I very rarely get to the west side of town, so after an overnight stay at Route 66 Casino Hotel for my birthday, I made a point to quickly swing by Lava Rock Brewing Company at 2200 Unser Blvd.

The Crew had heard that they are now brewing their own beer on a full-size brewhouse after the first system purchased before opening was rejected by the City of Albuquerque. Therefore, I thought I should pop in on the way to Flix Brewhouse for a birthday movie.

Luckily, head brewer Ram Khalsa happened to be there, working on some equipment. Ram has experience at several local breweries, including La Cumbre. We had a brief chat and I took a couple of pictures to entice our readers.

First off, I just have to note that I would be ecstatic if I lived in the area and finally had two places to hang out for beer in such close proximity — Lava Rock and Growler USA. (No, this location of Growler USA still cannot fill Growlers due to the state laws regarding full liquor licenses, but there are nearly 100 taps, so that is pretty impressive.)

I was able to sample the two house-made beers on tap at the time, Volcan IPA and Seismic Stout. The IPA is on the malty side, which may play well to the area. However, Ram said for the next go-around that he hopes it will be a little less malty, though he added that he doesn’t want it to be overly hoppy, and less dry on the finish. Both beers are highly drinkable and do not suffer from the “watery syndrome” that often occurs in the beginning at new breweries. On deck in the fermenters were a Belgian wit and a blonde, with plans for a hazy IPA soon, Ram said. The goal is to have eight house beers and two-to-four rotating seasonal/specialty offerings.

If you live in the area, I hope you are already a regular. If not, head over and check out Lava Rock. It has a full kitchen with a weekday happy hour, and the patio is open to enjoy the warmer weather. The space looks great, and the two staff members I met were very nice and incredibly welcoming.

Cheers!

— AmyO