Carver Brewing Co.

 

Brewpub located along the Main Street of old Durango. About a dozen beers available, both on tap and to go. L-shaped bar and restaurant table and booth seating. Exposed brick walls and dark wood beam ceiling. Cozy and old school Colorado brewery establishment.

The vibe in here definitely has a bit of a family restaurant with a sports-bar thing going on. The bat itself is quite nice, being made of what looks like one log, but right up front by the door. Nice pub lighting. Near closing the crowd is laid back.

Quality is decent. Beeris good, but not amazing. The beers could go for a bit more malt character, but maybe the IPAs are good. The beer styles are pretty accurate though.

Service is actually really good. I didn't get food, but I was never left without a beer, even an hour before closing. I saw the bartender chatting up patrons, and multiple people picking up the slack.

Selection is good, but not amazing. The Light, malty, dark, hoppy, and yeasty categories are covered, but for some there is only one style available. No hefeweizen!

 

 

Great place in Durango with great food and service all day long.

Awesome laid back place in downtown durango! Great food, service and brews. Will definitely come back

Vibe - Brewery and restaurant located within the heart of historic downtown Durango. For brunch on a Friday, the place was busy! Small dinning area that seats 50-75, plus a bar and a small bar area and extra seating in the back. A gorgeous outdoor patio that seats around 25; no view, but a very cozy feel!
Quality - only had one beer, the pine river DIPA. I enjoyed it, but it didn't completely wow me. A few of the other options also looked very appealing!
Service - Very attentive and friendly staff. Not only did our server spend time with us during this busy time to discuss the history of the brewery, but two bartenders assisted when she got busy!
Selection - about 7 regular options and 5 rotating. Enough variety to please everyone.
Food - wide selection of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner options; additionally, the options for kids was excellent and the whole family enjoyed their meals!

 

 

 

 

Porter on Nitro was flat. Great food, flat beer. What can I say? Will give another chance.

Located at the North-End of "Historic Downtown", this is the "Hidden Gem" of Durango's BrewPubs. Having only a smallish Storefront, it is significantly larger once you find the Back Room and the Back Patio. The Beer Menu is usually kept to only 6-10 selections, but all do True Credit to the Brewmasters. The Food is rather Good, while the Menu sticks to Burgers and Salads.
Overall, this is my Favorite of Durango's (currently 6) BrewPubs.

 

 

 

 

I noticed that Carver hasn't had a review in a couple of years, so here's an update for the second oldest brewpub in Colorado (opened in 1988).

Carver's is a fixture on Durango's Main Street. It's a good example of a brewpub that knows how to brew excellent beer, serve good food, and please customers. There's a patio in back, a lovely wooden bar, lots of tables, and a competent and relaxed staff.

I want to emphasize their beers, as I see that earlier reviews mostly talk about the food. Carver's has 12 taps, 11 of them devoted to their beers, and one tap with root beer. About half the taps serve their year round lineup, and the rest serve a changing lineup of beers that range widely in style.

A tasting flight of 4 5.5 ounce beers is $10. Kudos for tasters that are large enough to get a good impression of a beer.

I had their standard Colorado Trail Nut Brown and three of their one-offs - a hoppy grapefruity Imperial Red Ale, a Belgian Dubbel that was a very good example of the style, and Pelon, an unusual take on a Belgian Blonde with a good dose of American hops.

If you're in Durango, Carver's is well worth a stop. You'll get some fine beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I say carvers is a reasonable value for the quality of the food plus the atmosphere. The selection of the beers seems to take a back seat, but when you're doing something right (with the food) why change it? I'm curious to try their black IPA but I remember the jack rabbit and the red ale doing the trick. It's a great place to grab a bite before heading out on the town. You know your belly will be full with delicious baked goods that encase the delicious cuts of meat or many vegetarian options. You feel good about yourself after eating at Carvers... as opposed to say the Durango Diner or Oscars.

another cool little colorado brewpub, this one in the heart of durango. some outside seating and a small little wood bar up front opening up into a big diner layout type eatery. almost looks like an old perkins or something, classier than that, but sort of that diner or parlor feel to it, almost a clubhouse sort of vibe, dated but inviting, maybe seven or eight beers on tap, one in the cask too. knowledgeable bartender and a good crowd on hand for 11am on a friday. i really enjoyed the belgian strong ale and the casked ipa, well made and distinctive. the bartender had some good info and a lot of funny jokes and stories. the beer was good to very good, but not elite. they have carved out a nice little niche in a fairly small and saturated beer market (no pun intended hehe). a little expensive but we had a great time and will certainly visit again. after a few days in the dessert, this place was exactly what we needed, cold beer, relaxing comfortable space, and good people. recommended when in the area!

This place had amazing food! I mention that first because it was more impressing than the beer. I had the special of the day- Rootbeer braised Ribs. Holy Freakin Hell!!! - amazing with there house made root beer(which I got a growler to take home of). As usual the IPA was my favorite of the 12 beer sample platter I tasted. But nothing to write home about. I would go back for the food and rootbeer though! I know they serve breakfast, and hear they serve a breakfast beer! That would be worth a shot!

Visited Durango in mid-September.

Atmosphere was good, inside was average, a little tight space wise. Outside patio was excellent.
Quality was good. Overall beer and food were above average. Service was very good, Jenni our server was knowledable about the beer and very friendly. There were at least 8 beers to choose from, the usual styles were offered. Food menu was good as well, the oriental salad and rueben were tasty. Overall value was reasonable, we got out of there after 5 pints and a meal for around $50 after the tip.

A nice little place with good beer and a friendly vibe. It looks inside more like an ice cream parlor than a brew pub, very comfortable and cozy. The wait staff is attentive and friendly. The food is good - Good selection of steaks and sandwiches and a small but thoughtful kids menu. The beer was good - the Jackrabbit Pale Ale was the clear standout, though the Cascade Canyon IPA (in a cask) and the Monkeywrenched IPA were pretty good too. The Pilsener was passable. This place is a good find in a fun little town - I would go back any time I am in town.

Stopped in twice during my visit

Nice typical brewpub feel, I give bonus points for the back porch, very laid back & relaxed

All beers tried were of good quality

Service was friendly & first-rate

Selection was pretty good 8 beers on offer to include a braggot, an ESB on nitro & my favorite, their Oktoberfest ale.

My kids had decent kids meals & the wife & I had the yummy stuffed mushrooms & a brownie sundae. Some of their entrees looked awesome, but we had a late lunch

I thought the prices were right for food & drinks. I never bothered to check out anywhere else in town beside here & lady falconbury's. These 2 places had us covered. Not the best brewpub I've been to but, very solid

Carver's is the oldest brewery in Durango, which has the largest brewery per capita ratio in the nation. Boasting 4 microbreweries for it's small population base.
They quit baking bread and decided to focus on liquid bread.
They serve very good food and I have never had a bad meal there. The stuffed mushrooms are great nad they offer great fish tacos and excellant pasta.
The patio is open during the warmer months and they offer music on Sundays.
The beer is good and severla have won awards.
Now here is my only complaint (you knew I'd have one). The staff seems to be ignorant about their beers. The last two times I went I questioned them on certain aspects of the beer and they were unable to answer. Knowledge of your main product is important.
Carver's is definately worth a meal and a brew.
They now boast 100% Green Power

It had a big window front along Main Avenue with vines and a tree painted onto the window. The door, with big brass handlers, opened onto an angled vestibule. Through the vestibule, the green Formica-topped bar was at a right oblique and two tables were in the window at a button-hook right. Continuing aft, there were a few high tables and chairs along the front wall, followed by the m.d.s. just aft of the bar. In the restaurant area, booths lined each wall with standard restaurant tables and chairs in the center. Continuing further aft, down a center passageway, the kitchen was to the right, the lavatories were to the left and on a dog-leg left, there was a secondary bar area with the brewhouse visible to the right, behind glass. I was a little weary after the long trip in and decided to return the following day to try again. On that subsequent visit, I got to see the vaunted patio and I sat at the back bar with many of the brewing staff.

Beers: Lightner Creek Lager; Old Oak Amber Ale; La Plata Pilsener; Colorado Trail Nut Brown; Iron Horse Oatmeal Stout; Celebrated Raspberry Wheat; and Colorado Uncommon. They also offered a one-off called Slurry Bomber Cream Ale, which was a fund raiser for the Missionary Ridge Fire, which occurred five years prior to my visit in July 2007.

Spent a couple of night at Carvers while attending the Siebel Advanced Homebrewing class in Durango, CO. Enjoyed the food and atmosphere - especially the covered beer garden with four swings and lots of tables (careful some of them tip over easily!!). Good service. Brewmaster and owner provide us with a VIP tour. Beer selection is small but they are increasing their capacity at this location. Owner is a baker/brewer and has decided to close the bakery to install more brewing equipment. His stories about how he got started as a Microbrewer are very interesting.

This was my old hang out back in my college days. It was an easy walk down the hill from Fort Lewis. This would probably be my first exposure to real beer. Most everything the brewery does is tasty depending on your likes. My favorites included the Oak Aged Amber, Iron Horse Imperial Stout, and of course Big Grizz Barleywine. Last time I was there the beer was only available on tap or in a growler. Please do try the Stout if you get the chance. From what I can remember the food was always good. If you don’t find what you like here walk around the corner to Steamworks and give them a try.

A somewhat modest but nice brewpub right on Main Avenue in Durango. They have about 8 taps for their own beers, plus one firkin of cask ale (it was chocolate stout when I visited). Atmosphere is decent, with the traditional wood bar area being more interesting than the vinyl coated eating area.

All of their beers that I sampled were tasty (or at least interesting). The cask chocolate ale was lighter in body than expected, but full of complexities. The oak chip aged amber ale has a nice flavor. Their imperial stout was Guinness-esque in terms of look and mouthfeel (but with a bit more flavor). And finally there was the tasty yet confusing 120 Shilling Scotch Ale. My vegetarian brother tasted beef jerky, while I thought it smelled like PEZ. I guess that beer has something for everyone.

Service was good for a busy Friday night, and my meal of ravioli was pretty tasty.

They sell growlers of their core brews, and they also were offering 750mL bottles of their seasonal barleywine. I picked one up for further consumption and will post the review at that time. Said barleywine was a bit pricey ($11.95).

All in all, a worthwhile stop if you are in Durango. I much prefer this place to Steamworks if you are deciding between the two. Its also preferable to Lady Falconburgh's in my book as well.

Carver is a small brewpub on Durango's Main Street. It's only two blocks from Steamworks, so the two make for a logical and easy beer tour of Durango. Carver, though, is definitely the real gem of the two.

On my visit, they had seven of their own beers on tap. I had four draws (the oatmeal pale ale, nut brown, amber ale, and cranberry wheat) and found them all well-above average. Had I not wanted to get out of town, I would have stuck around to try the porter and hefeweizen as well. The bar service was prompt and friendly, and the fella behind the bar did a nice job of keeping things snappy in spite of the big crowd in the bar to watch the World Cup game.

My only gripe here is the atmosphere, especially that of the main dining room. Though the bar and patio are much nicer, the main room has the feel of a converted Bob Evans--large polyester booths, brick floors, light wood paneling, and bright lighting. They've even got a bakery cupboard! For whatever reason, these things together didn't jive for me; the whole time I felt like I was drinking really good beer in a really odd environment.

That said, Carver's is still a great pub, and next time I'm in Durango, it will be my very first stop. Recommended.

Atmosphere - This is a a typical brewpub restaurant. Maybe a bit crowded, but clean and otherwise presentable.

Quality - Beers were all very good.

Service - The service was pretty darn good considering I was in a group of about 30 people. We also got a tour of the entire place with the brewer, which was great.

Selection - Beer selection is very good, with about 8 of their own beers online.

Food - Awesome. I had the bison bratwurst/sausage. The steaks looked very good as well.

Value - Everything is a bit pricey in this college/tourist town in the four corners area of Colorado.