The ladies bathroom at Mancos Brewing Company is a strange one. I know that’s an odd way to start off a story about a brewery, but it’s what kept coming to mind when I was pondering a lead for this story: the bathroom.
What, pray tell, is so weird about the bathroom, you ask? Well, let me tell you. I stopped by Mancos Brewing with a group of friends after the snow calmed down over the weekend, and we, of course, being at a brewery ordered a few beers. I opted for an espresso stout, which was one of the brewer’s reserve options – you know, the ones available for a limited time – as did two other people. But, before it came, I thought I’d check out the bathroom (i.e., wash my hands because of germs).
I didn’t expect much from the bathroom, obviously – bathrooms are bathrooms, right? – but once I’d finally tracked it down and made my way in, I found myself to be immediately puzzled. Picture this, you guys: You walk into the women’s restroom and are immediately faced with two toilets sitting side by side against the far wall, no stall door or curtain in sight. My brain was immediately filled with questions.
Did Mancos Brewing purposely set up two toilets side by side with no barrier? And if so, what was the thought process behind it? Do people really pee in tandem? I’m a chick so I know of our habits to hang out in the bathroom together (usually to shit talk whoever is at the table, just FYI), but we don’t, uh, pee together at the same time!
Or, if it wasn’t on purpose, what happened?! Did they run out of money for the very last part of the brewery: the bathroom? Did the stall doors get confiscated at customs because they were made of some banned material or something? Did they contain pthalates?!
And, the only way to ensure another person doesn’t walk in on two people relieving themselves in tandem is to lock the door of the entire bathroom, meaning you’re either alone and locked in a room with two toilets, ensuring another person must wait outside when there’s a perfectly good toilet just sitting there unused, or you can risk peeing alongside a stranger.
I do not understand how this happened. I made the other lady at the table head to the bathroom, and when she returned, her response to me was: “I knew (ha, ha, ha, ha) exactly (ha, hahahahaha, ha) what you were freaked out about the moment I walked in.”
We spent the next few minutes conjuring up scenarios in which this two-toilets-one-stall business made sense, but we couldn’t come up with a solid answer.
Luckily, Mancos Brewing Company’s beers aren’t nearly as puzzling as their bathrooms. Upon my return to our table, my beer had arrived, and I really enjoyed how light the espresso notes were. I had just ingested a coffee stout at another brewery that was so heavy on the coffee that the porter flavor was lost in the mix, but the one from Mancos Brewing was a sensible, leveled amount of coffee to beer. I dug it.
We all decided that while the espresso stout wasn’t mind-blowing, it was a solid choice, and one that would work well for a novice beer drinker or a fan of steadfast, old school beers. I have a feeling anyone – be it a craft beer fanatic or someone just venturing into the craft beer scene – would be comfortable with the choices at Mancos Brewing.
We spent the next hour or so laughing about the bathroom and passing along taster glasses. We came to the same conclusion, whether it was the Desert Drifter rye ale or the Pagan porter. Mancos Brewing Company’s beers were safe, level-headed, and exactly what one would expect. They were just solid, status quo beers.
But hey. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. I like some wild, funky flavors in beer, but sometimes you just want something tried and true. The Old Reliable of beers. And that’s what you’ll get from the beer at Mancos Brewing Company. The bathroom is another story.
Angelica Leicht
Details: Mancos Brewing Company is located at 484 Hwy 160 E. Frontage Rd in Mancos. Call 970-533-9761 or visit mancosbrewingcompany.com for more information.
