Turtle Mountain North nearly ready for its grand debut in Enchanted Hills

The nearly finished taproom is looking rather swanky.

The penultimate New Mexico Brewers Guild Social of the year took place Tuesday night in a unique spot, as those of us in attendance got a first look (or in my case, a second look) at the forthcoming Turtle Mountain North in Enchanted Hills at the far end of Rio Rancho.

Owner Nico Ortiz said the goal is to open this month, though no exact date has been set in stone. The taproom is located at 7835 Enchanted Hills Blvd., which is one red light south of the intersection of Highways 528 and 550 (and yes, it does appear that they have finished construction on the infamous 550 bridge).

Our last visit saw what amounted to the skeleton of the taproom being built, so to say that these photos will look quite a bit different might be an understatement.

The main dining area. Note the old pallets that will help with dampening sound.

Looking around the bar to the west side of the dining area.

The coasters underneath the bar top are almost a beer history lesson in their own right.

The small stage area should feature live music on the weekends.

The open kitchen is in the final stages of assembly. Those pizzas are from the original location.

The wood-fire pizza oven is just waiting to be fired up.

Owner Nico Ortiz, left, is already entertaining visitors with tales of beer days gone by.

The customized floor drain covers are a nice touch.

Teaser shot of the menu. Everything in blue is new and not currently available at the original location.

All of us in the Crew are ready for the new Turtle Mountain to open. How about the rest of you?

A big thanks to Nico for hosting all of us, and for head brewer David Pacheco for bringing up four of his finest beers for us to enjoy (Get Bock Outside was delightful).

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister