Brenda Y.
Yelp
Durty Bull is a newer brewery specializing in sours and barrel-aged beers. If you're looking for a dose of hops or selection of stouts, you have many other options in Durham. But Durty Bull is EXCELLENT at what they do do, and for this reason, they are my favorite brewery in the Bull City, on the strength of their beers alone.
My favorites are their Blonde Sour Ale, Hibiscus Ginger Berliner Weisse, and anything that comes out of a bourbon barrel. For a place specializing in funk, their lager is surprisingly solid, and thus, my beer nerd friends will argue, they pass this critical shibboleth for being a competent brewer. Many of us head to Asheville ("Beer City") for our beer adventures, but I will put my foot down in stating that Durty Bull can serve a sour with the very best of them.
The brews are so great that I'm quite willing to overlook some quirks about the vibe, but a reasonable person could disagree. Despite being located just a couple blocks from the Motor Co/Fullsteam crowd (~5 min walk), Durty Bull's location feels much more off the beaten path. Getting to the taproom is slightly unintuitive (up a metal ramp), seating is okay, and the bar is very loosely Simpsons themed in a kind of arbitrary way? There's an N64 with 4 controllers and some mint condition cartridges (GoldenEye! Mariokart!), and a solid collection of board & party games. On weekday evenings, I've often found myself & friends to be the only people there. They serve light snacks (e.g. bags of chips), and occasionally have food trucks parked outside.
In general, you'll find some of the best tart and funky flavors in beer anywhere, which is top priority -- I simply can't wait to drink Durty Bull's beer!!! But, I will admit they could benefit from an interior design consult somewhere down the line. If you want to try their beer elsewhere, I've seen it on tap in other places, like the new 'Pour' location in downtown Durham, or bottled/canned at Beer Study or Sam's Bottle Shop.