Posts Tagged ‘Flix Brewhouse’

New Mexico breweries bring home 9 more competition medals

Posted: January 31, 2018 by cjax33 in Events, News
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Four New Mexico breweries claimed nine medals at this annual event.

Another beer competition, another positive showing for New Mexico. Four local breweries claimed nine medals total at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in Bend, Oregon, this week.

Flix Brewhouse was the big winner with four medals. Luna Rosa claimed gold in the Belgian-Style Witbier category, while Mr. Brownstone also snagged gold in the English-Style Mild Ale or Brown Ale category. (Good luck not having the old Guns ‘n Roses song getting stuck in your head.) Flix also earned silver in Baltic-Style Porter with Darth Malt and a bronze with Rubus Rosa in Belgian-Style Fruit Beer.

Abbey Brewing earned two medals for two of its year-round offerings. Monks’ Ale took bronze in the Belgian-Style Table Beer or Other Belgian-Style Ale category. Monks’ Tripel, a long-time Crew favorite, picked up silver in the Belgian-Style Tripel or Pale Strong Ale category.

Sierra Blanca likewise brought home two medals. Green Chile Cerveza, one of the brewery’s staple offerings for more than a decade, earned gold in the Chili Pepper Beer category. Cherry Wheat, a gold medal winner at GABF, took bronze in the Fruit Wheat Beer category.

Rounding out the list was Tractor, which picked up a bronze for Mustachio Milk Stout in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category.

This is just the first of many brewery competitions set for 2018. The National IPA Challenge will kick off soon enough, and things will not slow down for several months.

Congrats to the winning brewers and we look forward to more awards in the days and weeks to come.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

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The force is strong with Flix Brewhouse after year one

Posted: January 8, 2018 by shawnamarieblog in Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2017-18
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Flix head brewer Will Moorman has made a positive impact in the brew theater’s first full year.

Flix Brewhouse, being a relative newcomer to the New Mexico craft beer scene, has made a major impact on how we consume, and to a degree how we view beer while indulging in one of our most classic of pastimes — going to the movies.

Over the past year, the measure of success on the part of Flix may not necessarily align with traditional brewpubs, but don’t be fooled, head brewer Will Moorman and his team have some exciting plans for their Albuquerque audience. The good news is that he was eager to share those plans with us here at the Dark Side Brew Crew. This entry into our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series will provide some interesting, and fun, insight into the first full year of business, and into the bright future for which they have steadily laid the groundwork.

I was lucky enough to snag an interview with the man behind the beer. After choosing our beers, we retreated back to the brewery to dive into our discussion on Flix Brewhouse’s successes and goals for the upcoming year. I asked Will about some of his highlights over the past year.

“Well, finally having a finished building to brew in was definitely a highlight,” he said. “When we first started brewing, none of these windows were installed. There were three skyjacks in here doing tile, plumbing, and all sorts of crazy stuff. So, coming into a clean brewery every day is something that I do not take for granted!”

The completed structure is certainly a testament to the long thought process and careful creation of the brewhouse, and the supporting structures, namely the ornate fermenters aligned upon the entrance lobby in a eye-catching fashion.

The brewhouse has been humming all year.

The structural changes and completions certainly haven’t been the only highlights over this past year, as Will mentioned when asked about Flix’s performance and achievements.

“We won a couple of awards this year, which was pretty cool,” he said. “We won three bronze medals this year. Our brown ale won bronze at the Best of Craft Beer Awards. We won a bronze for our gose at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition. Then we won another bronze for our (Luna Rosa) witbier at the North American Beer Awards.”

He went on to mention that the witbier also advanced to the medal round at GABF.

“We are going to work towards going for silver this year!” he said.

In 2017. Flix Brewhouse introduced their barrel program.

“We released one beer in our barrel program which was a bourbon barrel-aged Schwarzbier,” Will said. “We released a portion of that during our beer dinner where we showed Strange Brew.”

The remaining portion of this brew was released during the premier of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

“We have some sours that I’m happy with right now, but they need more time,” Will said. “We are being patient with it and giving it the time it needs. The bourbon barrel-aged stuff is kind of along the same lines. We are in no rush.”

There have been plenty of beers in the Flix fermenters this year.

Through all the changes and experiments, Will’s favorite beer remains the Luna Rosa.

“The witbier is a beer that I’m really close to,” he said. “We’ve been making subtle changes here and there, and we have really improved it.”

As if this past year wasn’t exciting enough for Flix and its head brewer, Will got to attend a nationally recognized brewing course last fall in the arts of fermentation.

“In October, I attended the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) course on Brewing and Malting Sciences,” he said.

The MBAA currently publishes many of the leading educational materials for brewers in the US, for our readers reference.

“It was a two-week long course that was the equivalent of taking an entire semester of a 12-credit hour college course on brewing and malting,” Will said. “It was an incredible honor to have won the scholarship. There were people there lecturing that have been brewing for 20-to-30-plus years. I met a lot of amazing brewers, and I learned a lot of cool things that should not only improve the quality of our beer and therefore the profitability of our company.”

With any successful student, the key to making it all come together is simply some experience and first-hand application, but even with that now in hand, Flix Brewhouse takes a more humbler approach. The Flix team expressed an emphasis on continuing education, with Will summing it up neatly: “I know that I’ve still got a lot to learn so that’s where my mind is at.”

This concept also expands into the larger picture for the crew as well.

“As we are a national chain, we are in the process of improving our product and improving the consistency from location to location,” Will said. “Something that I’m really excited to start working on is standardizing processes across the business. We will determine where we can improve.”

Dinner and a beer and a movie has been popular around these parts.

The Crew always loves to hear about brewers getting excited about festivals. Will said that he is excited about participating in as many local festivals and competitions as possible, as well as some regional and national exposure, as well.

“We plan to participate in a lot more festivals this year,” he said. “It gives us a great opportunity to get as much genuine feedback as possible.”

A common but incredibly important theme for most of the breweries we have talked to this year to help push the scope and effectiveness of the brewer to consumer interactions.

With that, we leave you all with a message to you all from Will: “Peace, love, and thank you to everyone in Albuquerque who has helped us at Flix Brewhouse make this happen over the last year. We definitely would not be where we are without the help of every brewer that we’ve met and every customer that we’ve satisfied. So thank you all!”

We wholeheartedly applaud and raise a glass.

Cheers!

— Shawna

The Week Ahead in Beer: The force is with Flix Brewhouse

Posted: December 13, 2017 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

One of the more frequent questions the Crew receives is some variant of “is your name related to Star Wars?” It’s more of a we-wear-black-clothing and listen-to-metal thing, plus we all love stouts and porters, but yeah, we’re Star Wars fans, too. Just in case anyone has been living off the grid, The Last Jedi is premiering this week, so Flix Brewhouse is jumping in on the tie-in fun with a series of Star Wars-themed beers. First up with the early showings Thursday is Darth Malt, a Baltic porter. After that, the Schwarz Side, a bourbon-barrel-aged schwarzbier, debuts Friday. Then comes Saturday, when the kids are out of school for winter break, parents will need a pint or two, so Hoplo Ren (Black IPA) goes on tap. Finally, Sunday will it up with Tart Wars, a gose. Take note, the Schwarz Side and Tart Wars are small-batch beers, so they will not be on tap for long.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Ale Republic brings back Tokyo Black, while also adding Eagle Claw, a farmhouse pale ale. Bosque goes lighter with Beermosa, with Shuck if I Know Oyster Stout due out later this week. Boxing Bear has moved Oso Otono to the nitro tap, plus the barrel-aged version of Standing 8 Stout debuts on tap and in bombers this Saturday. Canteen already has its passionfruit Belgian sour, Whirling Dervish, on tap, and more beers are due out Friday in the form of Panama Jose, Hop Baller IPA, and Social Capital with dark cherries aged on French oak. Dialogue has a slew of newbies on tap with Blood Orange Berliner Weisse, Strawberry Berliner Weisse, Idiot Sauvin, and Belgian Cherry Wheat. La Cumbre has Big Door Prize due out on tap and in cans Friday, the first in their single-hop, double IPA series release. Marble has Imperial Stout back on tap and for sale in bombers today (Wednesday). Quarter Celtic has a limited supply of barrel-aged Irish Handcuffs (Imperial Stout) on tap and for sale in cans today (Wednesday). Rio Bravo has a new recipe for the porter it barrel-aged and put on tap, while Marzen replaces Oktoberfest. Tractor kicks it up a notch with Spiced Cider and Imma Pale Ale, the latter made in collaboration with Immastar Productions.

Up in Santa Fe, Duel has Grunewald back on tap and in bottles this Friday. Out in Moriarty, Sierra Blanca is feeling festive with Cranberry Sour.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of December 11.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Ale Republic — (505) 281-2828

(Mon–Thurs 2–10 p.m., Fri–Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Brune, Blonde, Strong Dark and Handsome, Eagle Claw, Tokyo Black, Single and Ready to Mingle. The most recent additions are the Tokyo Black (5.5% ABV, 24 IBU), an ale made with black tea, and Eagle Claw (4.8% ABV, 41 IBU), a farmhouse pale ale.

Alien Brew Pub — (505) 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Call the number above for details on any small-batch beers currently available. They change frequently. The rest of the lineup is from the Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande family of beers.

Bistronomy B2B — (505) 262-2222

(Mon–Tues 4-9 p.m., Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-9:30 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

The Blue Grasshopper — (505) 896-8579

(Noon to 11 p.m. most days, call for more info)

Beers: El Jeffe Hefeweizen, Friars Belgian-Style Single, June Bock German Lager. Rejoice, for Blue Grasshopper is brewing again! The Friars and June Bock are the more recent additions.

Live Music: Bands perform from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Click the link for the schedule.

Boese Brothers Brewery — (505) 382-7060

(Hours: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–midnight, Fri 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Sat noon–2 a.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: La Onza White Ale, Dr. Strangehop XPA, Duke City Lager, Washington’s Hatchet, Grapefruit Pale Ale, Oktoberfest, Sour Strangehop, Double Dead Red. The Double Dead Red returned recently, so enjoy it while it’s still fresh.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Boese will have a happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $3 pints. You can also get $3 pints all day Tuesday and $6 growler fills all day Wednesday.

Bombs Away Beer Company — (505) 554-3204

(Hours: Mon–Fri 2 p.m.–close, Sat–Sun noon–close)

Beers: Short Fuse Blonde Ale, BABC IPA, Willie Pete Wit, Low Order Porter, High Speed Low Drag Lager, Wild Card Spiced Ale, Brisance Bitter, Bag Drag BPA, Arsenal English Amber, Proximity Pilsner, MKDeuce Pale Ale, Primer Pub Ale, Actuator IPA, Stockpile Stout, Phil’s Incendiary IPA, Long Delay RyePA. The Phil’s Incendiary IPA was brewed up for a great cause, so head over to try it soon. Stockpile is a nice, robust beer that is perfect for the season. Long Delay is the most recent addition.

Bosque Brewing Company — (505) 750-7596 (main brewery), (505) 508-5967 (Nob Hill Public House), (575) 571-4626 (Las Cruces Taproom)

(Main brewery on San Mateo: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-8 p.m.; Nob Hill: Mon–Weds 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun noon-11 p.m.; Las Cruces: Sun–Thurs noon-11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: Pale Ryder, Olde Bosky Porter, Driftwood Oatmeal Stout, Barrel-Aged Double Sunshine Stout, Fresh Start Breakfast Ale, Open Space Haze: 41 South, Beermosa. Fresh Start Breakfast Ale, a delightfully delicious stout brewed with coffee and maple syrup, will see a portion of its proceeds go to charity. The Sunshine is also for sale in bombers. Beermosa is the most recent addition, but Shuck if I Know Oyster Stout will be on tap soon.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — (505) 247-9800

(Mon-Weds 3–10 p.m., Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri-Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Sun Dagger (Saison), True Aim (Scotch Ale), Hoka Hey (IPA), Jemez Field Notes Lager, Wayward Arrow Hefeweizen, Cosmic Arrow Brett Saison, Hoodoo Monster Imperial Red, Way Out West Sour Sumac, Black Chandelier (Belgo Stout), Desert Dynamo IPL, Fast Luck Dry-Hopped Pale Ale, Wolf Eyes (Oktoberfest), Nomadico IPA, Visionland Amber Ale, Sweetfetti Weizenbock, Thirsty Land: Foraged Series (Grisette), Coyote Waits (Barrel-Aged Imperial Mole Stout), Savage Times Sour IPA. The most recent additions to the lineup are the Savage Times, Coyote Waits, Thirsty Land, Sweetfetti, and Visionland. The sheer variety of styles on tap is quite impressive.

Events: Thursday—Holiday Pop-Up & Food Drive, 4 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bow & Arrow has happy hour every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Get $1 off pints.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — (505) 897-2327

(Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.)

Beers: Crystal Kolsch, Oso Otono, Scotch Rocket, Iron Lung Smoked Porter, Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout, Bulldog English IPA, Simcoe SMASH. The most recent additions are the Scotch Rocket, Bulldog, Simcoe, Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout, and Iron Lung. Oso Otono is also on the nitro tap. A barrel-aged version of Standing 8 Stout debuts Saturday on tap and in bombers at the brewery and at Jubilation.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Every day at lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for just $10 you can get a pint and a panini of your choice.

Broken Trail Brewery & Distillery — (505) 221-6281

(Mon-Thu 3-9 p.m., Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Pepe the Mule, Trailworks IPA, Dogtoberfest. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. Dogtoberfest is the most recent addition.

Canteen Brewhouse — (505) 881-2737 (brewery), (505) 200-2344 (taproom)

(Brewery: Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight; Taproom: Open daily 3–10 p.m.)

Beers: Exodus IPA, Panama Joe Coffee Stout, Oompa Lupulin DIPA, Falconer’s Arm Pale Ale, Pop’s Pre-Prohibition Lager, Whirling Dervish. The Dervish is a passionfruit Belgian sour. Three more beers debut Friday with Panama Jose replacing Panama Joe, Hop Baller IPA replacing Oompa Lupulin, and a special batch of Social Capital with dark cherries aged on French oak replacing the Falconer’s Arm.

Live Music (Brewery): Thursday—The Beloved, 6-9 p.m.; Sunday—David Berkeley Trio, 4-7 p.m.

Live Music (Taproom): Saturday—Julian Dossett Trio, 5-8 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — (505) 994-9364

(Open daily 8 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Papacabra (Double IPA), Acapulco Gold (Mexican Lager), Chupacabra IPA, Piedra del Fuego Stoned Cream Ale, Beer for My Horses (Oatmeal Stout). These are the regular house beers. Call the number above for an updated seasonal list.

Dialogue Brewing — (505) 585-1501

(Open daily noon-midnight)

Beers: Belgian Citrus IPA, Berliner Weisse, Blood Orange Berliner Weisse, Strawberry Berliner Weisse, Sour Raspberry, Idiot Sauvin, Dry Irish Stout, O.D.B., Belgian Cherry Wheat, Porter for Humanity, Amber Ale. The taps have seen a big tap turnover recently with the arrival of two Berliner Weisse variants in the blood orange and strawberry, plus Idiot Sauvin, Porter for Humanity, and Belgian Cherry Wheat.

Events: Friday—We’re a Star December, 5 p.m.; Sunday—Last Chance Holiday Market, noon

Weekly Events: Monday—Service Industry Night, 6 p.m.

Drafty Kilt Brewing — (505) 881-0234

(Sun 11 a.m–10 p.m., Mon 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Tues–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Wee Beastie Scottish Ale, Campbell Toe IPA, Covfefe Hefe, Outlamber Amber. The Outlamber is the most recent addition.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.; Thursday—Blues Jam with the Rudy Boy Experiment, 7-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Flix Brewhouse — (505) 445-8500

(Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight)

Beers: Tart and Soul (Guava Berliner Weisse), Pilsner? I Barley Know’er!, Eater of Worlds Pale Ale, The Agitator Doppelbock, Hazeas Corpus. The most recent addition was the Hazeas Corpus, a New England-style hazy IPA, but four new beers debut this week in conjunction with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi — Darth Malt (Baltic Porter) on Thursday, The Schwarz Side (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Schwarzbier) on Friday, Hoplo Ren (Black IPA) on Saturday, and Tart Wars (Gose) on Sunday.

Hops Brewery — (505) 369-1378

(Sun-Thurs noon-10 p.m., Fri-Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: Dad Joke (California Common), Tipsy Cow (Milk Stout), Warm Scottish Nights, An Irish Tan (English Bitter), Honey Wheat, Chica (Pale Ale), Hop Hill IPA. Hops has started out with these seven beers on tap, but they also have 31 more guest taps, just in case you don’t find one to your liking. The Hop Hill (7.1% ABV, 69 IBU) was the most recent addition.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Open Mic, 7-9 p.m.; Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.

Kaktus Brewing — (505) 379-5072

(Bernalillo hours Mon-Thu 2-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-10 p.m., Sun 11:30-9 p.m.)

Beers: Blondie, Helles Lager, Winter Wheat, ESB, Black IPA, Puddle Stomper IPA, Oatmeal Raisin Stout, St. Paul’s Porter, Cider, DjinnJar Kombucha. The most recent additions include Blondie, Winter Wheat, Black IPA, Puddle Stomper IPA, St. Paul’s Porter, and the delectable Oatmeal Raisin Stout. Look for Imperial Stout soon.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Thursday—The Desert Darlings, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Bernalillo): Sunday—Brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., The Desert Darlings, 6-8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Kaktus has several new weekday specials in Bernalillo, including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

Kellys Brew Pub — (505) 262-2739

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.-10 p.m.)

Beers: (house) Apricot Ale, Blonde, IPA, Lobo Red Ale, Session IPA, Sleeping Dog Stout, 35 N Coffee Porter; (seasonal) German Pilsner, Honey Wheat, Pumpkin Pie Lager, Amber Ale, Capspackler DIPA, Dortmunder. The lineup got a bit of a makeover, with Lobo Red, Sleeping Dog, and the 35 N all joining the regulars. All of the seasonal beers are new as well. Time to take a trip back to Kellys and embrace the new and improved beers.

Live Music: Every Wednesday 6-9 p.m. and Sunday 3-6 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Thursday Pint night $1 off pints.

La Cumbre Brewing — (505) 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Ales for ALS IPA, Noche de Paz, Weize Ass Goat Weizenbock, Blue Collar, Barrel-Aged Malpais on Nitro. Recent additions to the lineup are the BA Malpais on nitro, Weize Ass Goat, and Blue Collar, a London-style porter. This Friday marks the arrival of the first in a series of single-hop double IPAs with Big Door Prize, which will be available on tap and in cans.

Live Music: Saturday—String Dinner, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Loteria (every other week), 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lizard Tail Brewing — (505) 717-1301

(Mon–Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-7 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Lizard Tail’s happy hour runs seven days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. You get $1 off food, flights, and pints.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.; Thursday—Karaoke, 8-11 p.m.

Marble Brewery — (505) 243-2739 (downtown), (505) 508-4638 (Westside), (505) 323-4030 (Heights)

(Downtown: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.; Westside: Mon–Thurs noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.; Heights: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: Barrel-Aged Amber, Dubbel, Cholo Stout, Reserve Ale, Tripel, Cascade IPA, Imperial Red, Horchata Porter, Brown Extra, DIPA Especial, Imperial Stout, Vunderland (Downtown and Westside only), Reserve Ale (Heights and Westside only), Dry Oaked Stout (Heights and Westside only), Golden Ale (Heights and Westside only), Gin Barrel Brett (Westside only), Cereza! Cerveza! (Westside only). There are so, so many beers between the three locations. Don’t feel bad if you can’t get to them all. The Vunderland, a Belgian dark strong, as well as the DIPA Especial and Brown Extra are the most recent additions. This is a fresh new batch of Imperial Red. We cannot recommend the Reserve, Tripel, and Cholo Stout enough. Get some! Oh, and Imperial Stout debuts today (Wednesday) on tap and in bombers at all three locations.

Live Music (Downtown): Music is done for the colder months, but will resume at 111 in the spring!

Live Music (Heights): Friday—Bobcats, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Westside): Friday—Ray Anthony and Powerslyde, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday—El Brujo Trio, 8-11 p.m.

Weekly Events (Downtown): Saturday—Brewery tours, 2 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — (505) 242-4100 (brewery), (505) 226-1055 (Silver Taproom)

(Brewery: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Silver Taproom: Mon–Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Bird of Prey IPA, Belgian Tripel, Dunkelweizen, Equinox, Irish Red, Imperial Pilsner (Silver only), Beam Me Up Scotty (Silver only). The most recent additions are Belgian Tripel, Dunkelweizen, Irish Red, Equinox, and Bird of Prey.

News: Nexus Silver now has food! Rejoice and check out the menu on their main website.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Monday–Friday, $5 appetizers, 3-5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Silver Taproom): Saturday—a live DJ will perform; Sunday—a live band will perform at 2 p.m.

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — (505) 508-0508

(Tues–Sat 3–9 p.m.)

Beers: MWA (Malt With Attitude), Guero (Belgian Wit), Poolside Pale Ale, Cockness Monster (Scotch Ale), Switch Stance Stout. Palmer shares a building with Left Turn Distilling on Girard south of Candelaria. This batch of Cockness Monster is fresh and tasty.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — (505) 639-5941

(Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: Imperial Red, Topaz Pale Ale, Red Chile Chocolate Porter, Dry-Hopped Saison, Amber Ale. The new Topaz Pale Ale is the latest in a series of single-hop beers. The most recent additions are the Amber Ale, Imperial Red, and Red Chile Chocolate Porter.

News: You can now find India Pale Lager 2.0 for sale in cans, at the brewery and at local liquor stores, including Total Wine, Bird of Paradise, Jubilation, Kelly’s, and Quarters!

Quarter Celtic Brewpub — (505) 503-1387

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Beers: S’More Than a Beer, Imperial Clark, Baltic Bollocks, Come to the Dort Side, SMASH Comet Session IPA. QC has brewed up a delicious monster in the Baltic Bollocks Porter. The Imperial Clark is not for the faint of heart. S’More Than a Beer was made with graham crackers, lactose, and chocolate.

Red Door Brewing — (505) 633-6675 (brewery), (505) 990-3029 (downtown taproom)

(Brewery hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Downtown taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Wyoming taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Imperial Red IPA, Plum Gose, Oktoberfest, WyPA, White AF IPA (downtown only). The Imperial Red IPA was the first in a series of beers to celebrate Red Door’s recent anniversary. The Plum Gose was second and Oktoberfest was third.

Live Music (Brewery): Today (Wednesday)—Sloan Armitage, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Brewery): Monday—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Taproom): Today (Wednesday)—Paint it Black Open Mic Comedy, 7-9 p.m.; Thursday—Art at the Bar, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday—Parents’ Day Out, noon-3 p.m.; Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7-9 p.m.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company — (505) 900-3909

(Mon noon–10 p.m., Tues–Thu noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–1 a.m., Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Rio Bravo Amber, Weizen, Randy’s Shandy, Dirty Rotten Bastard IPA, Snakebite IPA, Roadkill Red Ale, La Luz Lager, Old Town Porter (regular and barrel-aged), Vanilla Porter, NM Pinon Coffee Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Barrel-aged Belgian Strong Golden, Level 3 IPA, Imperial Russian Stout (regular and barrel-aged), Lemongrass Wit, Peach Gose, Cherry Sour, Kolsch, Hibiscus Mojito, Penguin Lager, Belgian Blonde, Cherry Wheat, Belgo IPA, Pink Boots Pale Ale, Marzen, Grapefruit Launcher IPA, Schwarzbier, Rubus Ruckus, Barleywine, Cherry Wheat Cuvee, Christmas Cascade Pale Ale. A portion of the Penguin Lager proceeds are going to the new exhibit at the ABQ Bio Park. There are now three barrel-aged beers on tap in the Porter (new recipe!), RIS, and Belgian Strong. The Cherry Wheat Cuvee is a barrel-aged blend of Cherry Wheat and Barleywine.

Live Music: Today (Wednesday)—Buddhafunk, 6-8 p.m.; Thursday—Sloan Armitage, 6-8 p.m.; Friday—Aaron Markland (acoustic set), 7-9 p.m.; Saturday—Let it Grow Trio, 7-10 p.m.

Events: Saturday—Shop ‘n Suds Market, 1-5 p.m.

Weekly Events: Friday—Headliners Comedy presents Friday Night Fools ($5 cover, event only), 9:30 p.m.; Sunday—Pints & Planks with Yoga Zo

Happy Hour/Discounts: Happy hour Monday-Friday, 2-6 p.m., $1 off pints

Sidetrack Brewing — (505) 832-7183

(Mon–Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri 3 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: CO-MO IPA, 3:10 to Belen Brown Ale, Railhead Red, Dark Engine Stout, 2926 Steam Lager, Buzz Bomb. The CO-MO IPA is the most recent addition. Buzz Bomb is a delicious coffee pale ale made in collaboration with the folks next door at Zendo.

Cask: The CO-MO and Railhead are in the firkins.

Starr Brothers Brewing — (505) 492-2752

(Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day)

Beers: Starrstruck IPA, L.A. Woman (Blonde), Red Zepplin, Lampshade Porter, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, Jack Tooth Grin, A Roll in Ze Hay (Hefeweizen), Black Friday (Dark American Lager), Starrgazm IPA, Zombies in the Manger (Biscochito Stout). The most recent additions are Starrgazm and the Zombies in the Manger, which is downright sacrilicious.

Steel Bender Brewyard — (505) 433-3537

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: (house) Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, Sparkfitter Amber, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch, Blue Bullet Stout, The Village Wit; (seasonals/specialties) Figgy Pudding, Plymouth Rock & Rye Saison, Who’s Brett IPA, Ich Bin Ein Cranberry, Brickie American Stout, Compa Lager, Manana Tropical IPA. The most recent additions are the Manana, Compa, Brickie, Ich Bin Ein Cranberry, Who’s Brett, Figgy Pudding, and Plymouth Rock & Rye Saison. This Saturday’s edition of the 4 Casks of Christmas is Chocolate Orange Brickie.

The 377 Brewery — (505) 934-0795

(Open noon-11 p.m. most days)

Beers: (house) 377 IPA, Dieterhosen Hefe, El CuCuy (DIPA), Fat Brown Guy (Porter), Red Horse NM Lager, Schwarzbier, Berliner Weisse, Naked Ale (Pale); (seasonals) Loonies Lime Saison, Short Wee Heavy, Milk Stout, Peach Wheat, Kolsch, Scottish Ale, Say Juan Saison, Barrel-Aged Tart Cherry Milk Stout, Skin Walker Triple IPA. A most excellent update from the folks at The 377 features four new additions to the seasonal list with Loonies, Short Wee Heavy, Skin Walker, and the BA Tart Cherry Milk Stout. It’s quite the variety, isn’t it?

Weekly Events: Sunday—Open Mic/Jam Session, 5 p.m.

Tractor Brewing Company — (505) 433-5654 (Nob Hill), (505) 243-6752 (Wells Park), (505) 243-6752 (Four Hills)

(Nob Hill: Sun–Weds noon–midnight, Thurs noon–2 a.m., Fri–Sat noon–2 a.m.; Wells Park: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–close, Fri–Sun 1 p.m.–midnight; Four Hills: Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m.)

Beers: Javi Lager, Three-Two Amber, 2016 Stein Wine, Cranberry Ginger Cider, Plum Spice Berliner Weisse, Desert Dweller DIPA, Barrel-Aged Leche de Luna, Imma Pale Ale, Spiced Cider, Nitro Cowboy Coffee (Wells Park only), Turkey Drool (Nob Hill and Four Hills only), Chocolate Milk Stout (Four Hills only), Jack the Sipper (Four Hills only), Belgo American Pale Ale (Four Hills only), Flanders Red Ale (Four Hills only), Cascara Cider (Four Hills only). Recent additions to the lineup are the Imma Pale Ale, made in collaboration with Immastar Productions, and the Spiced Cider, as well as the Desert Dweller and an archived supply of 2016 Stein Wine. Barrel-Aged Leche de Luna is an imperial chocolate milk stout with a serious kick.

News: Do not fret, Berry Cider is still on tap, but since it is now a year-round offering, we will no longer be listing it with the seasonal/specialty brews and ciders here.

Live Music (Wells Park): Thursday—Julian Dossett Trio, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Live Jukebox, 8 p.m.

Live Music (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Todd Tijerina, 8:30 p.m.; Friday—Screen Door Slammers and Jimmy Deveney, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Still Closed for Repairs, 5 p.m.

Live Music (Four Hills): Saturday—Nathan Fox, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Wells Park): Tuesday—Kamikaze Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Writing Wednesdays, 5 p.m.; Monday—Tractor Tune Up, 7:30 p.m.

Weekly Events (Four Hills): Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — (505) 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Tues 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Wed–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Reminder: TMBC closes early when business dictates. Please call.)

Beers: Lil’ Shelly (Pale Ale), Cosmic Yum Yum, Can’t Catch Me Copper Lager, Arsenal Porter, Pour les Abeilles, Capspackler Imperial IPA, Depravity Barleywine. An archived keg of Depravity has been tapped for a limited time. The Capspackler (9.5% ABV, 125+ IBU) and Arsenal Porter are the two most recent additions.

Cask: Tuesday—TBA

Santa Fe breweries

Blue Corn Brewery — (505) 438-1800

(Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Farmhouse Funkalicious, La Santa Oscura, Ginger Braggot, Conspirator Doppelbock. The La Santa Oscura is a holiday spiced dark lager. The Funkalicious is the most recent addition.

Chili Line Brewing — (505) 500-7903

(Mon–Sat 4–11 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: El Jefe (Rauchweizen), Antonio Bandito (Dunkelweizen), Llorona Lager, La Bamba (Rauchbier), Stara Baba (Oak Smoked Polish Gratzer), Jacona Stout, P.G. (Pinche Guey) IPA. The Jacona and P.G. are the most recent additions.

Live Music: Every night at 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Reverse happy hour after 9 p.m. includes $1 off pints, $6 appetizers, $10 entrees and pizzas.

Duel Brewing Company — (505) 474-5301

(Brewery: Mon–Sat open at 11 a.m., Sun open at 1 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sun noon–midnight)

Beers: Bad Amber, Marcel, Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Duchamp (Sour Wit), Cezanne Magnifique, HMWWA FIACFW, Cezanne Verite, Fiction (IPA), Lourd of Funk, Titian, Dark Ryder. This batch of Cezanne Verite is barrel aged and it is also for sale in bombers. The Titian and Dark Ryder are the most recent additions, available on tap and in bombers. Grunewald (Imperial Porter) will return on tap and in bombers this Friday.

Live Music (ABQ taproom): Friday—Ceekay Jones, 9 p.m.; Saturday—Feliz Navidad Concert with Buddhafunk and James Whiton, 9 p.m.

Weekly Events (ABQ taproom): Tuesday—Bike-In Brew, 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 4-6 p.m. (discounts for all draft beer), Growler Saturdays ($3 off growler fills).

Happy Hour/Discounts (ABQ taproom): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 5-7 p.m.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — (505) 428-0719

(Open all week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Fields of Rye, Saison du Sarlacc, Agent Scully – Season One, Episode Four (IPA), Germophile (Berliner Weisse), Fruhschoppen (Hefeweizen), Little White Lies (Belgian Blonde), Conduit (Belgian IPA), Bosco P. Coltrane (Chocolate Brown). The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Episode 4 is the most recent iteration. The Coltrane is the most recent addition to the lineup.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — (505) 424-3333

(Main taproom: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 2-8 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Adobe Igloo, Hipster Union IPA, Oktoberfest, Bobcat Dynamite (Kolsch), Wet Hop Pale Ale (ECS). With the colder weather almost upon us, Adobe Igloo makes its annual return. Hipster Union is also back, while Bobcat Dynamite is the most recent addition.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Second Street Brewery — (505) 989-3278 (Railyard), (505) 982-3030 (original location)

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Cream Stout, Pecos Porter, Cherry Wood Smoked Imperial Porter, ESB, Rufina Amber, Summer Rain Sour, Boneshaker Bitter, Pivotal IPA. The most recent additions are the Pecos Porter and the Cherry Wood Smoked Imperial Porter.

Live Music (Original location): Friday—Mystic Lizard, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—Swing Soleil, 6-9 p.m.

Live Music (Railyard): Friday—Kodama Trio, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—The Busy McCarroll Band, 6-9 p.m.

Live Music (Rufina): Today (Wednesday)—K.Dutch, The Outstanding Citizens Collective, DJ Cap, 7:30-11:30 p.m.

Events (Original location): Thursday—Cask n’ Curry, all day

Weekly Events (Railyard): Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — (505) 500-8381

(Mon–Weds 2–10 p.m., Thurs 2–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Kutthroat Kolsch, Kaboom Quad, Wit Rock, Catherine’s Historical Stout, Little Bird Blonde, Anderson Amber. Well, look at that, an updated beer list for BRB. The Wit Rock and Little Bird are old favorites, the rest are more recent recipes.

Sierra Blanca Brewing — (505) 832-2337

(Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri –Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Beers: Cranberry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat, Single Hop IPA, Whiskey Stout. The Whiskey Stout is the most recent addition. The Cranberry Sour is the most recent addition. Oktoberfest is now available on tap. Cherry Wheat is available in bottles and won a gold medal at GABF this year.

Live Music: Friday—Sloan Armitage, 6 p.m.

* * * *

That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Random thoughts on the 10th annual Hopfest

Posted: August 29, 2017 by cjax33 in Hopfest 2017
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Another Hopfest is in the books.

Yeah, this story should have run Monday, but Sunday featured soccer in the morning, work in the afternoon, and Isotopes coverage in the evening. Anyway, just figured the Crew could share a few of our thoughts on the latest edition of Hopfest, which was held back on Saturday at Isleta Casino.

Wherefore art thou, 377?

One of the weird little moments was the fact that The 377 Brewery had a space reserved but never showed up. No word was ever given as to why. That, plus the sudden closing of Chama River, left one corner of the main room somewhat barren. They were supposed to be right next to each other. (Before anyone panics, The 377 is still open and doing fine, by all accounts.)

A little light on the crowd

One thing that was quickly apparent was a visible drop in attendance. Two mitigating factors could have been all the people who were elsewhere, preparing for the Mayweather-McGregor fight, or more likely all the folks on the West Side of ABQ preferred to attend Summerfest in their backyard. Of course, with fewer people, things seemed to go much smoother. Most importantly, the bathroom lines were short if not non-existent. That alone is a victory.

NM weather is not your friend

The side room that used to host a lot of breweries was instead reserved for the Dukes of Ale and the NM Brewers Guild Educational Pavilion, which meant a lot of breweries had to go outside beyond the patio. Many of these were local breweries, which meant they had to endure a fair amount of wind, plenty of heat, and even some rain. It would not be the late summer in New Mexico without some wacky weather (as I type this on Monday, the Isotopes are in a rain delay, which means I may be filing this from the ballpark at some point in the weird hours).

As Crew member Shawna put it best: “Hopfest was a lot of fun! (But) it was disappointing to see so many local breweries outside. The outdoor situation seemed like a hot mess (literally).”

Hail to the Dukes

Franz Solo’s next project is to assemble a kit like this one.

AmyO got to hang out over at the Dukes of Ale display, which included the ultimate homebrew setup (pictured). She added this: “Really liked getting in to that first room early just before extra hoppy (hour) and having the Dukes of Ale over there. I enjoyed that coconut, etc., vanilla, etc., etc. beer, but there was a little too much going on — so much so I can’t even remember the name(s) of what was in there.” She also enjoyed the doppelbock, but one of her friends liked the IPA better than she did.

Shawna chimed in: “I really loved the Dukes of Ale setup. My favorite was the dopplebock.”

Our picks for best beers of the fest

I will let the ladies go first.

AmyO: “You know my favorite beer was that imperial red (Ol’ Lassy) from Enchanted Circle. My second favorite was, strangely, Lava Rock’s Hefeweizen. Now, one reason might be just plain uniqueness when you kind of get fatigued from the same old beers sometimes. I thought the Blueberry Stout at Ponderosa was nice, and not too overpowering on the blueberry.”

Shawna: “Bow and Arrow had a very good IPA (Hazillionaire). I also enjoyed Ponderosa’s Blueberry Stout! I’m proud to see Antonio (Fernandez) making so much progress! Oddly enough, considering I lean towards darker beers, I kept going back to Flix Brewhouse’s So It Gose. That was a very well rounded gose, not too sour or too sweet.”

As for me, I kept the sampling to a minimum since I had to give a seminar on the history of brewing (yes, shameless book promotion moment). The top six that I tried were:

  • Bathtub Row Krosscut Kolsch: If there was a perfect beer for the scorching temps outside, it was this one. Wonderfully sweet and refreshing. If they canned or bottled this and shipped it down to ABQ, I would buy it every summer.
  • Bow & Arrow Hoodoo Monster Imperial Red: Fairly tasty red, without the hop kick of Marble’s Imperial Red. Both sweet and yet dry. Overall, solid.
  • Bow & Arrow Desert Dynamo IPL: Fresh batch was tapped later in the session. Sweet, floral, fairly juicy. I was impressed by the B&A offerings, definitely gotta revisit the brewery as soon as baseball season ends.
  • Duel Oui Lourd: I was initially skeptical, but curious, about a sour Scottish wee heavy. I don’t know if I would drink a full pour, but it was pretty good, and this is coming from a non-sour guy. If nothing else, it was different.
  • Quarter Celtic Bruce (Black IPA): This batch was done in a hazy New England style. Yes, a hazy black IPA. Lots of flavors at play here, with the roasted malts coming through even amid the hops. It was just tapped that morning, so it will be interesting to see how it settles in at the brewpub.
  • Rowley Farmhouse Ales Agent Scully – Season 1, Episode 3: The latest in a series of revolving IPAs from RFA, this one is a sweet, floral delight, with berry/melon flavors. I have no idea what the hop combo was, but man, I hope they use that again.

Apologies to those local breweries that I did not visit. I will make it up to you at your actual location or an off-site taproom.

A special thanks to Marne Gaston (and her mom), John Gozigian, Angelo Orona, and Carlos Contreras.

Even if I didn’t sell many books (people had beers to drink, I understand), it was still a good festival. I only rambled on at the seminar for about 20 minutes, too, which is remarkable considering how long-winded I can get. Anyway, until the next major festival (GABF!), it is back to the regular grind. Let us hope that there will be no additional brewery obits between now and then.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Get your BearFest beer lists here

Posted: June 15, 2017 by cjax33 in BearFest 2017
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The variety in beers is impressive this year!

As most of you should know by now, BearFest returns this Saturday, now at the Albuquerque Convention Center downtown. VIP entry is at 12:30 p.m., general admission is at 2 p.m., and it all runs until 6 p.m. General admission tickets are still available online and VIP tickets are still available at Boxing Bear.

Much like any other beer festival, the biggest question of all remains what brews will be available. Well, 15 of the 20 participating breweries sent us their lists, and if the other six get theirs to us, we will add them here right up until the doors open.

  • Ale Republic: TBA
  • Bathtub Row: TBA
  • Blue Corn: Ginger Braggot, Back to Cali Common, Hella Humulus Collaboration IPA, Imperial Chocolate Porter
  • Bosque: Lager, IPA, Hefe, Driftwood Oatmeal Stout, Blonde Ale, EOP Fruited Wheat Ale, Grasping at Straws Extra Pale Ale, All the Rage IPA
  • Boxing Bear: Body Czech Pilsner, HairyMit Hefe, Ambear Ale, Paw Swipe Pale Ale, Uppercut IPA, Standing 8 Stout, Apple Bear Cider, Chocolate Milk Stout, Blood Orange Pale Ale, Barn Burner Wheat IPA, Guava Gose, New England IPA, plus maybe one more
  • Canteen: High Plains Pils, Exodus IPA, Tuttle IPA, Strawberry Basil Gose
  • Chama River: Kolsch, Maibock, Gose, IPA special
  • Dialogue: Biere de Mars, Berliner Weisse, BC IPA, Sour Rapsberry
  • Flix Brewhouse: TBA
  • La Cumbre: Project Dank IPA, Strwaberry Gose, Elevated IPA, Slice of Hefen, BEER
  • Marble: Double White, Pilsner, Cranberry Gose, Flower Digger Pale Ale
  • Nexus: TBA
  • Quarter Celtic: Pedro O’Flanagan’s Mexican Lager, Mangose, Blood Orange Hefe, Crimson Lass, Gondola Party Starter NE-style IPA
  • Santa Fe: Long Game IPA, Hefe’d Up, Nut Brown, Pale Ale, Freestyle Pilsner (cans), Happy Camper (cans)
  • Second Street: 2920 IPA, Eldorado IPA, Red and Yellow Armadillo, Summer Rain Raspberry Sour, 2920 Pils, Civil Rye
  • Starr Brothers: Starrgazm IPA, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, Starrphire Pilsner, Bloodshot
  • Steel Bender: Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, The Village Wit, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch
  • Taos Mesa: TBA
  • Turtle Mountain: Yum Yum Colada, Can’t Catch Me, Lil’ Shelly, Hopshell IPA, My Kolsche

That is a lot of beer to try. If you like the hazy, New England-style IPAs, you are in luck as Bosque, Boxing Bear, Canteen, and Quarter Celtic are all bring their editions. Fans of sours and goses are clearly in luck as well. We are quite excited to try some of the new beers from Blue Corn (Hella Humulus and Imperial Chocolate Porter) and Second Street (Red and Yellow Armadillo is delicious), plus we await whatever Bathtub Row and Taos Mesa will be bringing.

Now, if you are wondering where Rowley Farmhouse Ales went off to, do not fret. The difference between them and the rest is their jockey box only has two handles, so they will be rotating beers on the second handle every hour or so. The Citra dry-hopped Fields of Rye will occupy the first handle. Here is the second handle pouring schedule.

12:30-2 p.m.: Meier (Meyer Lemon Gose)
2-3 p.m.: Germophile (Berliner Weisse)
3-4 p.m.: Reinheitsgenot (Lime Kolsch)
4-5 p.m.: Ab Initio dry-hopped with Citra/Mosaic
5-6 p.m.: Ab Initio with apricot

So, yeah, pucker up, people! It is gonna be a heck of a day.

And, remember, yours truly will be signing copies of Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap, over at the NM Brewers Guild booth. It is only $20, cash preferred.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

BearFest roars back with new indoor location

Posted: June 13, 2017 by cjax33 in BearFest 2017
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It’s time for the third edition of BearFest, only this time no one will get sunburned!

BearFest, the annual local-only craft beer festival hosted by Boxing Bear, returns for a third go-around this Saturday. The big change this year, besides pushing it back and away from ABQ Beer Week and Blues & Brews, is moving the fest out of the brewery parking lot to the Albuquerque Convention Center. Unless you are going to walk or bike to the event, leave the sunscreen at home!

The event will run from 2 to 6 p.m. for general admission, with a special 90-minute VIP period before that starting at 12:30 p.m. General admission tickets cost $25 in advance and can be purchased online here. They will be $30 at the door. VIP tickets can only be purchased in advance for $40 at Boxing Bear, going up to $45 the day of at the Convention Center.

To get the full story behind the change, I sat down with Boxing Bear head brewer/co-owner Justin Hamilton and general manager John Campi on Monday afternoon.

“A good thing for us will be that this has been a rain-or-shine event the previous two years and it almost got rained out the first year, we’re going to have a good attendance and a good time, either way,” Justin said. “That’s going to be one of the first things that’s a plus for us. But, I think that as far as what we’ve done in the past that we’re going to continue, and we’re going to expand on a few different things. We have 20 breweries, we have three wineries and two distilleries.”

The breweries, in alphabetical order, are Ale Republic, Bathtub Row, Blue Corn, Bosque, Boxing Bear, Canteen, Chama River, Dialogue, Flix Brewhouse, La Cumbre, Marble, Nexus, Quarter Celtic, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, Second Street, Starr Brothers, Steel Bender, Taos Mesa, and Turtle Mountain. The wineries are Black Mesa, New Mexico Hard Cider, and St. Clair, while Left Turn and Santa Fe Spirits are the distilleries on hand.

As John noted, the entire event is “100 percent local to New Mexico.”

“Yes, that’s another thing we really want to push here is that this is an absolute local event,” Justin added. “There’s no outside distributors. There’s no random (anything). This will all be from New Mexico, beers and vendors. It will be nice to share some of the other breweries that a lot of folks haven’t been up to see, (like) Bathtub Row and Rowley Farmhouse Ales, a lot of these guys are definitely part of that brewing community that a lot of the Albuquerque scene doesn’t get out to get and see.”

The vendors on hand will all be local as well, ranging from New Mexico Flameworks to Metal The Brand to YogaZo to Mother Road Mobile Canning. The New Mexico Brewers Guild will have a booth, of course, and a certain local author will also be on hand to sign and sell copies of his book, Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap, for $20 apiece (no, I will never stop with the shameless self promotion at this point).

Gamers Anonymous will have a booth as well, with video games for patrons to play, ranging from Street Fighter to GoldenEye to Mario Kart and more. Unlike last year, when it seemed like the chairs were half in the sun all day, it will all be inside and air conditioned. There will also be a cornhole tournament thanks to the owner of The Local Brewhouse, who donated his boards for the day.

There will be a charity that will benefit from the event as well.

“This is a benefit for the Animal Humane Society,” John said. “Animal Humane will be split into two sections. They’ll have a little adoption booth, if possible with actual, live puppies there. Then we’re going to have a booth set up with a little game (washer toss) and people will pay a dollar or so. That money will go directly to Animal Humane. They can win a prize, and I think every brewery is going to pitch in a shirt or a hat or something.”

Local bands will include Isaac Aragon during the VIP-only time (12:30-2 p.m.) and Pawn Shop Poster Boys after that. Another band is also expected to be announced soon.

“That and it will be nice that our music will have an actual audio guy this year,” Justin said. “Last year we were leaving it up to the bands, which isn’t a problem as far as the audio itself goes, but as far as the setup of the audio we hope to have seamless music throughout the event. Last year we had these breaks between our VIP and our start. We want people to be able to hear music (as they come in).”

The beer, though, is the biggest draw. The Crew should have full lists for all attending breweries no later than Thursday, but a few special beers of note have already been listed by Boxing Bear on Facebook.

  • Blue Corn, thankfully, goes to the dark side with Imperial Chocolate Porter.
  • Bosque is expected to bring a new variant in their Elephants on Parade specialty series.
  • Canteen will debut their Strawberry Basil Gose and bring back Tuttle IPA, a hazy New England-style hop bomb.
  • La Cumbre is bring Strawberry Gose and the latest batch of Project Dank.
  • Marble counters with a Cranberry Gose. Yes, there is a gose theme here.
  • Quarter Celtic has Mangose (yup, theme) and a new Blood Orange Hefeweizen.
  • Rowley Farmhouse Ales is bringing six beers, each of which will be served at special times (see our next story Thursday for that serving schedule).
  • Second Street will tap Summer Rain Raspberry Sour.
  • Starr Brothers is brewing a special batch of Starrgasm IPA just for the festival.
  • Turtle Mountain will have Yum Yum Colada and Lil Shelly Pale Ale.

Unlike other festivals, this is not an unlimited sampling event. VIP and general admission both get four 4-ounce samples and one full pint for free. Additional samples and/or pints can be purchased from the breweries.

“Most breweries, we kind of leave it up to them if they want people to purchase a sample or not,” Justin said. “Last year, just about every brewery was up for it, so my guess that will probably be the thing. Every now and then you’ll see a beer where if it’s a high-end beer or if it’s in a bottle, it’s just not going to be available for sample, which is understandable. I would say almost everything is going to be available for sample and purchase. We definitely don’t want to limit on what people are able to try, but what we want to do is not just turn it into a free-for-all.”

While bigger packaging breweries can often write off free samples as a marketing expense, that is almost impossible for the smaller brewpubs. This helps the breweries not feel as if they are giving away nothing but free beer.

“It’s one of those things where if we put multiple good breweries into a caravan (and) not only show them a good time, but if they get a little something back, they’re going to consistently show up every year for us,” Justin said. “That way we always get the best local breweries showing up consistently every year, which is great for the consumers. That was the original BearFest idea was going for, it’s for the patrons, it’s for the breweries, and it’s for everyone in between.”

Putting BearFest in a more convenient location is another way for Boxing Bear to give back to the patrons and attending businesses.

“It will also be in a nice central location, which is another good part about the Convention Center,” Justin said. “Other than competing with other festivals that were going on, it’s hard getting people to come across the river for anything. It will be right in downtown where people know, with quick access to (two freeways). Uber and Lyft, no matter where you are in the city, it will be probably be pretty affordable, and we always encourage that.”

For those looking to bike over, take note of your options in the area.

“Last year we did a bike valet,” John said. “We were unable to get that this year. The valet company had a prior event. However, there is still ample bike parking. Right now the Plaza is under construction and they have Third (Street) blocked off on both ends, but the Plaza is actually gated off because they’re doing the Shakespeare events with bike racks. There’s hundreds of spots over there.”

The Crew always encourages everyone to travel safely and responsibly to and from beer festivals.

We will have those full beer lists on Thursday. After that, we will see you at BearFest!

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

New Mexico breweries bring home eight medals from North American Beer Awards

Posted: June 3, 2017 by cjax33 in News
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Congrats to Tractor for winning gold for Farmers Tan Red!

The results of the 2017 North American Beer Awards arrived today and five New Mexico breweries have combined to win eight medals.

Tractor Brewing won two gold medals, with Berry Cider taking the top prize in the Fruit Flavored Cider category. Farmers Tan Red Ale earned top marks in the Scottish-Style Light, Heavy and Export category.

Santa Fe Brewing brought home a gold for Happy Camper in the English-Style IPA category. It also earned a bronze in the English-Style Old Ale category for Chicken Killer Barleywine.

Dialogue Brewing earned a silver for Biere De Mars Attacks in the Biere de Garde category. The Berliner Weisse snagged a bronze in the Continental-Style Wheat Ale category.

Boxing Bear nabbed a bronze in one of the toughest categories, American-Style IPA, for Uppercut IPA.

Flix Brewhouse also picked up a bronze in the Belgian-Style Wit category for Luna Rosa (misspelled Luna Mosa on the awards list).

Congratulations to all the breweries! We will follow up with them next week.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

The unsung hero(ine) of Flix does it all

Posted: May 4, 2017 by amyotravel in Unsung Heroes Series
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Flix Brewhouse bartender Misha Lockamy has stepped in a big way.

Editor’s note: The Crew is kicking off the new Unsung Heroes Series, an ongoing catalogue of articles that will focus on the folks who work extra hard to make our local breweries great, but maybe don’t get the recognition of the owners and head brewers/brewmasters we all know and love. We asked all the breweries to nominate one or two members of their staffs. To start us off, AmyO went to the west side to meet with the unsung hero(ine) of Flix Brewhouse. — Stoutmeister

I had no idea what to expect as I arrived at Flix Brewhouse early one Sunday morning in order to interview Misha Lockamy, the day shift bartender. I know I did not expect to be interviewing someone who grew up in Seoul, South Korea, who has a degree in astrophysics, and was a mechanic in the Air Force. Oh, and she’s also the proud mother of two children.

Misha’s heroism might be “unsung” outside the walls of Flix, but internally the staff is quick to sing her praises. Her diverse background and knowledge, and her willingness to jump in and do whatever needs to be done, is what makes her such a valuable employee. And, it is why Will Moorman, Flix Brewhouse’s head brewer, nominated Misha to be profiled for this series.

“Misha’s passion for Flix Brewhouse’s beers is second to none, and shows our new employees what being a team member at Flix is all about,” Will said.

Flix Brewhouse also has locations in Texas, Iowa, and Indiana. It is the first theater in the country to brew beer on site. The Albuquerque location is unique in several ways. One is that it does not have a full bar due to state regulations. This has its drawbacks, but also aids in keeping the focus more on the beer. Because Albuquerque is quite the beer town, another unique aspect is that sometimes people come just to sit at the bar and have a beer, rather than go see a movie. Misha said that really does not happen at the other locations.

Misha said Flix has the most rigorous training she has been through other than the military. She had nine days of training on every aspect of the operation (short of the actual brewing), starting as a runner. On her days off, Misha sometimes helps out in the brewery, and having been a mechanic in the Air Force lends itself well to being around the brewhouse.

The day was just starting for the staff at Flix.

This is a new series for the DSBC, so I pondered where to start the conversation about being an unsung hero. I decided to ask Misha if she might know why she was nominated. She said that was a good question, because she feels like everybody works really hard at Flix. There are about 200 employees, which she thinks makes it even more flattering that Will nominated her.

“Maybe because I’m a little universal here?” Misha said. “I teach the brew class (to other employees) … I guess they got good feedback. They did an anonymous survey and more than half of new employees said that the brew class was the most useful and enjoyable aspect of training.”

That was it — she got it on the first try. In fact, her training has been so successful, they want to roll it out to all of the Flix locations. I asked her how the class originally came to be. She replied that her general manager came to her one day to ask a favor. He said every time he overheard her speaking to a guest, he learned something. He wanted to know if she could please share that knowledge with all the other bartenders. So, Misha designed an agenda for the class — which he was not expecting — and the manager was very impressed, she said. Although Misha had not written the agenda with the intention of anyone else seeing it, this information was ultimately shared with the other locations.

In the brew class, Misha said she talks about the brewing process, the ingredients in beer, and the difference between lagers and ales. She gives a brewery tour and lectures attendees on the enemies of beer, and how to avoid introduction of off-flavors. She describes the history of each of the core Flix beers and what they should taste like. She has the employees taste the beers, and asks them to branch off from saying “like” and “dislike” to include the use of more descriptive adjectives. It varies, but a class is usually about an hour and a half long, and has three or four people. A recent class, however, lasted two and a half hours and had 12 people, Misha said. Some employees have asked to come back multiple times.

Misha knows all about the beers in the bright tanks above the bar.

Prior to joining the Flix staff full time, Misha worked at Ponderosa. She said she started there when it first opened. In fact, Misha credited her beer history fascination and quest for knowledge to Bob Haggerty, Ponderosa’s previous head brewer who is now at Steel Bender Brewyard. He would tell her facts about the beer and her eyes would light up, she said. She soaked up all the information like a sponge.

Misha was recently was a guest judge at a Dukes of Ale local home brewing competition. She is a Cicerone certified beer server and said she is nearly ready to take the test for level two. Because of her vast knowledge, her science background, and her mechanical skills, I asked Misha if she would like to be a brewer herself one day. Misha said that she would love to, but also cannot see herself giving up bartending. She has a real desire to work with the public and is hesitant to switch fully out of customer service, because she learns something every day from interacting with other people.

When I inquired as to what she feels is the best thing about this particular job, Misha said it is the people she works with. While this may seem like some sort of typical or canned response, Misha said that in any competitive environment there is actually healthy, productive competition. The staff is very much there for each other, inside and outside of work. She called them genuinely positive people, who are not, “fake happy.” Misha said she makes a conscious effort to know and address each employee (remember, there are a lot of them) by name.

Using that information, and in order to come full circle with the interview, I turned the tables and asked Misha who would she nominate for this title of unsung hero if she were asked to make the decision. She was slightly hesitant to commit to an answer at first, but relented and said it would be twin sisters Marin and Jena. They mainly work in the box office, but jump in to help wherever needed. They come in on days off and after school. Marin and Jena call themselves “mirror twins,” because one is left handed and the other right. But, Misha said they are very much alike in that they are super smart, kind, and intuitive people who are willing to work any shift, any time.

Thank you to Misha for taking time out of her Sunday to chat with us.

Following the interview, I got a behind the scenes tour, some of which I cannot share in photos. I will say, though, that it’s quite interesting. Unfortunately, no one there on Sunday morning had the key to enter the brewing area. I stood there peering through the glass at all the equipment and thinking how it would be nice if I could take Misha’s class. But, I had already taken up more than enough of her valuable time. She was heading off to go pull apart the front end of her car to replace her own cracked radiator. Yes, by herself. That, friends, is pretty damn heroic.

Cheers!

— AmyO

Flix quickly becoming main attraction on West Side

Posted: March 7, 2017 by cjax33 in Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2016-17
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Flix Brewhouse has become a popular destination for beer lovers and movie fans alike.

Before I disappeared down the rabbit hole of covering the high school basketball state tournament, I went back over to Flix Brewhouse to chat with head brewer Will Moorman and assistant brewer Marisa Bernal for their entry in our Look Back/Look Ahead Series. Flix has only been open since November, but it has already made its mark on the local scene.

“It has become a major place to go on the West Side,” said Marisa, an Albuquerque native. “There didn’t use to be anything out here.”

Flix is, first and foremost, a movie theater, but unlike all the rest on either side of the river, it is the only one that brews and serves its own beer. Will, who hails from Indiana, has quickly learned just what that means to the residents of ABQ.

“This town likes to drink, this town likes to drink,” he said twice for emphasis. “It seems that everyone is very hop-forward (too).”

Even in a slow season for movies, the crowds have kept Will and Marisa busy brewing almost every day. Flix offers up six house beers and a rotating series of five seasonals, plus it has many more guest taps, featuring a mix of local and national craft beers.

It is with those seasonals, though, where the brewers get to have the most fun.

“I’ve been learning a lot about our brewery, just getting our system dialed in, figuring out what we can do,” Will said. “We’ve had a couple of rather big brews that we did, a Belgian quad and an American barleywine. Just figuring out how much we could actually put our system through. That was kind of fun.”

As for Marisa, who started out in the wine industry out in California, moving to brewing has already taught her “a lot.”

“I’ve done my first solo brews,” she said. “I’m just learning the whole system. I love barrels, I love barrel aging.”

There be barrels up there alongside the serving tanks!

The barrel-aging program at Flix is already underway. Patrons can see the barrels upstairs above the bar, in the same room as the serving tanks.

“We’ve got three Chardonnay barrels, two 30-year-old Mexican port barrels, a couple Breckenridge bourbon barrels, and a rye barrel,” Will said. “So we’re tinkering around with that. We’ve got some funky stuff happening upstairs.”

The Rebel Yell Porter, brewed back in December for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is in one barrel. The January Embers Barleywine, a personal favorite among the seasonals to date, occupies another. There are also some kettle sours aging away.

In the case of the barrels, Marisa has taken charge.

“I’ve been learning a lot, barrel-wise, from Marisa,” Will said. “She got to play with a lot more barrels than I’ve seen.”

“I got to rebuild an entire barrel,” she added. “Three years in the wine industry paid off. It was a good time.”

While the barrels are doing their thing, Flix has already picked up its first medal at a beer competition, with the seasonal Brown Basilisk earning the honor.

The brewhouse has been getting a workout since Flix opened.

“We picked up a (bronze) medal at the Best of Craft Beer Awards for our brown ale, which is amazing,” Will said. “I’m super ecstatic about that.”

Will said they will be sending off beers to be judged at the North American Beer Awards next, with an eye on the Great American Beer Festival in the fall.

In the meantime, more unique seasonals are either on tap or on the way. Mr. Cutty Fingers, a Loganberry IPA, debuted over the weekend with the movie Logan. It will be joined by another newcomer this weekend, though this will not have a movie tie-in.

“We have a saison coming out, Saison DeWalt, which is in honor of the original GM at the first Flix Brewhouse, who tragically passed away of a heart attack at a very young age,” Will said. “So every year every Flix does a saison that’s in his honor. That will be out on the 11th (of March).”

Will also brewed a beer he affectionately named Bug Base with an old friend from Indiana. That beer will be entered in the pro-am competition at the upcoming Santa Fe Open. Bug Base is basically a base beer that the brewers can infuse with different strains of brettanomyces and such inside barrels.

“I’m excited to see what our bugs do,” Will said. “They’ve been bubbling away nicely. They smell great.”

Yup, more barrels are upstairs!

In addition to continually working to improve the beer, Will and Marisa are also doing their homework for some additional certification.

“Our main focus right now, apart from brewing beer and producing beer, is getting BJCP certified,” he said. “We’ve been talking to a couple judges, a couple home brew groups out here, and a then some of the brewers that I really admire. … I’m super young at this, I’ve got a lot to learn. We both do, really. I figure that’s a great way to improve the quality of our product.”

This is the time of year to do it, since Logan is just the start of the major movies coming out in the next few months.

“We’re in our slow season right now and it’s still pretty heavy,” Will said. “From what I understand, things should slow down again in August, just based on new movie releases. But then we’ve got the summertime with kids who have nothing to do, and parents who just need to drink as a result.”

Those parents have offered up mostly positive reviews of the beer so far, which Will said he appreciated, but at the same time the best feedback comes from his peers in the business.

“Feedback is hard to get objectively from people,” Will said. “Which is fine, it’s nice to hear, but as far as super objective (feedback), I’ve been talking to a couple other brewers around here, taking my beer around. I’ve gotten some good feedback. There’s a couple things I’ve been tinkering with that will obviously help the quality of the beer. We’re still young. I’m happy with the way our beer has turned out thus far, but I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination, totally satisfied.”

That is all one can ask for from any brewer, so it would seem that residents from across Albuquerque, not just the West Side, are in good hands at Flix.

Beer gifts are the best gifts, aren’t they?

Thank you to Will and Marisa for taking time out of their day to chat, and for the crowler (yes, they have those) of the barleywine.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Hop to the west side for a great date spot during this month of love

Posted: February 10, 2017 by amyotravel in News
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There are so many damn beers at the new Blue Grasshopper Taproom on Coors.

There are so many damn beers at the new Blue Grasshopper Taproom on Coors.

A recent date-day Saturday found us embracing the old cliché of dinner and a movie. Except we did it backwards and watched a movie first, then had dinner. When the movie is a great one (Hidden Figures, I highly recommend it) at the superb theater brewery that is Flix Brewhouse and then dinner is at the brand new Blue Grasshopper taproom practically across the street on Coors, the experience is elevated beyond any formula.

During the movie, I had a solid Holy Mother of Quad and a Rebel Yell Porter, along with my buttery popcorn. It still amazes me how they manage to pick up empty glasses and bring orders without me even noticing the servers. My boyfriend and I probably saw only two or three movies total in theaters in 2016 (prior to the Flix opening), but since they opened, we have already been to Flix four times.

Blue Grasshopper was packed. Despite little advertising, this new location is booming. There are some of the usual hiccups, but they did not diminish our date experience. There are about 80 local beers currently on tap; however, Blue Grasshopper does not have any of theirs on tap at this location right now. The food menu is larger than I remember it being at the original taproom in Rio Rancho.

The number of taps is a good thing, and it is also overwhelming. You have to order by number, because that’s the only way the beertender can find it. If you forget what number your beer is while you wait to have your order taken, it’s pretty difficult to locate it again under pressure. Alas, the beer is not quite cold enough in my opinion. This is an issue I have seen before at other places with that many lines. Also, the patron sitting next to me at the bar complained his food order of a Reuben sandwich and fries was too cold. Our order of nachos came out quickly despite the crowd, but although the cheese (sauce) was warm, the shredded meat was not. Despite that, they were a unique interpretation of a pub staple and quite filling.

We left before the music started, so I do not know if the acoustics in the new, larger space are as good as the original location. I know at the Rio Rancho Blue Grasshopper they take acoustics very seriously. As we walked out just after 7:30, there was a line of people waiting for seating. All tables were occupied and our seats at the bar immediately filled as soon as we stood up. It appears this location is certainly filling a requirement in that part of town.

Hint, hint, all you craft beer fans looking for date ideas!

Love to all,

— AmyO

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