Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub — Restaurant in Stuarts Draft

Retail shop ruined the day!

My wife and I had been wanting to visit for a while, so we decided with the beautiful weather today, that we’d make the 2.5 hour journey from our house. We checked the opening times to make sure everything we wanted to experience would be open while we were there.

After arriving, we went straight to the brewpub and had a decent lunch and a couple of drinks. The queso on our nachos came out ice cold, but that was fixed and they were quite good after that. The Oktoberfest beer was great and the service was acceptable. The grounds are gorgeous and I was looking forward to coming back again with other friends.

We walked around for a bit and made our way to the retail shop on the way out. The retail shop was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit. Upon trying to enter the shop, we were stopped by an extremely rude lady who snapped that they weren’t open because they were conducting inventory. First, it makes no sense to conduct inventory and be closed during your advertised open time. This is ridiculous and a very poor business decision on a weekend. Second, the lady who wouldn’t allow us to shop, refused to offer any estimate on when we may be able to enter. An hour? Six? Don’t know and wouldn’t provide any further information. To say that she didn’t want to offer any assistance and was annoyed that we were standing in front of her would be an understatement. So, instead of sitting around waiting for what could have been hours, we left without spending a dime or even being allowed to view any of the merchandise.

The experience with this lady left an extremely bad taste with us and I won’t consider making the trek again because of the way we were treated by this staff member.

I hope the Devils Backbone leadership team will make some changes to when inventory is conducted and consider doing that outside of advertised open times or at the very least, make it clear on their website and social media that the retail shop would be closed during a certain time. That way those that travel from far away to the brewery may adjust their plans.

But even more importantly, train your staff on how to interact professionally and respect your paying customers. If this retail employee is in any way representative of your company’s values, you probably need...

Went there for dessert and simply to check out the place. The staff at Bold Rock (up the road) had actually recommended we check them out for dessert, rather than get it there when we stopped earlier for a drink. Wanted to possibly bring family back to Devils Backbone for an upcoming trip to the area. Positives - the campus was nice, outside and in. The hostess was very kind and personable. Negatives - It was SO LOUD. They had live music playing - the band was good, but it wasn't the right volume for the setting. I love live music, but the hostess and I had to practically yell each other other in order to hear, and she was set up very close to the music. Also, the receiving area was strange; it was evening, so I assume the lights were dimmed, but we basically had to stand and wait in the dark until a spot opened up. We perched at a small high-top that hadn't yet been bussed. It was not slammed, but it was busy, so I take that into consideration, but we were there for 45 minutes, and no one ever came by and offered to clear and we never saw anyone to ask. We moved the dirty dishes to the side, but still could only use a corner of the table. While we waited for the food, we listened to music, but the patrons behind us were kind of raucous; one of the guys literally lifted my seat while I was in it to push by, instead asking me to move so he could fit through. Didn't make me feel comfortable when I was there with my daughter. Finally, the biggest frustration was the food. I get that we went to a brewery and dessert isn't going to be a specialty, but we paid about $20 for what ended up being a small apple turnover from a grocery store and half of a scoop of ice cream. I wish they would have given us a heads up or steered us in another direction. I like their beer and really tried to make the best of the situation, but considering the amount of time and money we wasted on the experience, I feel this is an...

This was our second visit to the DB brewery and the first since purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev, so admittedly its been a long time between visits. At first glance, I could see the significant change to the location. The DB Basecamp Brewpub is now a large campus which includes a gift shop, distillery, smoke shop, an outdoor dining area with corn hole and beer pong and a covered outdoor stage for live music.

After a nice Sunday morning motorcycle ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway, lunch was our purpose. Our party of five was quickly seated. Our server was prompt and efficient so drinks were quickly on the table and our food order submitted. I was the only person who tested the beer options. I tried the Radler, a lemony low alcohol content (ABV) beer that was really refreshing on a hot day.

Three members of our group order hamburgers, my wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I explored the menu with the Brisket Dipper sandwich—basically a brisket sandwich on a ciabatta bun and au jus for dipping. The server said its one of the best sellers on the menu. Each sandwich came with french fries.

The food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The burgers looked really good and everyone was pleased. My wife’s pulled pork contained a hearty portion of pork, so she had her fill and took a doggy bag with the remainder of her meal. I liked my brisket dipper. The meat was tasty and the ciabatta is perfect for dipping. My only complaint is that the bun is pretty small, so the meat portion is equally small and the au jus is not very hearty. Therefore $20 for that sandwich and fries seems a bit steep. My wife’s pulled pork was $14 and I think the burgers were about $16, so those prices don’t bother me much.

All in all a good meal and possibly a great place to try again when they have live music. The proximity to the parkway, resort and outdoor activities make this a great...