Caro Kann Defense

It's not brutal.  It requires a good understanding of the positional gameplay in the closed setting with a little space for maneuvering.  Not really advisable for your rating.

I'd say try it out and analyze your games afterwards. It really depends on how well your opponent is familiar with it. It can become a closed position depending on their response. Understanding the position and pawn structure is necessary as Yigor mentioned.

I have only just started learning about openings and am learning the caro-kann. I often get all my pieces developed, but run out of ideas at this point point. It seems to me that it migh be a good idea to study endgame and look to trade off pieces. Any attacking ideas/counterplay or further study anyone could recommend would be much appreciated. thanks

The idea of the Caro-Kann is that it's solid. Black will have a little bit less space and his pieces will be a bit less active, but if he can grind the game down to an endgaem he will have the better pawn structure. It's less dynamic than other semi-open defenses to 1. e4 such as the French or Sicilian Defense, but there's less theory in most lines, black's plan is relatively simple and his position is solid. It requires some positional understanding to play correctly, and the build up to and success of the c5 and sometimes f6 pawn breaks are often crucial in determining the victor.

Possibly of interest:

"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms] will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

First Steps Caro-Kann

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7800.pdf

First Steps 1 e4 e5

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf
"... I'm convinced that Silman's [Complete Endgame Course] will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. ... he defines what he thinks is necessary to know at specific rating levels. ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf

Why do you say that Deirdre? Advance Variation is good for white, but it's still quite solid for black. He'll have less space, and somewhat less active pieces, and hope to undermine white's center. The same principles apply to the French Advance, and in fact the positions often appear identical after a few moves, except that black may sometimes get his light squared bishop out of the pawn chain. The position after move 7 below, for example, is every French Defense player's dream.

As with any opening, white can play aggressively if he wants, as in the Bayonet attack variation above. I deem a position as "solid" if it has few inherent weaknesses and is difficult to attack. That of course doesn't preclude white from trying, as he can definitely play aggressively and try to find a chink in the armor. But I think the position can be double-edged and solid at the same time, i.e. those two words aren't opposites, in my opinion.

One of the reasons players play the Caro-Kann is that it's a flank opening; the less experienced player with white will be puzzled what to do with 1.e4 c6. It's true, there are a few variations that give the CK player trouble (Accelerated Panov is quite aggressive, Advance variation with c4 challenging d5 can be tough to get space for black), but white usually has to have done his homework too. I use it all the time, it suits my style since I am a defensive player. It has way less theory than the Sicilian and doesn't usually close in the light square B like the French.

LoL Probably, it's "solid" in the sense "compressed" (from all sides). 

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070917

Sigh mainline classic CK and the entire point is to play ...Bf5 tempoing the knight

also critical variation of advance variation where black plays ...c6 and then ...c5 is actually a pawn gambit, white can keep the pawn but must make some unusual moves to do so.