Blue Corn’s Midnight Red is coming for your soul!

MidnightRed1 — The best part is you can drink it anytime Blue Corn is open, not just at midnight.

The Midnight Red is now available at Blue Corn Brewery. After a week on tap, it has certainly hit its stride. It’s been a while since Blue Corn released a beer as monstrous as this big, dark, malty Imperial Red Ale, and so I sat down with brewer James Warren to taste his beer and talk to him about releasing such a creature upon New Mexico. Actually, I sat down with him the first day it went on tap and then also a week later. As I’m writing this, I’m trying it for a third time. When it comes to beer, we in the Dark Side like to be very thorough. Or, maybe I’m just under its spell.

NMDSBC: So tell me about your new beer, the Midnight Red.

Warren: Well, the malt on it is just two malts. It’s Two-Row and Patagonia C190. The C190 was kind of a surprise to us when it got delivered. We decided to go with it. It’s been a great malt. Patagonia’s given us a couple other things. It’s been great. And then lots of hops! Mainly Zythos and Amarillo.

NMDSBC: So it’s a big beer. Any complications with this one?

Warren: It went surprisingly easy, which scared me at first. (Laughs)

NMDSBC: There’s always a chance that something might go wrong, especially when you make a big beer like this in a smaller mash tun.

Warren: Oh, absolutely! It’s another one where the mash tun is just kind of hanging open and the side clasps just want to give up, but it went surprisingly well. I mean, it added some time, as always.

NMDSBC: And so this was the first brew you did with your new assistant brewer, right?

Warren: Yeah, Kyle (Yonan, previously of New Mexico Craft Brewing), it was his first specialty beer he got to do with me. And he definitely had a lot of good input on what to do with the dry hop. And he loves hops. And you know me, not an IPA guy.

NMDSBC: You’re a malt man! So, I’ve heard.

Warren: I’ll take any input on hops you want to give me. (laughs)

NMDSBC: I know you’ve brewed a big red before, I’m talking, of course, about the Alpha Reaper. That was huge and monstrous. How does this one compare?

Warren: I think this one is a little more malt-forward. There’s just something you get from fresh hops. It’s just so natural to the other beer. And I’m looking forward to doing the Alpha Reaper again with a whole different set of other hops. It’s gonna be all Columbus this year instead of all Chinook.

NMDSBC: Sounds delicious, but I do love my Chinook … As always, will this beer make it to Albuquerque? Will this beer hit Draft Station soon?

Warren: (Laughs) It will!

* * * * *

From my own tasting notes, the Midnight Red is seductive, voluptuous, and powerful. It’ll come for you in the night. It’s a sweet, boozy kiss with a bite. If I were to liken it to any mythical creature, it’s the winged Succubus of beers, beautiful, bewitching, deadly. You will be in her alluring embrace before you ever have a chance to escape. Resistance is futile. This beer will own your very soul, but you’ll love every minute of it. But make no mistake. This is a red-red ale. Well done James! Save some for GABF. Remember guys and gals, life is a tulip glass, fill it with only the best stuff. That was for Karim, on his birthday.

Cheers!

— Luke