Well folks, the first week of October has come and gone, and that means the New Mexico Brew Fest has come and gone.  This year’s Brew Fest, again held at Villa Hispana at Expo New Mexico, had a great turnout for the third installment of this annual event which is quickly becoming a staple of the craft beer community here in New Mexico.  Featuring a variety of food and music, and of course beer tastings from over 20 breweries from New Mexico and beyond, there was something for everyone, from the hopheads flocking to the plethora of IPAs to the casual drinker in search of a refreshing pilsner or the burly, bearded folks looking for that nice stout or porter.  I was able to arrive early to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of so many great beers; not an easy task when trying to gather material for this article, but I was more than up to the challenge!  We’ve got a lot to cover and little time, so in no particular order, I present you with a breakdown some of the highlights and impressions on just a few brews and breweries (OK, a lot of brews).

Tractor Brewing Company:  Tractor Brewing does not disappoint.  Now regularly churning out quality beers, they had a good crowd surrounding their table all day.  With the standbys such as the Farmer’s Tan Red, Double Plow Oatmeal Stout, and also bringing along this season’s fall incarnation Traktoberfest, patrons seemed to be enjoying the beers.  I was thanked twice personally after recommending to some skeptical patrons to try Tractor’s beers (ol’ Brandon will steer you right, don’t worry).  And you know us here at the NMDBC, we love our Tractor beers …

Marble Brewing: If you like beer and are from New Mexico or the southwest region, you just may be familiar with them.  Ah, who are we kidding … Marble has become a staple of our state’s beer community.  They brought along the familiar faces, such as their popular IPA, but I took this opportunity to try out their latest offering, the Porter Belgique.  A hybrid of a porter and a Belgian ale, this is an extremely smooth beer, with good spices and subtle banana hints to go along with the roasted malts.  Nice and warming, this is definitely a unique offering.  I plan on making it to Marble for another pint or two of this, and so should you.

Mimbres Valley Brewing Company:  The good folks from this Deming-based brewery showed up with a pumpkin ale … JOY!  Now it is October, so I did assume there would be a good number of seasonals.  What I didn’t expect is that one of the standout beers of the day would come from a brewery I’ve only had a chance to try once before.  I personally am always yearning for a “pumpkin pie-in-a-glass” taste when it comes to my pumpkin brews; look no further, as this seasonal possesses a great spice balance.  The nutmeg and cinnamon flavors are the supporting cast to the velvety pumpkin flavors and the vanilla hints that make this a brew that you will want to enjoy on a cool fall evening.  Even my girlfriend (not a big fan of pumpkin beers) remarked on how tasty and easy-drinking this brew was.  Folks in Deming and Las Cruces, drink this while it’s available, before I drive down to drink the taps dry!

New Mexico Craft Brewing Company:  A newcomer to the craft/microbrewery scene, these good folks from Las Vegas pride themselves on using the freshest ingredients, as well as using local ingredients whenever possible.  Keep it local?  These folks do.  As a matter of fact, I spoke to head brewer Kyle Yonan, who even offered me some fresh dry hops to put in my pint (what an awesome guy!). After noticing two barley wines available, I decided to try their 80/80 “Barbarian” version (yup, that’s what they called it).  The name suits it; boy, this is something I could picture a horde of vikings drinking around a bonfire!  Although strong and burly, this barley wine is one of the most drinkable ones I’ve tried in recent memory, with grapefruit and other citrus flavors mixing well with a subtle hop mix; this one strikes a great balance between American- and English-style barley wines, with a light, hazy, amber color.  Man, was this one enjoyable brew.  Kyle informed me that they are somewhat limited in their production abilities right now, but are planning on upgrading their capacity soon.  I certainly hope they do, because if the rest of their beers are as delicious as their Barbarian, I will be buying them regularly!  Although they are limited in production (they were out of everything when I went back for another pint, so that should tell you something), you can find NM Craft Brewing Co. on tap at The Sandbar, located at Charlie’s Sandbox.  Keep an eye out for them, I predict good beers coming from these guys!

Blue Corn Brewing: Another great seasonal offering, Blue Corn brought a batch of their BC Pumpkin to the Brew Fest.  This was a nice mellow brew, a strong spice blend to go with the pumpkin flavors.  This one struck me as a balance between a pumpkin ale and an Oktoberfest brew.  Very easy drinking and actually refreshing for a fall seasonal.  Tip o’ the cap to Blue Corn.

Santa Fe Brewing Company: You know what you’re getting when you open a bottle or can from the Santa Fe Brewing Company, and that is just a really tasty beer.  Offering samples of their standby Happy Camper IPA, Freestyle pilsner, and others, they drew a good crowd and seemed to be a popular brewery.

La Cumbre Brewing Company: You might have heard of ’em.  Maybe.  They’re just the makers of Elevated IPA, winner of a gold medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival.  So they are kind of a big deal.  That being said, you knew they were going to bring the goods to the NM Brew Fest, and they didn’t disappoint. Elevated IPA, Acclimated IPA (Elevated’s big brother that wants to kick your ass for hitting on his sister), and Malpais Stout were all on hand, plus some others.  One of the others was Witches Tit pumpkin ale.  As I mentioned about previous pumpkin brews, I look for that pint of pumpkin pie.  Well, this was it.  What a velvety smooth pumpkin flavor, the spices were so nicely balanced.  It was another solid offering from one of the state’s best.  I got to speak to head brewer and mastermind Jeff Erway (seriously, when does this guy find time to sleep?), and he let me know that there is a Russian Imperial Stout coming to coincide with their anniversary that should be ready by December.  Did I mention it’s going to be aging in Syrah and Pinot Noir barrels?  The flavors and aromas from that are sure to be amazing, so keep an eye out.  For now, make sure to stop in for a pint of the current seasonal, Pecos Porter!

Broken Bottle Brewery: Another newcomer to the NM Brew Fest this year, we have watched patrons start flocking to Broken Bottle’s location on the West Side on a growing basis now, and it’s sure to just get better from here.  Already having started a buzz around town with their completely unique creations (Rosemary’s Baby … I loved it, too bad it’s being retired), BBB brought some of their latest creations for the public to try, including the “Debacle” Pumpkin Ale and “The Incident” Black IPA.  Debacle is probably one of the lightest and most thirst-quenching pumpkin ales I tasted all day, but boy was this packed with flavor and great drinkability!  Now “The Incident” … wow.  This was an impressive brew that made me immediately want to spout off Samuel L. Jackson-esque bouts of obscenities of how good it was.  This is a style I’m very fond of when it’s done well, and this was done VERY well.  Great strong malt flavors, and of course plenty of hops … a great blend, I might add.  I spoke to NMDSBC friend and BBB co-owner/brewer Chris Chavez who told me they are considering brewing The Incident year round, due to the positive reception they have got towards it.  He also clued me in to the next offering: the Rob Van Winkle vanilla porter (or stout, my notes were illegible by that point in the day … damn beer).  It should be ready and on tap this coming week, so make sure to stop, collaborate and lis- … I mean, stop by Broken Bottle Brewery for a pint!

Overall it was a great day of tasting the beers of New Mexico and from around the region.  There were also a lot more great beers from Nexus, Turtle Mountain, Second Street, High Desert, Chama River and more.  It was almost too much to handle!  The Whole Foods Beer Village also had tastings from regional favorites Stone, Left Hand, Ska, Deschutes, Odell, and New Belgium, all of whom had plenty of tasty suds to sample as well (when Left Hand has Nitro Milk Stout near me, you know I’m a happy guy).

In addition, there was plenty of delicious food to soak up those pints, including a wood-fired pizza cooked in a brick oven trailer!  What a time to be alive!  The patrons I spoke with all seemed to lean towards either the light or the dark end of the beer spectrum, as IPA’s, porters and stouts seemed to dominate people’s glasses.  In the end, though, a great time was had by all.  A few people I spoke with were hoping for a bigger venue as they felt it was a bit crowded; who knows, as the event grows, maybe the venue will as well!  The one thing to take away from this event is that the craft and microbrew community around New Mexico is growing more every year, made evident by the great beers from the up-and-coming breweries as well as the staples of the beer scene from our state.  The NM Brew Fest is certain to keep showcasing the best beers our state has to offer for years to come.  If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry; all you have to do is stop into any of the great breweries and grab a pint!  So until next year …

Prost!

— Brandon (Cryptogrind)