After months of anticipation, Albuquerque’s west side has its very first taphouse — Broken Bottle Brewery.

Located off of Coors Blvd. just north of Irving, Broken Bottle sits in the back of a small yet cozy strip mall with neighbors Sushi King and Subway, a rather perfect location for those west-side dwellers that could use a beer to pass the headache that is the 5 o’clock rush hour.

A month ago, Broken Bottle owners/brewmasters Chris Chavez and Donavon Lane allowed us to take a tour of their small yet humble establishment, giving us a chance to breathe in the “new bar smell” and to see what they have in store for us.

Well folks, the wait is over.  With a packed taphouse on opening night, Chris and Donavon got to reap the fruits of their harvest. Shilling, Cryptogrind and Franz Solo all managed to stop by Friday night, while Stoutmeister (who was covering the Isotopes game) and E-Rock (playing music in Texas) managed to head over on Monday.

Stoutmeister managed to sample from a flight of all eight beers, something BBB was unable to offer during Friday’s crowded chaos. The rest of the Crew managed to try different beers, though Franz Solo bowed out of commenting based upon the following: “It was so crowded when I was there (on opening night) that I had no place to sit. So I had to slam my beers before I went home. I will have to go back later and take the time to savor all that Broken Bottle has to offer.” Then Franz Solo thought about it for a bit and offered this: “I tried Rosemary’s Baby and the IPA. Both were a tad under the bold flavor I expected but more than made up for my wanting tastebuds with exceptional drinkability. These were smooth all the way from start to finish.” So there you go, ABQ. As for Shilling, well, he has been buried in work lately, so if he has additional thoughts to offer up, he will have to do so later. Here are the rest of our thoughts (and by “our” I mean Stoutmeister, Cryptogrind, and E-Rock) on all eight varieties:

Steamy Lawyer (4.1% ABV)

Stoutmeister: As far as steam beers go, this one falls a bit short of what I am used to. A good steam, like the one at Turtle Mountain, is as much about the aroma of the beer inside your mouth as it is about the flavor; it has an affect on more than just your tastebuds, hence the term “steam”. I asked Donavan about it and he said they did not dry-hop on this batch but will on the next batch. I have a feeling the next batch will be stronger and closer to what I like in this style.

JuneBug Summer Ale (4.7% ABV)

Stoutmeister: A light ale with a hint of sweetness. Donavan said it was his favorite of the current eight on tap. It’s lighter than what I usually drink, but for the style it is solid enough. It could use a little more bite, but maybe that’s just my preference.

AFD Red (5.4% ABV)

E-Rock: I had a pint of the Red after being told it was a best-seller of opening week(end). I found it slightly hoppy, but drinkable. I was a little disappointed since I tried it after the Scottish Ale, which was much bolder and more complex in taste.” (see below)

Cryptogrind: The Red was actually very refreshing for me, personally. It almost came off as a summertime beer. (It) drinks like a pilsner.

Stoutmeister: My personal favorite, and apparently the masses agreed with me, Donavan said. This red lies somewhere in between Marble’s uber-hopped red and Irish-style reds found at places like Il Vicino and Nexus. Its closest comparison is the Farmer’s Tan Red at Tractor, featuring just enough hops to give it a solid flavor, with some dryness but not to the point of where you need a blast from the fire hose after drinking up.

Rosemary’s Baby (4.3% ABV)

Cryptogrind: Rosemary’s Baby is an intriguing blend. Though you might find that recipe very out of the ordinary, I found it extremely drinkable and enjoyable. I can’t wait to have another.

Stoutmeister: A truly unique beer, offering up a mix of flavors with only a hint of actual rosemary that comes at the very end of the glass. Definitely worth trying as there is nothing else quite like it in ABQ.

Mulligan Stout (5.7% ABV)

Cryptogrind: The stout was arguably my favorite, with very pronounced coffee and roasted malt flavors.

Stoutmeister: Another beer with almost no obvious comparison from any other local brewery. There are a number of flavors in this stout that you usually do not find in the genre. It is hoppier than most stouts, with a hint of chocolate but no oatmeal or Guinness-style dry stout flavors. I will have to make a return trip to wrap my tastebuds around this concoction again, just to ascertain all that lies within.

Year One IPA (6.6% ABV)

Stoutmeister: What is this? No Chuck Norris roundhouse kick of hops from an ABQ brewery? Madness! OK, on a serious note, this is a (wait for it) unique beer. They use five hops and this beer seems to be a mix of five flavors, but not the point of a flavor assault of fury. It is the strongest beer in ABV terms, though it is far from overpowering. A definite departure from the usual around town.

Willie’s Scottish Ale (5.0% ABV)

E-Rock: “I first tried the Scottish Ale. The smoked taste was a pleasant surprise that you don’t normally find in Scottish Ales. It was my favorite of the (two) beers I tried.”

Stoutmeister: I know, I keep saying “unique” when describing BBB’s offerings, but this one takes the cake. For anybody that has had a smoked porter and fallen in love, you have to try this. Imagine a smoked Scottish Ale and that’s what this is. The peat-smoked hops come through, and then some. This is the strongest flavored BBB pint; for some that will be great, for non-craft beer lovers it will plow them over.

El Campeon (4.0% ABV)

Stoutmeister: Another lighter summer ale, this one has a unique final taste from the caramel involved. It is one of the sweeter, lighter beers on the menu. Just make sure to drink this before sampling the Scottish.

Overall assessment

Stoutmeister: Drinkability is the word of the day here, but that’s perfectly fine among ABQ’s many strong-flavor-favoring breweries. BBB has a good atmosphere, a friendly staff, heck it even has that “new bar smell” that greets you on the way in. For an area largely devoid of craft beer, the west side deserved a good neighborhood brewpub and lo and behold, it has been given one.

Well, that wraps up our review of Broken Bottle. We are sorry for the lack of posts lately, real life (work/family/friends/music/baseball) has taken up almost all of our time lately, but hopefully our schedules will be getting lighter as summer draws closer. Fear not, we will be all over the city at the various events for ABQ Beer Week May 17-27.

Cheers!

— The NMDSBC