to go when the trail isn't running, less busy. If you are in SW Colorado, don't miss this place. Plus the drive is awesome.

 

 

I've been here a couple of times, once on the Durango-Silverton RR and once on the Million Dollar Hwy. Taking the highway was definitely the better experience. If you go here during the train layover, you'll deal with the horrendous noise of the rude people from the train descending on the town like locusts feeding themselves and their children.

That said, go during a time when the train is not there and it's a good experience. The atmosphere is great, both inside and out. The food was pretty good and much better than I had expected.

The beers are limited, but they're brewing their own and that's a big plus to me.

To get to Avalanche, you've got to drive the Million Dollar Highway, one of the great alpine drives in America. Silverton is a tiny mountain town, nestled in a high valley (9300 feet), between two spectacular high passes. So before you step in to the brewery cafe, you're already in a great mood.

The food and the beer match the scenery, which is a saying a lot.

We had an excellent Belgian wit, tasting of orange and coriander. There were three beers on tap, from about six that they brew. Don't miss their white bean chili, or the excellent wraps.