3 Spots to Stop + Fuel Up in Montrose

Photo by Kaitlin Emig

A weekend tour of tasting and drinking can be found with well-loved favorites and a new addition in Montrose. On my tour I stopped at a brewery, coffee and beer pub, and taco restaurant to get a feel for the town.

Montrose is a great stop when visiting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison or on your way to southwestern Colorado. The town offers 29 developed parks, 118 acres of open space, over 30 miles of concrete trails, 15 miles of singletrack hiking and biking, and a world class water sports park. With plenty of things to see and do, fueling up for your adventures starts with a town favorite at Horsefly Brewery.

Motorcycles are parked outside and children’s chalk drawings are inside the courtyard creating a local vibe at Horsefly Brewery. The outdoor patio hosts concerts over the summer and open mic nights year-round. Specials and happy hours run throughout the week with Thursday being the best deal. The bar runs “Drinking with Lincoln” all day — by purchasing a burger you can get a pint or soda for a penny.

The deals and atmosphere bring in a variety of people. The man who sat next to me noticed the sign above the outdoor taps saying “Free Beer” and in small letters underneath, “Tomorrow.”

“Hey, I was in here yesterday, so beer is free today, right?” he asked. The bartender laughed and smiled in return.

I tried a flight of beer brewed in house. The Blonde is an easy refreshing beer to start off the flight of craft beers, followed by the Jazzy Red that has a similar taste but with a hint of raspberries at the end. The Grapefruit Hefeweizen was sweet and hoppy. The Coconut Porter was dark and nutty.

The most popular item on the menu is the wings, so I got six traditional with mango habanero sauce and a side of sweet potato fries. Horsefly Brewery uses local and fresh ingredients in their original recipes. Next time I will try their signature burger, the 50/50, that uses beef and bacon.

For coffee the next day, I checked out the newly opened San Juan Brews, a coffee shop and brewery located on Main Street. I tried the Iced Carmel Macchiato with espresso infused whipped cream, which is as refreshing and sweet as it sounds.

There is a variety of seating options from couches to tables to bar seats and an outdoor patio in this refurbished 1908 building. Originally a slaughterhouse, the exposed brick interior gives the space an industrial feel set amongst beer brewing equipment and espresso machines.

John and Davina Pope are two of the four owners and run the coffee house side of the restaurant; their friends Kevin and Chelsea McHugh run the craft brewery. Within a year of developing their idea based off brew and coffee pubs seen in Las Vegas, they found a property to lease. By January 1, 2021, after an unexpectedly short wait for their federal permits to serve alcohol, they opened with home brew-style beer.

“The plan was to open Friday through Sunday, but the demand to stay open increased,” says John Pope. They built out more fermentation, a five-barrel system and began offering their space Tuesday through Sunday for a variety of people. Their mission is to create a community gathering space where people can come together to share a beverage. There are telecommuting workers, bible studies, mom and me groups, yoga on Tuesdays, and paint and pints offered with community partnerships.

“We encourage locals supporting locals,” Davina Pope adds. “There was a need for a friendly meeting space in town, and we offer different ways to sit and enjoy our space.”

Food trucks regularly park outside, and guests are encouraged to bring food inside to create a brew pub atmosphere. On my visit, The Buttered Biscuit GJ truck was parked outside and smelled rather tasty. Paonia Paella and Double Barrel Taco Company also provide food for the brew pub guests.

For lunch, I walked across the street to Double Barrel Taco Company. The restaurant was filled with afternoon light coming in from their storefront windows making the space feel bright and welcoming. They offer an exclusive taco menu, or arsenal as they call it, with creative names for some of the classic tacos. I tried a Jail Bird and Notorious P.I.G. along with an extremely sweet lemonade. Other favorites are the Double Barrel, a brisket-filled taco, and Down South Sawed Off which features shrimp, spinach and corn. There is also a vegan option called the Lett-uce Shoot.

My weekend tour also coincided with the farmer’s market, offering local and fresh food from the Western Slope. The market runs year-round every Saturday morning. This tour was just a glimpse at the great food and beverage scene in Montrose. With food trucks, bars, distilleries, pizza, burgers and fine dining, there is something for everyone, so make a stop or try something new in Montrose.

Originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Spoke+Blossom.