A baker’s dozen local breweries head to Mountain West Brew Fest

Posted: August 23, 2019 by cjax33 in Events, News
Tags: , , ,
0

The beers will be poured again this year at Loretto Park in Bernalillo.

The Mountain West Brew Fest is back at Loretto Park in Bernalillo this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with 13 local breweries participating, along with some distilleries and wineries.

Tickets can still be purchased online. General Admission A tickets cost $20 and get you a commemorative pint glass and seven free samples. General Admission B tickets cost $10 and get you the glass and three free samples. There’s also a military ticket for those with valid military ID that get you the A tickets for $15. Anyone under 21 can attend as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets for those ages 13 to 20 are $5, while 12 and under are free.

So, yeah, it is not an unlimited sampling event. Use your sample tickets wisely to help you choose the pints.

There will be live music throughout the day. The lineup from start to finish will be Calvin & Jazz Trio, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hillary Smith & Chillhouse, 1-2:30 p.m., Brandon Saiz Band, 3-4:30 p.m., and Black Pearl, 5-6:30 p.m.

Food trucks scheduled to be in attendance include Punchy’s Pizza, CCR Roasting, La Rivas, Snow Cone Express, Sparky’s Chicano Dawgs, Powdrell’s BBQ, El Sazon de la Tia, Ortiz Jerky, Castanedas Kitchen, NM Kettle Korn, El Toro Loco, Las Comadres, and Solo Ink Pretzels.

As for the non-brewery providers of alcoholic beverages, your options include Sandia Hard Cider, Left Turn Distilling, Noisy Water Winery, and Sheehan Winery.

Finally, we reached out to all the breweries with which we have contact, and a few got back to us. If the others drop us a late line, we will update the empty listings below.

  • Bosque: Elephants on Parade, Pistol Pete’s 1888 Ale, Open Space Haze, Beyond the Trees (Cider), Jetty Jack, Driftwood Oatmeal Stout
  • Boxing Bear: Uppercut IPA, Black and Blue Tart, Chocolate Milk Stout, Ameri-Kolsch, AppleBear Cider
  • Broken Trail: TBA
  • Desert Valley: TBA
  • Dialogue: TBA
  • Enchanted Circle: TBA
  • Kaktus: TBA
  • Kilt Check: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Outlamber Amber Ale, Black Sunshine Porter
  • 1933 Brewing: Patriot IPA, Harlow’s Hef
  • Palmer: IPA, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cockness Monster, Orange Cider
  • Second Alarm: TBA
  • Steel Bender: Skull Bucket IPA, Raspberry Dynamite, COMPA Los Ranchos Lager, Steel Bender Cider
  • The 377: TBA

To all those going, have fun, stay safe, and remember, this is our last local festival until NM Brew Fest in October.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

New Red Door downtown taproom brightens up familiar old space

Posted: August 22, 2019 by cjax33 in Taproom Preview
Tags:
2

A familiar spot on Central is now home to the Red Door Downtown Taproom.

Red Door Brewing hosted a VIP night for friends and industry friends and even a beer writer on Wednesday night. For many of us, it was our first visit to the space since it was Blackbird Buvette, which was two businesses ago at 509 Central NW.

Compared to Blackbird, it is almost night and day. The space is much brighter and move inviting. The bar is still in the same spot, but everything behind it looks different. There is still a spot up front by the big glass windows for a DJ or other performers to set up.

The bar area was rightly packed during the VIP event.

The kitchen, which is run by the owners of Kamikaze Kitchen & Food Truck, is an open design, the smell of the food wafting out and daring anyone to turn down an appetizer or full-sized dish. Seriously, they have one called The Mother Klucker, which is as bonkers as it sounds. (Check their Facebook page for the full menu.)

Out back, the same patio is there, but it seems more open and, yes, inviting. There is one Red Door mural on the east wall, while Kamikaze will soon get a mural on the west wall, owner Matt Biggs told us. They will add some shade elements to keep the patio hopping during the daytime, too.

We are digging the mural on the patio.

General manager Ali Cattin said that there are still a few more aesthetic improvements on deck for inside and outside, but what the brewery team has done so far is impressive. Particularly due to its proximity to Launchpad, Inside Out, and El Rey, this Red Door spot should be a prime pre-concert spot.

The full Red Door beer lineup, both house beers and seasonals, were all on tap. Of course, Red Door also inherited a full liquor license, so look for all sorts of spirits and cocktails, many of which will be from local distilleries. The mix of industry folks present seemed pretty evenly split between pints and cocktails.

The neon red light from the previous taproom has a new home.

There will be a grand opening party this Friday starting at 5 p.m., with live music from The Riddims from 9 to midnight. 10 Drink Minimum will be doing a live podcast before that

Downtown can be a weird, fickle place when it comes to new bars, but we have a feeling that Red Door should lock its spot down and become a Central Avenue mainstay.

Thanks to the staff for the invite.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

The Week Ahead in Beer: NM United watch party phenomenon only grows

Posted: August 21, 2019 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
Tags:
1

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, one in Silver City, and one in Truth or Consequences also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Unless you have been out of town, or under a rock, all summer, the grip of the soccer craze has not loosened upon this city and its breweries and taprooms. New Mexico United games, shown via the ESPN+ streaming service, are now taking over the TVs all across town. Heck, it’s taking over across the state. For this Saturday’s road game against San Antonio (6 p.m. on Saturday), Bosque is having a little extra fun at the Nob Hill Public House. In addition to $1 off beers and certain food items for anyone wearing United gear, Rude Boy Cookies will be on hand with cookie decorating kits for purchase. Make your own United cookies during the game. There will also be prize giveaways throughout the game from United staff members who will be on hand. If cookies are not your thing, fear not, for there will be additional watch parties at Rio Bravo, Starr Brothers, and a whole lot of other locations. Check in with your favorite brewery and see if they are participating.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Ale Republic brings back Lone Wolf and adds Belgian Cream. Bombs Away has more Primer Pub Ale, while also getting experimental with X IPA. Bosque put its latest charity beer, Working Lab Golden Ale, on tap recently, along with Allryety Then (Lager) and Lulumelon (Gose), plus you can find Jetty Jack (formerly Brewer’s Boot) in six-pack cans. Boxing Bear added Murkito and Bear-Mosa. Canteen tapped Strawberry Basil Saison and Sundance Kolsch. Differential goes dark with more Irish Dry Stout. Ex Novo has its Oregon flagship, Eliot IPA, on tap and in cans here for a limited time. Flix Brewhouse brings back two of its medal winners, H-E-Dubbel Hockey Sticks and James Blond. Lava Rock fishes out some Brown Trout Lager and Gila Gose. La Cumbre will have the autumn edition of Project Dank IPA on tap and in cans this Friday. Marble puckers up Pina Loca Gose. Nexus wakes up with Toucan Sam Mango IPA. Red Door brought back Blackberry Hefeweizen and Raining Blood IPA for the grand opening of the new downtown taproom this weekend. Rio Bravo slams a Dunkelweizen. Toltec has a limited supply of Fresa Loco available. Turtle Mountain put Yum Yum Bramble on tap, and Oktoberfest could soon follow. UPDATE: Cinderella Story Brett Saison is now back on tap at Steel Bender.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales introduces Jose, a key lime gose. Second Street brings back old favorites like XX ESB and Rod’s Best Bitter, while also adding Mandarina Brut IPA and Yuzu Gose. Down in Truth or Consequences, T or C Brewing hops along with Jackrabbit Pils this Thursday.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of August 19.

Read the rest of this entry »

A full beer lineup bubbles to the surface at Lava Rock

Posted: August 20, 2019 by cjax33 in Beer Review, News
Tags:
0

Look, a full beer lineup all made on site is now at Lava Rock!

The last time any of us visited Lava Rock Brewing on the westside, an actual beer lineup was just starting to take form. Since then, we had received word that head brewer Ram Khalsa now has that promised full lineup on tap, and with some time to kill on a Tuesday afternoon, this here editor-in-need-of-a-story headed west of the Rio Grande to check it all out.

At this point, I should not expect to find myself as an anonymous drinker at any brewery in town. Ram was behind the bar, checking on the beers while more beer was being brewed in the back, and he was quick to welcome me to the brewery. I was promptly greeted with a sampler flight of six beers (which is standard), plus a seventh that he felt I needed to try.

Part of the impetus for trying those Lava Rock beers was due to the fact that the brewery, which now partners with M’tucci’s as its kitchen operator, is offering up a special this Wednesday. For $24, customers can get a flight of six 5-ounce samples of beer, each paired up with a specific appetizer.

  1. Gila Gose with shrimp and crab ceviche
  2. Shiprock Saison with honey balsamic chicken wings
  3. Petroglyph Wit with watermelon with feta and basil
  4. Brown Trout Lager with sausage orzo ragu
  5. 32 Bravo DIPA with BBQ meatballs with arugula and apple mustard
  6. Capulin Pale Ale with chocolate cherry tart with hazelnut cookie crust

Hello, sample tray. Not pictured, the Gila Gose. But, what is there makes for a really nice color rainbow.

As always, I must remind everyone that I am not a fully trained cicerone or anything of the sort. Beer is incredibly subjective, and I highly encourage everyone to try the beers, make up your own opinions, and offer constructive criticism where applicable. I had the unique opportunity to comment directly on the beers to Ram, so these were my thoughts on the seven beers that I sampled, five of which will be part of that special pairing Wednesday (I had to leave out the Petroglyph Wit as it has an ingredient that my body considers an unfortunate allergen).

  • Gila Gose (4.5% ABV, 6 IBU): Ram was proud of this offering, which is a straight, non-fruited gose. Oh, sure, there are a couple fruited goses (peach and prickly pear) on tap, for those who like such things. “I just felt a traditional gose could stand on its own,” he said. This one has just enough of that salty forward flavor, with not too much of the sour element on the back end. It goes down quite easy in this scorching late-summer heat.
  • Shiprock Saison (8% ABV, 30 IBU): While this French-style farmhouse has many of the hallmarks of the style, Ram also went ahead and dry hopped it with a dash of Nelson and Mosaic. There’s a bit of hop dryness on the back end, as well, but for the most part the Belgian-like yeast funk and a bit of spiciness are there to dominate the start and middle.
  • Brown Trout Lager (5.7% ABV, 20 IBU): The dark copper color aside, “You could drink this in the heat,” Ram said, as it is a lighter brown lager in the style of a German dunkel. The German malts and hops are there, but for the most part it is just smooth and comforting, and should hold one over until more of the popular Valles (Helles) Lager is ready soon. (There are two other lagers on deck, as well.)
  • 32 Bravo DIPA (8% ABV, 110 IBU): Ram has previously worked at La Cumbre and Santa Fe Brewing, but he said that the hop-forward beers are still a work in progress on Lava Rock’s 10-barrel brewhouse. This DIPA is not overpowering, harking back to the style from 10 years ago. This is not a juicy, sweet beer, but instead a chewy hop bomb that is slowly growing into something worthy of the behemoths that have set the local standard for DIPAs.
  • Capulin Pale Ale (6.2% ABV, 33 IBU): A coffee pale ale, this is not a copy of Sidetrack’s Buzz Bomb. If you like your coffee big, bold, and roasty, with no sweetness, this one is for you. Ram did say that the batch is an older one, but future changes could be coming since this style has not quite found its proper niche on the westside.
  • Volcan IPA (6% ABV, 80 IBU): The house IPA, Ram said he is still tinkering with this recipe. It is based in part on the classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, with more of an amber color and some of the old-school northwestern hops. Ram said he didn’t do much dry hopping, which in my personal opinion this one could use in the future.
  • Seismic Stout (5% ABV, 25 IBU): Of course I got the stout; I wouldn’t be living up to my nickname if I didn’t, right? This is an Irish dry stout, with hints of smoky roast and a slight bit of sweetness from the malt that offers up hints of chocolate and toffee. It is not a big, chewy stout, but this time of year, that is just fine. “Bigger stouts are coming this winter,” Ram said, which is music to my ears.

Overall, Lava Rock is still a work in progress on the beer front, but it is trending in the right direction. Ram has the proper beer education from La Cumbre and SFBC, and as he dials in his recipes and grasps the wants and needs of his customer base on the westside, things should start to settle in at the pub. Considering how much of a struggle things were in the beginning for Lava Rock, it is almost like a new brewery/restaurant has moved into the same location, which in a way it has, so to speak. The kitchen is all M’tucci’s, the beer is now all made on site, and it is worth another visit for beer lovers.

Please let us know what you think, and if you have some constructive criticism on the beer front, we will be happy to pass it along.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Bow & Arrow takes aim at Farmington with its 1st offsite taproom

Posted: August 15, 2019 by cjax33 in Interviews, News, Taproom Preview
Tags:
1

The forthcoming Bow & Arrow Rambler Taproom will be smaller than the main location, but it will feature much of the same aesthetic charm.

The recent rumors of an Albuquerque brewery heading to the Four Corners proved to be true earlier this week, as Bow & Arrow Brewing officially announced it will be opening its first offsite taproom in Farmington. The Rambler Taproom is aiming for a winter opening, said Bow & Arrow CEO Shyla Sheppard, and is the product of a long search for a second location that had started in Albuquerque.

“We’ve been looking for a while,” she said. “Actively looked all over Albuquerque and the metro area. We explored quite a few properties, actually. But then again, as you know better than most people, there’s a lot of movement taking place right now in the market. Maybe there’s a future opportunity for us somewhere here, but for our first offsite, the more we looked at the Four Corners area, (we found that) it’s very much in line with how we’ve positioned ourselves, branded ourselves being about the American Southwest, and the Four Corners is really kind of the gateway of all of that.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tractor finds its next head brewer just up the road at Turtle Mountain

Posted: August 14, 2019 by cjax33 in Interviews, News
Tags: ,
1

Outgoing Turtle Mountain head brewer Mick Hahn, left, passes the “torch” to new head brewer David Pacheco. Blessed be the beers!

It has been a few years since a head brewer has moved from one Albuquerque area brewery to another. That relatively static era is over as Tractor Brewing looked locally to fill its vacant head brewer position, finding the right man for the job at Turtle Mountain Brewing.

Mick Hahn is jumping from one brewery celebrating its 20th anniversary this year to another, leaving the cozy brewpub confines in Rio Rancho for the bustling production facility in Wells Park. To catch up on how this all went down, I met up with Mick, Tractor co-owner/brewmaster David Hargis, TMBC owner Nico Ortiz, and his new head brewer, David Pacheco.

“It was pretty quick,” Mick said. “David Hargis called me two weeks ago Monday, when Nico was (on vacation) in Costa Rica, which is always good. I had seen the posting for the position on the (New Mexico Brewers) Guild newsletter. I definitely thought about what it would be like to be their head brewer. I didn’t think much of pursuing it until he called to tell me we had been looking for someone, and hadn’t gotten a whole lot of interest and are you interested, because we’re interested in getting you.

“I met with him the next day to just to talk it over a little bit more. I met with him towards the end of the week when Nico was coming back from Costa Rica. They got in Thursday at 5 o’clock and I told him Friday at lunch that this was all happening. I had less than a week to figure out if this was going to go forward.”

Nico said he knew Mick’s departure was almost an inevitability.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Week Ahead in Beer: Pair of anniversary parties highlight the weekend

Posted: August 14, 2019 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
Tags: ,
1

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, one in Silver City, and one in Truth or Consequences also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

It seems like only yesterday that Boese Brothers Brewery and the Marble Brewery Heights Taproom both opened, but instead it was four and three years ago, respectively, and this Saturday will mark the anniversary parties for both locations. Boese will have an all-day michelada bar, plus birthday cake and possibly singing (we can only hope by staff members with good voices) later on. Adam Hooks & His Hangups will perform from 5 to 8 p.m., followed by DJ Dave 12 from 9 to midnight. Up at Marble, it all kicks off at 11 a.m. as Oni Noodles will be taking over the patio until 5. The Pina Loco Gose will be tapped all day, and music will be provided by The Moon Thieves, Eugene, and DJ Ryan Dedmond from 3 p.m. onward.

In addition to that, Red Door will be holding a soft opening for its new downtown taproom location starting today (Wednesday). In case anyone forgot, the new spot is in the former Zullo’s Bistro/Blackbird Buvette location on Central. It comes with a full liquor license, too. This could be a good spot to pregame the Goatwhore concert at Launchpad. A little blackened death metal soothes the troubled soul.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bombs Away moves on to version seven of its Hazy Chain DIPA. Bow & Arrow brings back El Breakfast Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Stout on Saturday. Canteen releases the State Fair Pilsner on tap and in cans this Thursday. Cantero puckers up with Sour’d Haze IPA. Ex Novo brings back Aperture Pale Ale, while also adding a Hefeweizen. La Cumbre added a Dortmunder and Tres Padres Belgian Tripel. Marble also added Daisy Duke City Kolsch and a fresh batch of Rita. Ponderosa has an Amber Ale ready to go by this weekend. Quarter Celtic bellows Blimey Gold, while also feeling the Fading Days of Summer Haze. Red Door brings back Rickety Cricket, a raspberry green tea hefeweizen. Starr Brothers cracks The Velvet Whip, a hybrid IPA, and kneels before The Red Queen, a raspberry gose. Tractor’s latest Beer for a Better Burque offering is Saddle Up Jefe, plus Apricot Wheat returns.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales tapped Agent Scully – Season Two, Episode 10 IPA, and has a limited number of Cote d’Or Cerise Redux bottles for sale.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of August 12.

Read the rest of this entry »

Beer Notes: Resurrections, closures, brewers-on-the-move and more

Posted: August 12, 2019 by cjax33 in Beer Notes
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
3

Artesia’s second brewery is sadly no more. (Photo courtesy of Hopscotch Brewing)

The news items are piling up around here, so let us start the week with what is going on around the New Mexico craft brewing scene.

We’re not dead yet

After we published our story about Eske’s Brew Pub and Eatery meeting an untimely demise after 27 years, we were eventually contacted by Mark Hoffman, who is apparently the owner of the Taos brewery. Per Mark, Eske’s is not deader than dead, but it will instead be resurrected at a new location with a new setup, and possibly a new name.

Eske’s 2.0 will be at 605 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, which is further north up Taos’ main road, past the Burger Stand at Taos Ale House, near Cid’s Food Market and Taos Pizza Out Back. This new location will be a combined brewery and homebrew store, Mark said, and will have a permanent food truck instead of an on-site kitchen (similar to what Red Door has down here at its Candelaria brewery in ABQ). The brewery will also be changing its name to Sangre de Cristo Brewing Company. That name predated Eske’s when original owner Steve Eskeback brewed for the Embudo Station restaurant from 1989-92, before opening Eske’s near the Taos Plaza.

So far we are still waiting to see a new pending small brewer license to replace the one that went inactive a few months ago. When that happens, we will know for sure that SDCBC/Eske’s 2.0 is officially happening.

Read the rest of this entry »

Turquoise Trail Brewing hopes to become a gem along East Central

Posted: August 9, 2019 by cjax33 in Interviews, New Brewery Preview, News
Tags:
1

Owner/brewer Sean Lawson welcomed the Crew to Turquoise Trail Brewing for the first time.

The blank spots on the map continue to fill up with breweries and taprooms.

Turquoise Trail Brewing is the latest addition to the East Central corridor, landing at 11016 Central SE, a short drive east of Bombs Away and west of the Tractor Four Hills Taproom. The new brewery has quietly opened, as its own beers are not on tap yet, but owner/brewer Sean Lawson said he needed to start making some money back on a property that he has been leasing for a calendar year now.

“I’m really hoping to have the brewery up and operating in four to six weeks,” Scott said. “I’ll have my own beer on tap in two months. I think that’s pretty realistic.”

For now, there is a wide range of guest taps, many from breweries far, far from the location next door to the Dion’s at Elizabeth and Central. I grabbed a pint of Dialogue’s Nugget to the Rack imperial amber and sat down to find out just what in the world possessed Sean to open Albuquerque’s 35th brewery.

Read the rest of this entry »

Boxing Bear grows up fast with 5th anniversary party on deck

Posted: August 8, 2019 by cjax33 in Events, News
Tags:
0

It seems like it was just yesterday when we took this picture of Boxing Bear co-owner/head brewer Justin Hamilton atop his new brewhouse, but it was actually five years and many, many beers ago.

Five years does not seem like a long time in any business, but the craft beer world that Boxing Bear Brewing entered into in 2014 has changed an awful lot.

After all, back then the Westside was largely devoid of breweries and off-site taprooms.

“It’s crazy when we opened and then there was (only) the Stumbling Steer at the time,” co-owner/head brewer Justin Hamilton said. “The closest after that was Turtle Mountain. Now we’ve got breweries on every block. There’s a lot more breweries now, but that being said, five years later we’re still doing all right.”

Boxing Bear will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an all-day party this Saturday, with live music, vendors, and food trucks out front.

“Five is a good one,” Justin said. “We’re super excited to be here. It’s been a crazy five. Some places haven’t made it that far, some have made double. It’s just been fun to kind of see how much has changed. It’s been wild.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Older Entries