The Socorro craft beer scene now includes Baca House alongside the Capitol Bar

The newest brewery in Socorro is open for business in a familiar spot.

It was only about two years ago when I visited the newly christened Capitol Bar and Brewery in Socorro. Their first two beers had just been tapped, and they were in a celebratory mood bringing locally brewed craft back to their town.

Fast forward to last week, and the Cap, as locals call it, is now the veteran of the growing Socorro craft beer scene. Not only is Box Canyon Brewing open right around the corner, but Baca House Brewery is open just to the north at 115 Abeyta Ave.

Always important to know the days and hours of operation at a new brewery.

After spending some time at Box Canyon with its co-owner/brewer David Chavez, we walked over to Baca House to take a look inside the historic building that previously hosted the first Socorro Springs Brewery and later Twisted Chile Brewing.

Baca House brewer David Chambellan was there to greet us, providing me with a sampling flight and chatting when he could. None of his servers were there yet, so he had to handle any other customers who arrived.

Seriously, we never knew there was a whole courtyard back there.

Chavez and I headed out to the patio, which I never even knew existed back in the Twisted Chile days. It is a truly lovely patio, reminiscent of a classic colonial hacienda. The building itself provides the shade, though there are umbrellas at all the tables.

I got down to tasting the beers that Chambellan and his fellow brewer Carlos Resendiz, who was out of town at the time of our visit, had created. The duo had met at the Central New Mexico Community College brewing program, and through their instructor, former Sidetrack head brewer David Kimbell, had been introduced to the property owner at what is now Baca House.

Three out of four on this flight were pretty good.

There five total beers on tap; I skipped the amber with the intent of going back to try it later, only to think better of it since I had already had a pint and some samples at Box Canyon, and still had to stop at the Cap, and then had to drive home.

Anyway, the four I tried were the TechniKolsch, IDK Lite Lager, IDK Dark Lager, and Elfego IPA. The kolsch and lite lager were both smooth, with no off flavors, mild sweetness, and a clean finish. The IPA was fairly standard for small-town New Mexico, with just enough of an old-school hop bite, mild aroma, and nothing that would overpower the taste buds. The dark lager was the only disappointment, with some definite butterscotch flavor that comes from diacetyl. I informed Chambellan, and he said that lager is still a work in progress.

Well, heck, all the beers are probably a work in progress, since they had only quietly opened a short time before my visit. There is definite potential in Baca House, and I look forward to going back and having a more formal sit-down interview with Chambellan and Resendiz. I will just insist that we do it on the patio, because man, that is one awesome feature that they really, really need to highlight to both locals and travelers.

As for the Cap, I headed over there by myself, but ran into their brewer, Forrest Utz. We grabbed seats at the bar of the historic landmark, which has been part of Socorro for more than 100 years now. As noted above, brewing only commenced about two years ago, with the Amos (Brown) Ale and Jailbreak IPA the first two on tap. I was impressed by the former, but like so many other brand-new breweries, the IPA was a bit rough around the edges. Utz said he has been working on Jailbreak for a while now.

The Cap has only been brewing for two years, but it’s already the oldest brewery in town.

Naturally, then, I did not order that, instead going with the Kerker Kolsch. I was quite impressed by the flavorful simplicity of that beer. The clarity was exceptional, the flavor did not veer toward being overly sweet, and in the end it hit the spot as the finale of my trip on a hot and windy day.

Utz said that overall, business has been good, with locals and tourists alike ordering plenty of pints of the beers brewed on site, back in the former jail that Judge Amos Brown installed back in the early 20th century when he owned the Cap. The Jailbreak and the Ladrones (Mexican) Lager have been the two best sellers, which comes as absolutely no surprise.

Talking with Utz, it reminded me of the conversation that Luke and I had with the owners of Lost Hiker and Downshift in Ruidoso. All of them shared that the tourists tend to stick to lighter lagers and hop-forward beers, while the locals just tend to show up and ask “what’s new?”

The Kerker Kolsch was a solid choice. I almost finished it before taking the picture.

Time was growing short, and Utz needed to wrap up for the day, so I bid him farewell with the promise to come back and talk more in depth about life at the Cap and Socorro’s growing beer scene.

Once again, if you have the hankering to get out of Albuquerque for a day trip to explore some of the other breweries our state has to offer, I highly recommend the 80-mile jaunt south on I-25 to Socorro. There are three breweries to choose from, each with their charming little quirks, all run by good beer people who would be happy to pour you a pint and maybe even spin a story or two.

A big thanks to David, and David, and Forrest. We’ll see you all again sooner than later.

Keep supporting local statewide!

— Stoutmeister