High Alpine Brewing Co.

A far more built up and suburban oasis than I realized it would be, Gunnison has plenty of options for sustenance and libation, but being the old BeerAdvocate farts that we are, we opted for this spot more than any other. The popular choice here is to sit on the second floor patio that overlooks the somewhat updated Western-themed main drag, but after spending nearly every hour of daylight hiking, we opted for the bar during each of our three visits.

It's a fairly modern craft beer bar interior, with your giant chalked-up taplist looking you right in the face from the L-shaped bartop. Said list isn't super long, but does sport a good variety of styles to sample through, which allowed us to slowly work our way through full pours over three days at a pace of one or two each night.

The reason we returned was because of the food, mainly the pizza, that really hit the spot. Not too big with a nice chew and a solid crisp under a unique but measured amount of toppings, they really helped replenish the carbs without overdoing it.

 

V-High Alpine is located right off Highway 50 in downtown Gunnison. The space is not huge, but an upstairs area (with a nice patio overlooking the town) gives a little extra breathing room. The decor is a faux rustic mining cabin. When I visited on a Monday evening in late June, the place was almost full. The crowd was a mix of mostly locals and a few tourists having dinner.

Q-I had a Kolsch, which was actually pretty tasty, and a porter, which was just OK. The guest taps on offer were decent craft offerings, but nothing to seek out.

Ser-My server was friendly and prompt. My first beer arrived in a metal shaker pint glass, which is not my favorite, but the second beer came in a normal glass that was appropriate for the style.

Sel-High Alpine had six house beers on tap and five guest taps. The variety of styles was not huge, but High Alpine covered the usual spread from light to dark. Nothing too unusual and no sours or wild ales.

F-I had a salad for dinner and it was OK. Typical brewpub food, but not too expensive and decent enough for a mountain town. Most of the menu was pizza and the pies looked alright.

O-I liked hanging out on the patio in the sunshine and the High Alpine beers were above average. I would stop here again if I make it back to Gunnison.