Eat Local: Ourayle House | Get Real Denver

Eat Local: Ourayle House
by Jason Blevins on April 13, 2009

For more than two decades, James Paul Hutchinson gave his handcrafted ales to friends and family as Christmas gifts. “Everyone said the same thing everyone always says about free beer: ‘This is great,’ ” says Hutchinson, who answers to Hutch.

So four months ago, Hutchinson took those beery blessings to heart and opened the Ourayle House in Ouray.

Wedged into a long garage where summertime tourists not long ago rented Jeeps for excursions into the surrounding San Juans, Hutchinson now reigns over his own beer temple. His brews ferment in 80-gallon vats in the back room of Hutch’s nascent Mr. Grumpy Pants Brewing Co. Split-log walls and a wood-burning stove — with sizzling pans to cook up your own grub — give the front-of-the-house tavern a cozy cabin feel.

Walls are adorned with posters of beer and maps of all variety — the state’s 14ers, every river and creek, and all 101 of Colorado’s breweries. Hutchinson’s toys — kayaks, bikes, skis — lean in a corner. The DVD rack is riddled with “Rocky” flicks. The stereo cranks.

A string connected to a cowbell runs along the ceiling above the bar. Patrons tug at it to summon Hutch to end beerlessness. The place, with its everflowing pints of fresh-brewed beer, is Colorado’s ultimate man cave.

Hutchinson captains his sudsy saloon from a horizontally sliding swing behind the bar. The Ourayle Transit Line, of course. He built a mantel over a century-old safe, which was painted in an explosion of color by a probably unlucky miner many years ago. (Would a lucky miner paint safe doors?)

It is a remnant of the old San Juan power company that once occupied the space and, no, Hutch doesn’t have the combination. As far as he knows, there could be piles of gold in there. Yes, he does let you listen for a click whilst flexing your safe-cracking prowess. So bring your stethoscope.

For the recent Gimps on Ice festival — featuring a host of prosthetic-equipped athletes able to scale the steepest ice all day and drink like they have hollow limbs all night — Hutch brewed up a One Arm, One Leg, One Eye PA that left many of the festival’s participants giddily hobbling more than ever. His Payle Ayle, while not quite pale, packs a hardy, hoppy, extra- bubbly punch. Don’t come looking for cocktails. It’s all beer all the time at the Ourayle House.

– OURAYLE HOUSE –

Beer ‘n’ such. 215 Seventh Avenue, Ouray. 970-903-1824. Open daily 4:30 p.m. to last call.

– Jason Blevins