A couple years after our first story on Painted Lady Bed & Brew, we felt it was definitely time to head back over and check in with owner Jesse Herron to see how things are coming along.

Back when Erin wrote that story, we were still in the final stages of the pandemic lockdown, and the staff was busy trying to convert an old Albuquerque Trolley car into the most unique taproom in town, while the plan to start brewing beers on-site was more hopeful than practical.

I stopped by this week to meet with Herron, and we chatted in the now-finished trolley car taproom, the Ghost Light Saloon, while also taking a tour of the partially finished brewing space in the casita/event space across the patio.

“Since Erin visited, this trolley car, which we’re calling the Ghost Light Saloon, has been open to our overnight guests for Hoppy Hour, which we do every day for them from 5:05 to 6 (p.m.),” Herron said. “So that was a big deal. The trolley car has been sitting here for five years, and just getting it able to have electricity, and to be decorated similar to the rest of the property, and to have heating and cooling, and a floor, and a bar, and draft beer inside, just took a whole lot. That was a big thing we got done this year.”

To call it unique is an understatement. Herron and his team had to essentially transform the car from the floor up, but now it makes for a cozy, funky little space where I think just about anyone could enjoy a pint or two. The available beers are all guest taps for now, but Painted Lady’s own brews should be coming soon.

“Then, right on the five-year anniversary of the bed and brew, which was August 3, I was finally able to receive all the brewing equipment that I purchased through Southwest Grape and Grain,” Herron said, recalling just how long it had been since he first ordered Spike brewhouse and fermenters. “Man, I think I was sitting down with Donavan (Lane) back when Trump was still president and we were talking about the state of things. All of this stuff sat in his conference room for years while we finished putting a floor in the casita, which is where the brewing equipment is going.”

Now that things are coming together, Herron said he felt a bit of a weight lift off his shoulders.

“That was good to be able to have that for year five, to have this trolley car open, which we got done in April,” he said. “And, to have the brewing (equipment) in our possession. It’s still missing a couple things, but it’s right around the corner, which I’ve been telling people for three years now. But now, you can actually see the corner.”

While work continues to finish the brewing area, Painted Lady has started a couple fun new programs, of sorts, to bring in people who want to visit, but not spend the night.

“Now that we’re about to start brewing, we’re trying to find a way to get locals to come here and try the beer without doing a staycation or stay the night,” Herron said. “We have a lot of weddings over here (by the casita), so that’s one way that people can experience the property without booking a room. But, on September 1, just a few days ago, we started slowly opening up this vehicle, the trolley car, to the public. Every Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 we’re starting to do a craft beer and ghost story/historic property tour, called Brews and Boos. Those (tickets) are exclusively on Viator, which is TripAdvisor’s ticketing platform. That’s a way somebody can experience it.

“And then, also, our Hoppy Hour, which has always just been for overnight guests, we now sell a ticketed version. Locals or visitors or somebody not staying the night can show up an hour early, so their time is from 4 to 6, it’s $15, you can get those tickets now through the end of the year on HoldMyTicket or Ghost Light Saloon dot com.”

All right, anyone else thinking that with Halloween coming up, this might be a lot of fun to visit this haunted property? No? Just us? Come on now, admit it, you’re curious.

Ahem, as for the non-guest Hoppy Hour, here is what it entails.

“It gets you your first beer and some snacks as well,” Herron said. “I’ve got some people who have booked that already. It’s cool that you get to experience this property and the trolley car, and eventually you’ll get to experience our beer, as well. We have eight guest beers from the neighborhood on tap, a few cans, a cider, a hard seltzer, a good variety. No one is going to be disappointed that we don’t have our own beer yet, with the variety of options that we have. It’s a cool spot to drink a beer, it’s funky. We have our little niche. It’s a fun little property, for sure.”

Now that these sorts of things are in place to bring in customers besides just overnight guests, Herron said that most visitors have a new question for him at the top of their minds:

What are you going to brew first, Jesse?

“It’s a great question, and it’s what everyone has asked me,” he replied. “I’ve had plenty of time to think about it, and I still don’t really have an answer. We have eight taps in here and eight taps in the casita behind us, which is where we primarily do our serving for weddings and bigger events. Two to four taps I want to use for our own beer.

“I definitely want to do an IPA. I want to be competing in the New Mexico IPA Challenge in the future, which I think would be so cool to be in that group of breweries. You’re probably right, we’re not going to do any lagers. Maybe something similar to a kolsch, which would be cool, a brown ale and a stout in the winter. Just basic stuff for now until we find our footing. Eventually I’d like to do a bunch of one-offs and be able to enter that in the Beer Premier event every October, just funky stuff so that people who are following this property see a new beer and want to come in. I like scanning and seeing what you guys are posting, what local breweries are posting about new stuff. I want to get creative with it, as well.”

One area where other breweries can sometimes struggle, coming up with creative names for the beers, is not an area where Herron expects to be an issue.

“I think I have (all) the beer names, I’ve got a whole list,” he said. “We’re good on that. That was fun, they’re all ghost-y or Albuquerque related or (brothel) related. It’s so cool to have that kind of theme, that’s what we’ve embraced, the ghosts and the trolley.”

For those who have not had the chance to at least drive by, Painted Lady is located at 1100 Bellamah Ave NW, just east of 12th Street. There is no huge sign or anything like that, and in some ways, that has always been to the bed and brew’s advantage, Herron said.

“It’s interesting, because we’ve never really been open to the public where you can just walk in and visit,” he said. “That’s something I’m working on now. People find us. We’ve got 200 five-star reviews on Google, which has been amazing. Word of mouth has been great for us. The visitors are finding it, and it’s not as important as having a visible storefront for locals or visitors.

“I do hear a lot of people talk, we’re right off 12th Street and you can see the trolley car as you drive by, (so) a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, that’s what that is.’ We don’t really have a sign on the building. It feels kind of speakeasy-ish, kind of underground and cool. I don’t know if it works to our advantage or not, but it also keeps people from showing up and then us turning them away, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

As far as we are concerned in the Crew, sometimes the best places to visit are the ones that are downright anonymous on the outside.

A big thanks to Jesse for the interview and the tour. We highly recommend everyone check out one or more of Hoppy Hour, Brews and Boos, or even book a staycation at Painted Lady. Enjoy a little bit of (spooky) history with your local beer.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister