A little while back, we got word that Painted Lady was finally starting to brew their own beers. A little bit after that, we got to try a couple of those beers. And finally, Painted Lady announced on social media that the beers were available.

It’s hard to keep a “secret” these days, but it was worth the wait. The Bed and Brew has produced four beers up to this point, with Go Into the Light (Kolsch) and You’ve Got Red on You (Hoppy Red Ale) currently on tap. It appears that The Undead Surround Us (Stout) has run its course, while the first batch of All the Damn Vamires IPA should be ready soon.

“There’s beer her now, we did it,” said owner/brewer Jesse Herron with a wry smile. “We took off the training wheels and we did it.”

We recently caught up with Herron to find out how he selected those four styles to kick things off.

“The first beer I ever made as a home brewer in 2013 was a little milk stout extract kit from Southwest Grape and Grain when Kevin (Davis) owned it at the Candelaria location,” he said. “It came out nice, I bottled it — and if you’re a home brewer and you bottle once then you’re like OK, I’m never doing that again, next time was a keg — but it was going back to that first one. I’m going to do a stout, it was January, still stout season. I built up a recipe for a basic American stout. I put in a little bit of rosemary in the boil, just a little bit because it grows here on the ground. It gave it a little sense of terroir, a little kiss of this place, there’s an essence in there. That came out good.”

As it was essentially a test batch, Herron did not make a full barrel worth.

“I did a half barrel of that,” he said. “I learned I’m not doing any more half (batches). No half measures, to quote Breaking Bad. Because of all the work that goes into it, if you’re going to be in there killing yourself for 8 to 10 hours, fill up as much as you can.”

We did get to try that stout during our visit after the Cask Festival at Sidetrack last month. The rosemary did add a nice touch to what was a flavorful stout with a solid mouthfeel. When it returns, we will certainly be among the first in line.

“After that, I decided it was nearing St. Patrick’s Day, and I want to do a red, but I’m not a fan of Irish reds,” Herron said. “So I wanted to put some hops in there. I drew up a recipe for a hoppy red. It turned out great, people loved it. There’s about 5 gallons left.”

For anyone that was a fan of the classic Marble Red, you will enjoy this version, though it is not a direct clone. More of a brother from another mother, a tad sweeter and less dry.

The next beer on the list, the kolsch, was actually brewed up for a special event, but it did fit the need for a lighter ale/lager on the menu.

“I did a kolsch end of March,” Herron said. “I had a friend, a couple that were getting married, and I told them I would do a wedding beer for them, a bride ale. They’re light beer drinkers, so it seemed like a nice thing for an April wedding. We branded it for the day because she’s a big Taylor Swift fans, so we called it Look What You Made Me Brew. It was a Taylor Swift-inspired kolsch, I guess.”

If the Swifties storm your doors and drink it all up now, Mr. Herron, that’s on you.

“And then, the one I was looking forward to the most, one of my favorite styles was the IPA,” he said. “I wanted it to be the fourth style, so I’d have the learning curve built up a little bit. … I like the Northwest (hops), I love that piney, dank flavor. It has Columbus and Simcoe. It’s got about a pound of hops in there.”

As for what’s next, Herron said Painted Lady has the flexibility to go wherever the wants of its customers might take them. Brewing for the seasons will likely be prominent.

“I think the stout will return later in the season,” he said. “Most people that stay here, they’re not beer geeks, and they’re like oh, I don’t want a dark beer. I probably won’t have a stout on year round. The next one is probably going to be a cream ale or an amber. The hoppy red was great, I want to keep that one going. This whole first year I’m just exploring, stick to the basics first, before we get too crazy with stuff. If the recipe comes out good and people enjoy it, that will stick in the rotation. If not, that will get a different name and different recipe. This first year will be exploring and doing basic stuff. Focus on the core competencies, get good on that, get good on the system.”

We walked over to the building on the west end of the property, which has a secondary bar for special events, as we all as the brewing area tucked into the back. And, by tucked, we mean filling every nook and cranny of a pretty compact area.

“It’s a little 1-barrel system, which I know there’s quite a few breweries that are using one, so we’re not the smallest one, but I guarantee we have the smallest (brewing room) in New Mexico,” Herron said. “It’s real tight in there. Being in there, it’s hot, it’s messy, it’s tight, it’s cramped, but it’s fun, I’m loving it.”

Now, as we have noted before, one does not have to be an overnight guest of Painted Lady to enjoy a pint or two on the property. Whether inside the Ghost Light Saloon, which occupies an old Albuquerque Trolley, or outside on the patio near the brand-new gazebo, “hoppy hour” patrons can mingle alongside those spending the night in a nearby room.

“Everybody is always asking if they have to stay the night to visit, and you’re definitely welcome to, we have a lot of locals who do a staycation,” Herron said. “But, we do have the public happy hour. Our happy hour is pretty much every day, unless there’s a private event like a wedding, from 5:05 to 6 (p.m.). You can just claim a free ticket, it’s like a reservation through Hold My Ticket, so if you go our website, or the Ghost Light Saloon dot com, they can just enter their name and it will send them a ticket so we know to hold their seat.”

The next step in the evolution of “hoppy hour” is the creation of a special new membership for non-overnight guests.

“Not like a mug club, but an actual membership base where in order to be here past 6 o’clock, you have to be a card-carrying member,” Herron said. “We’re calling that Ghost Light Society. We’re going to sell maybe 100 memberships and see how it goes. That will be in the trolley car and on the patio, Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 9 (Thursday and Sunday) and 5 to 10 on Friday and Saturday.

“So you can show up at hoppy hour and you’ve got some locals, you’ve got some visitors, and 6 o’clock it’s all members. I’m hoping that it brings together people in the neighborhood, people looking for something in a little more intimate setting, people interested in the paranormal and supernatural, kind of a forum for that kind of conversation. But, you don’t have to believe in ghosts to come have a beer here.”

Hey, the Crew would be cool having a beer with a spirit or two. A big thanks to Jesse for the quick interview and tour. We will be back to try to the IPA and kolsch, and yeah, you might just see one of us from time to time during the extended Ghost Light Society hours.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister