Northwest trio of 550 Brewing, 3 Rivers and Lauter Haus are all shining bright

The breweries in Northwest New Mexico, like Lauter Haus in Farmington, are thriving.

A while back, three of us in the Crew agreed to share a quick vacation together, aiming for the breweries in Northwest New Mexico and Southwest Colorado. We did not go so far as to set up any interviews — we really treated it like a vacation — but of course we took some mental notes, kept track of the beers we drank thanks to Untappd (it does still have a use), and took a lot of pictures.

Our day one stops included 550 Brewing in Aztec, and 3 Rivers and Lauter Haus in Farmington. Here are some snippets from each. In my case, I had never been to 550, it had been four years since I visited Lauter Haus, and 11 years (!) since my last trip to 3 Rivers.

550 Brewing

The pizza parlor was our only option since the main taproom was closed, but it was an excellent Plan B.

Just before departing Albuquerque, I spied a post on Facebook saying that the 550 Brewing taproom would be closed for a private party Friday. Thankfully, the 550 Brewing Pizza Parlor on Main Street was still open, so that is where we stopped.

They had a full lineup of 550’s regular beers, plus a full lineup of pizzas and other Italian dishes. We did not partake in the latter, but kinda wished we did. It smelled rather wonderful in there.

Dude, some of the artwork was totally rad.

I ordered the Ginormous, an American stout that checks in at a reasonable 6-percent ABV. Luke and Andrew had both previously visited 550, so they had prepared me for the fact that I might be a little disappointed. They both ordered an IPA (a different one for each), and we all sat down and took a sip and … we liked the beers.

Yeah, as both of them would tell me, 550 has markedly improved since their last visits. I thought the Ginormous was a solid stout, with a good mouthfeel, and a mixed of roasty and chocolate flavors. It is rare these days to find a stout in the summer, and even in the colder months they are often chock-full of adjuncts. Either that, or breweries just skip the regular stouts and just make imperials now.

This was a darn good, adjunct-free, non-imperial stout.

I will not say that Ginormous is on the level of Malpais or Dark & Lusty, but it was a good brew, better than I expected. And, it definitely convinced me that a future visit to try more 550 beers is in order. Hopefully, next time, I will either be hungry for pizza, or the main taproom will be open.

3 Rivers Brewery Block

Arroyo Amber was one of several solid options on tap.

There is really no good explanation for why it has taken me more than a decade to head back to 3 Rivers, where I once stopped for lunch and a flight of beers on the way back from Durango in 2012. I had certainly wanted to go back to this part of New Mexico, but other than a quick day trip to Lauter Haus right after it opened, I had avoided the long trek up Highway 550.

Anyway, we picked 3 Rivers for our second stop since they have a full kitchen, and we would eventually need to eat. There was plentiful free parking just a half-block north of the brewery on Main Street, and we sauntered over and got to pick between the four different spaces that make up the Brewery Block. To start, we went to the Tap and Game Room to get a quick rundown of the beers available.

I started with Natural Born Keller, one of those beer names you cannot pass up. This kellerbier (5% ABV,) was a solid starter, somewhat dry, not too sweet. I followed that up with the even better La Plata Pilsner (4.7% ABV), which was apparently a pale ale in a different life, according to Untappd. I just thought it was a nice, smooth little pilsner, with a mild hop profile, and just the right touch of malty sweet in the middle.

We also snagged a sample pour of Billy the Moose (8.3% ABV), an old-school DIPA that was more malt heavy than overly hoppy. I would probably reclassify it as a hoppy strong ale or barleywine, because otherwise I fear hopheads from Albuquerque might not embrace it as a quality beer, which it was.

The Eatery still has a certain charm to it.

Once we finished our beers in that space, we headed three doors down to the Eatery, where we snagged spots at the bar and got down to filling our bellies with actual food. Both Luke and I went for the build-your-own grilled chicken sandwiches, which were amazing and filling. Andrew enjoyed the Cubano. I went with an Arroyo Amber (5.5% ABV) for my beer, which complimented the food nicely with its mild flavors, but had just enough there to not be drowned out.

Our final stop was at the Brewstillery Lounge, where we could have been like everyone else and ordered a cocktail or perhaps a small pour of one of the spirits. But no, Andrew spotted a can of 2021 Kill the Sun, and we split that between the three of us. It still held up, which was no surprise.

The old brewhouse is still churning out some quality ales and lagers.

Lauter Haus Brewing

We left the car at the hotel and got a rideshare over to Lauter Haus, though technically we could have made it on foot if we had been feeling adventurous (and not so full from dinner). Located on 20th Street, it was nice to be back at this brewery without too much of a time constraint like my last visit.

The cornhole court inside is fantastic, unless you suck at cornhole, which apparently two out of three of us do now.

The crowd was small when we got there, but it eventually filled up. This is definitely where the locals congregate at night. We took advantage of the quieter start, grabbing some beers and “enjoying” a game of cornhole on their indoor court. I say it that way because only Andrew could play worth a damn, while Luke and I looked like a couple of sad first timers.

Anyway, as for the beer, it remains at the same high level as when it opened. I started with Eddie Lives On, an ESB that hit the right notes. American Nightmare, a hoppy, delightful pale ale, was next, helping to wash away the bitter cornhole experience for me and my terrible aim. Seeing as how we did not drive, I grabbed a Sgt. Lauter, which I know is weird to finish with a helles, but I missed it on the rotating video beer board the first couple times around. Seriously, Lauter Haus, let it linger on the beers more, instead of just on the cocktail menu.

The bar area before the big crowd arrived.

We could have jumped on one of the pinball machines, the foosball table, or one of the arcade games, but the crowd filtered in and took their favorite spots. There is still plenty to do at Lauter Haus, and it is still a wonder why no one has attempted to combine a giant adult game room with a brewery in Albuquerque. Not that we are pushing anyone to do so, just suggesting the possibility.

That wrapped up the first night of our trip. We will recap Telluride, the Million Dollar Highway towns, and Durango later this week. A big thanks to the staff at each of 550, 3 Rivers, and Lauter Haus for their hospitality.