The wind was a tad chilly, but the sun was bright and the beers were dark as the New Mexico Brewers Guild’s annual Stout Invitational returned at Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op in Los Alamos on Saturday afternoon.
A tray of 16 opaque delights greeted the sold-out crowds over three sessions, with a final winner crowned after all the votes were cast. As the headline already spoiled, the winner was a certain host brewery.
Bathtub Row won the 10th annual edition of this celebration of darkness in beer form, marking the first time that the host brewery defended its home turf. The Tub won with 41 votes, besting second-place Thirsty Eye which had 28.
Head brewer Adam Auden was almost, but not quite, speechless after the victory.
“I still I still got some processing to do, I think,” he said. “Yeah, this is, you know like I said earlier, I’ve loved this event since before I even started working at the Tub. It’s always been a special kind of thing for the brewing community, and so, yeah, to be able to to win the award at home is amazing.”
Bathtub Row was No. 10 on the tray but No. 1 in the minds of the many local and statewide stout fans that descended upon Los Alamos. The beer’s official name was Obsidian Ridge Vanilla Double Oatmeal Stout.
“It was kind of based on our oatmeal stout that we do quite frequently,” Auden said. “It was really kind of the idea was for it to be a double version of that. And, I think that combination of like heavy oats, and that vanilla flavoring, really it just works so well together.
“It’s very complementary with the the aroma and the mouthfeel. And, it’s like with all these tasting events you’ve got to have something that stands out an ounce at a time, on a tray of 16, and so it has to be just a little bit silly to really be able to punch through the punch through the competition, right?”
That it all happened on the 10th anniversary of the event made it all the more special.
“This is the 10th Stout Invitational, we’ve been doing it every year since 2016,” Auden said. “You know, we opened in April of 2015 and the only year we skipped was 2021.
“Obviously, the event’s about raising money for the Guild, and we just get excited that people want to come (and) see us up here. And you know, I guess I’m going to have to brew that one again, (and then) maybe some more people come see us.”
The rest of the field is listed below, with the beer number on the tray listed in parentheses.
- Bathtub Row Brewing (10), 41 votes
- Thirsty Eye Brewing (3), 28 votes
- Quarter Celtic Brewpub (2), 15 votes
- Nexus Brewery (12), 14 votes
- Nuckolls Brewing (15), 14 votes
- Ponderosa Brewing (16), 11 votes
- Downshift Brewing (7), 10 votes
- Sidetrack Brewing (1), 10 votes
- Beer Creek Brewing (14), 9 votes
- Canteen Brewhouse (5), 8 votes
- Steel Bender Brewyard (6), 7 votes
- Painted Lady Bed & Brew (9), 6 votes
- Piedra Blanca Brewing (8), 6 votes
- Unhinged Brewing (11), 5 votes
- Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery (13), 5 votes
- Tractor Brewing (4), 4 votes
All in all, it was another smoothly and efficiently run event by the Guild and the Bathtub Row staff. This is one of the finest events on the annual beer calendar and all did a great job once again. Kudos to executive director Ebbie Edmonston and all of her wonderful volunteers.
For the record, the Crew all picked Quarter Celtic (well, we’re not sure what Reid picked, he was here and gone pretty quickly). We liked a stout sans adjuncts, but all agreed that Bathtub Row produced an excellent pasty-esque stout.
Until the darkness compels us to gather again …
Keep supporting local!
— Stoutmeister
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 