Small Town, Big Brews

From Telluride Brewing Company’s brown ale to Smuggler Union’s mushroom-infused beer and Stronghouse’s lagers — Telluride is a must-visit for beer lovers

by ALLISON BILLS

Sure, for a community this size, there are quite a few breweries. But can you blame us? There’s nothing quite like cracking open a Telluride Pilsner while dipping your toes in the San Miguel River, treating yourself to a Chill Factor IPA when you finish a trek up Ajax Peak, or enjoying a Wrong Way IPA while watching traffic drive (yup, you guessed it) the wrong way down Gus’s Way. There’s something about drinking a beer made in Telluride, while in Telluride — they just go down smoother here.

TELLURIDE BREWING COMPANY

Two guys walked into a bar … No, really. That’s how Telluride Brewing Company (TBC) got started.

TBC co-founders Chris Fish and Tommy Thacher met the very first day Thacher moved to town in 2004. Fish was bartending at Smuggler and Thacher came in to watch the Giants-Packers game. Fish had moved to Telluride in 2002 to work as the brewmaster at Smuggler, where he crafted a whole new lineup for the restaurant. That was just the beginning.

The two daydreamed for years; working their day jobs during the day and working on their business plan at night.

“My dream was to run my own brewery in a ski town and ski every day,” says Fish. “I never thought it would happen here.”

Their Lawson Hill taproom opened in 2011 and they expanded into Mountain Village with their brewpub (which also serves food) in 2020. Their taproom has 20 beers on tap at all times, which typically includes six to seven core beers and rotating seasonal beers. That doesn’t include their canned beer, which is sold in 12- and 16-ounce cans for one-offs. Most of the can designs and many of the names are a nod to Telluride-specific things.

“From every can to every tap handle, we’re marketing the magic of Telluride,” Thacher adds. “It’s such a special place and we have to back this great name with a great product and we don’t take that lightly. We put a little taste of Telluride in every beer.”

STRONGHOUSE BREW PUB

Stronghouse Brew Pub may be the newest brewery in town, but its roots run deep. It is housed in a historic 1892 building with touches that include a Brunswick bar from the 1880s. It’s not just the building that has a history — both the General Manager Mike Hayes and Brewmaster Sam Enders brewed beer together under Chris Fish before finding their way to Stronghouse.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Enders says, noting that he was with TBC for seven years prior to Stronghouse. “It was a dream come true to be working at a brewpub in Telluride.”

Enders is the brains behind the brewing, and focuses on lagers and beers he likes to drink, but also knows are going to sell.

Stronghouse typically has five year-round beers on tap (10 to 12 in total). They like to switch things up seasonally, brewing a Mexican lager, Más Lager, in the summer, as well as the Resting Beer Face (a sour), and Johnny Payczech, a Czech-style pilsner. They also have seasonal four-packs in the fridge, and crowlers that they fill right from the keg.

“We’re a little more unique in having more lagers and lighter offerings,” Hayes says. “We’re not trying to reinvent anything. We just want to have simple, clean beer, and for you to come in and enjoy yourself.”

SMUGGLER UNION RESTAURANT & BREWERY

Smuggler Union Restaurant & Brewery is a staple (and the oldest running brewery) in Telluride.

“When you consider drinking good beer, and if you want good food, you go to Smuggler Union,” says Josh Klein, co-owner of the establishment.

Prior to taking over Smuggler Union, Klein and his wife, Melisa Pignataro, worked in restaurants in New Orleans, but neither had any experience running a brewery of their own. The couple took the leap in 2013, knowing that they had Brewmaster TJ Daly (who was hired in 2008 to work under Chris Fish and currently lives next door to Sam Enders) running the beer side of things. Daly, who had been a homebrewer and backcountry ranger in Vermont, moved to Telluride to take the position, and has been behind the wheel as brewmaster for 15 years now. He also owns the Wine Mine.

Smuggler Union typically has 18 beers on tap (with two additional taps for homemade sodas), and brews around 25 different beers that rotate seasonally. Crowlers are available for purchase.

“I pride myself on brewing beer that is really true to the style, and I love the classics. Everything I’m doing is time-tested styles of beer,” says Daly.

While Daly sticks to the classics, he does do some experimentation with his beer — and with mushrooms. Daly, who is state-certified to use harvested mushrooms in culinary, will harvest wild mushrooms and use them in his brews. He uses the whole fruiting body, so instead of just getting the medicinal qualities, the beer also shares the flavor profiles of the mushrooms — like the apricot flavor of chanterelles or umami from porcini.

“I make some pretty damn good beer and there’s a lot of heart and soul in it,” Daly says. “Plus, the food is excellent and Josh has really done some amazing things to make Smuggler a destination in town.”

TELLURIDE DISTILLING CRAFTS SPIRITS AT 9,545 FEET

Telluride’s not just a beer town. The Telluride Distilling Company became the town’s first legal distillery when Abbott and Joanna Smith opened their tasting room doors in Lawson Hill in 2014. When they continued to grow, they moved the operation to Mountain Village.

“Our tasting room has a very welcoming and relaxed vibe with comfy chairs, couches, TVs and pool [tables],” says Joanna Smith.

“It’s a great spacious place for friends and families to meet and enjoy a cocktail together.”

Many are familiar with Telluride Distilling Company’s peppermint schnapps, Chairlift Warmer.

“The idea came about after an epic ski day and meeting friends at a local bar,” says Joanna Smith. “We all took peppermint schnapps shots and my husband looked at me and said, ‘I can make a better version.’” And that he did. It was awarded gold at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Abbott Smith passed away in 2022, but Joanna Smith decided to follow through with his goals and visions for the distillery.

“After solely taking on the business, it has been a true team effort to keep it all going,” says Joanna Smith, crediting her production team, James Galloway and Eric Ludwig; her tasting room staff; and her manager, Mindy Smith. “The wheel would not continue to turn without them.”

P.S. Be sure to get the free popcorn while you’re there.