It can be rare to be the first to walk into a brewery on the day of its grand opening. Yes, even rare for beer writers. Yet, there I was, walking up to Flock of Moons Brewing at the exact minute co-owner Stefanie Luna opened the door.

Co-owner/brewer Jeff Tomlinson was in the brewery, being interviewed by KOB reporter Tamara Lopez and photographer Adan Rodriguez. The staff were back by the bar, discussing strategy.
When they came to the realization that it was, indeed, opening time, bartender Neil Arnote sprung into action, pouring the first flight of the four house beers on tap.

A woman wandered in from the street, asked Stefanie if they were open, and then came inside. She walked back to the just-opened patio door and took a seat, awaiting the second flight from Neil.

Another customer, one familiar with the Brew Crew as noted by a fist bump stop by the table with a “what’s up, dude?”, headed to the bar. A short conversation followed when he stepped back to take pictures. New Mexico United was the subject. Ah, that’s where I know him from. It’s going to be a hot one Saturday, was our consensus, but we’re still going. Somos Unidos and all that, now with more SPF 50.

Tamara and Adan stopped by, said hello, and took a few more photos. Only the flight made it on TV this time. I hope.

Outside, the constant interchange of cars trying to parallel park continued. It’s a bit of a curved sidewalk outside the brewery. The scraping of tires and hubcaps are common sounds.

A mix of classic rock and blues soon flowed from the speakers. It’s starting to feel like a brewery, though the conversation remains mostly among the staff at this point.

The first brewery rep to visit was Bosque’s Jotham Michnovicz. A polite exchange, and then he was off to the bar for a pint, followed by a tour. The beer community is a strong one.

Oh, yeah, the flight.

• Bandada de Lunas (4.1% ABV, 19 IBU), the New Mexican lager. It’s sweet up front, balanced throughout. The look is crystal clear. The mouthfeel is smooth. There’s a little bit of that dry corn flavor on the back end.
• Waning Crescent (5.6% ABV, 28 IBU), the Vienna lager. It’s a little drier than I expected. That makes it different, and different can be good. It’s not too sweet, just another good, clean lager. The debate over which one for the pint has begun in my head.
• Endor (6.6% ABV, 72 IBU), the West Coast IPA. Hmm, no, says Jeff. It’s not ready for primetime yet. I take a swig. Not bad … wait, there it is. Yeah, I agree, pull it for now. It will be back. With that name, it has to be back.
• Retrograde Rebel (6.9% ABV, 33 IBU), the hazy IPA. The Strata hops, or at least that what’s they seem like, jump right out at you. This is aggressive for a hazy. It has the cloudy look and the requisite mouthfeel. But, it’s not floral or citrus. Jeff informs me that it’s Citra, Amarillo, and Mosaic. The yeast strains may have created that unique flavor.

Jeff and Jotham are still talking in the brewery. Jotham also got to sample the tropical stout that’s in the fermenter. Neil talked up that one, so hopefully I’ll be next.

Things settle down for a moment. Just a moment. Another face familiar to me walks in, followed by one familiar to Jeff.

There’s a moment of peace. Jeff and I talk. He says there’s still a million things to do, but he should just be happy they’re open. Yeah, I’ve heard that many times from many a brewer and brewery owner. It’s all natural, I reply.

Oh, yeah, that tropical stout. I didn’t even have to ask. Jeff goes and pours some. It’s only four days in the tank. Oh, what it will become, if this is where it is now. I look forward to late summer nights with this beer. “After the boys of summer are gone,” echoes over the speakers. Not yet, classic rock. We’ve got a long ways to go.

It’s 1:01 p.m.

Flock of Moons rolls along. Neil brings the first pint. He already guessed which one I wanted. All is well in Burque for another hour, and Flock of Moons is staying open until midnight. Come on down, grab a seat, order a pint, and embrace the weekend.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister