Stoutmeister here. E-Rock and I arrived late in Durango on Tuesday night, cursed by traffic, construction, a long Isotopes game, etc. So by the time we got into our hotel room and took a moment to unwind from the drive, it was after 9 p.m. and there was not much left to beckon us.

The good news was that Steamworks, which lies in the heart of Durango on 8th Street, just a block east up the hill from Main Street, was open until midnight. It boasted a wide range of beers, from pilsner to stout to imperial IPA, and a large food menu (though we stopped long before to make sure we did not starve to death and start eating pieces of Honda Accord, so we skipped the grub).

So that was the primary good. The secondary good continued when we found out it was 2-for-1 night, meaning you could buy two 10-ounce beers for the price of one regular pint. The very first beer I tried, the Colorado Kolsch, was excellent.

And it was all downhill from there.

Not screaming into the gorge of despair, but still a bit disappointing after everybody we had ever talked to hyped up Steamworks. Most of the beers lacked the bite we expected, while some of the styles actually felt watered down.

Now, we pause to describe Steamworks. For anybody that has trekked down to the Phoenix area and stopped at Four Peaks in Tempe, you have been to a similar place. It is very big, with some of the brewery tanks lying in between the various groups of tables. Clearly, this is not an intimate place, it is designed for large gatherings of tourists and/or locals, geared as much to the vast food menu as it is the beer snobs among us.

Despite all that, we expected more. E-Rock and I divided the beers between us and we sampled everything Steamworks had to offer. Here is what we each thought, beer-by-beer.

Colorado Kolsch (4.4% ABV, 16 IBU): The (surprisingly) tastiest beer on tap, this offers a crisp, clean finish, with a slight bite at the start. Dare I say it is better than La Cumbre’s Miles from Cologne? I dare. — Stoutmeister

Kenny’s Pain Pils (4.8%, 35): Good, not great, version of pilsner. Starts out with a bite, but fades quickly. A notch below La Cumbre’s BEER. — Stoutmeister

Hefeweizen (4.6%, 15): Smooth and sweet. This is your standard hefeweizen. With no surprising tastes or flavors, it’s safe to say that if you like most of the hefes that you’ve tried, then you will like this one. — E-Rock

Face Plant Ale (5.2%, 17): A subtle dark beer. Very drinkable if not very memorable. — E-Rock

Lizard Head Red (5.2%, 26): Extremely mild red, very little hops (you can’t compare it to Marble at all). Closer to Il Vicino’s Irish Red, but not quite as flavorful. Perfectly acceptable summer beer. — Stoutmeister

Steam Engine Lager (5.1%, 22): This beer was so subtle, you might confuse it for a glass of water. It won several awards in past years, but I was not impressed with the batch that I tasted. — E-Rock

Third Eye P.A. (6.0%, 65): Compared to hop heavy Burque IPAs, this beer tastes like it is literally watered down. Again, I was less than impressed. — E-Rock

Backside Stout (5.8%, 28): Mild flavor, not much smoky/chocolate/coffee flavor. Almost a little too watered down, as if they tried to make a stout for the casual beer drinker instead of the craft beer drinker. — Stoutmeister

Maibock (7.3%, 8): Very sweet, almost verging on barley wine sweetness. The 10-ounce sampler is enjoyable, but I would have a hard time drinking a full pint due to excessive sweetness. — E-Rock

Conductor (9.1%, 81): My favorite beer after the Kolsch, the Conductor has hops and flavor. This is much better than the Third Eye PA in my opinion. — E-Rock

That wraps it up for our first stop. We will try to hit Durango Brewing, Ska and Carver next. As a quick preview, after Ska and Durango, we can report things have improved considerably.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister