So when the Crew first met the folks from Broken Bottle earlier this year, we were blown away by their pride and their creative and unique ideas for beer.  So it is no surprise that when Chris and Donovan posted on their Facebook page about a Sunflower Seed Ale and an Irish Coffee ale, we wer left extremely intrigued. So following an afternoon of Lobo football, a quick meal at Five Star Burger, and with Anthrax’s “Worship Music” blasting away, Stoutmeister and I made our way out to the west side to sample these new Broken Bottle creations.

Broken Bottle commented on their Irish Coffee ale: “It has such a bold flavor that it will make a barista blush.” We did not disagree. This ale is a full-flavored brew made with classic roast and french roast coffee. Even the initial whiff of this beer has enough aroma to straighten your posture. Try drinking that with your morning paper! (But only if you have the day off, of course.)

Stoutmeister sampled the Sol Rosenburg Ale, which was made with sunflower seeds. Sadly, it has run its course, but he offered up this analysis with the hope it will return next year: “Subtle is the word for this beer. This is not a hoppy beer, but instead a malty style, lying somewhere between a mild pale ale and a light brown. The sunflower seed taste comes on at the finish, providing a smooth, satisfying ending. In many ways this beer works both with the lingering heat of summer’s final days and the slight chill of fall that is now upon us.”

After talking to Donovan for a bit, he brought out a bottle of a small batch of jalapeno beer that he whipped up. This small batch is light but leaves a slight lingering sense of spicy heat at the back of the palate. I thought this beer was fine; Stoutmeister preferred his pint of “The Incident” Black IPA.

The Crew has been extremely impressed with BBB’s creative seasonal batches and it seems to be winning over Albuquerque’s beer drinkers with the recent addition to their full-time lineup, the black IPA, and the quickly sold-out sunflower ale. Even though the ale may be gone for a while, BBB’s Debacle Pumpkin Ale is on tap this week to bring in more of the fall flavors. There are a few other seasonals in the works, but we’ll leave those for another write-up. Oh noes, guess we’ll have to go back out to the west side.

Cheers!

— Shilling