Lonerider Distillery and Taproom

Nice location, good staff, and delicious beer and liquor. Can't ask for much more. It's also easy to get food from Mezcalito or some pizza from across the street at Ponysaurus.

Lonerider is currently under new (new?) management-- it seems that they have been through several different managers. I went by on a Friday night around 7 pm for dinner at Mezcalito. Mezcalito was very busy so I ordered my food to go and went to Lonerider to wait and get a drink. That night was an "EDM Dance Party and Karaoke" which consisted of 2 guys screaming into a microphone. There were no other patrons except for staff and these 2 guys and yet they put on a show of themselves including walking around on the patio. While I am glad they were enjoying themselves, the music was so loud I could barely order my drink and definitely couldn't hold a conversation with my date. This is 7 pm and families are having dinner on the patio and this was not the kind of pleasant listening one would enjoy with their dinner (and their kids). The experience left me very uncomfortable and I don't plan on returning unless it is for an event that is more my speed (which I hope that the new management will consider). I know that they have to stand out since there are so many bars and breweries in the area so perhaps this is the niche market they are aiming for, but it's not my cup of tea (also new management increased cocktail prices so that they are now $15-$22 which is very steep for the drink that I got).

Lonerider has a new location in Durham that is across the street from Ponysaurus Brewing. We stopped in to grab a beer after lunch and had a fun time. I ordered a pint of Shotgun Betty and a half pour of Hoppy Ki Yay and my husband ordered a pint of Sweet Jose Nitro. If you don't like beer they have cocktails with their own liquors and wine on the drink menu. Cheers!

This is a new location for Lonerider, which has had taprooms in Raleigh and Wake Forest for many years. You can find their beers at a lot of local grocery stores. We stopped in late on Friday after seeing a show at Carolina Theatre and it was pretty quiet by that point -- just us and a few other patrons. The patio at the nearby Mezcalito Mexican restaurant was more full, as was Ponysaurus across the street. That's okay since we just wanted a relaxed vibe after our show. The staff were very friendly and even let us sample some of their whiskey. We ordered two of our favorite beers of theirs and enjoyed them. We'll need to come back another time to see what the atmosphere is on other days of the week. Tip: they sell their bottled beers and spirits, and you can even purchase them on a Sunday when ABC stores are closed.

Came here on a lovely warm evening with my lovely wife! We have driven by here a couple of times (we live nearby) and noticed it had opened. Positives: Overall, we had a nice time - good bartender, good prices, good time. There is definitely room for improvement: They have about 8 TVs but half of them were just playing the Roku screensaver (bit of an odd "vibe" as the kids say) but my wife and I appreciated it because it made us nostalgic for the days that we had a Roku at home, but ultimately wished they would either turn them off or put something on. Also, the lights are behind the ceiling fans and it ended up creating a kind of strobe effect - I said to my wife, "Where are we? A discotheque in Germany?" But again, it reminded us of our younger days! So not such a bad thing. The other issue is that it is mostly concrete inside so it got pretty loud quickly even though it wasn't crowded. But we were thrilled to find out you can get a cocktail that is under $15 here (Durham needs that!) Check it out if you want a change of pace but we hope they put a little more character into the place soon.