Posts Tagged ‘Ponderosa Brewing’

The Week Ahead in Beer: Charitable causes take center stage at multiple breweries

Posted: April 24, 2019 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 seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Truth or Consequences 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.

The final days of April seem to have a theme of giving back to good causes. It starts this week at Dialogue with Finola’s Fight Benefit Concert featuring the Memphis P Tails and Sex for Admission. There will be a raffle and a silent auction during the concert, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. It all benefits Finola, a friend of the brewery who is battling cancer. Then on Friday, our friend Carlos Contreras wrote a guest post on a special Art Fusion for a Cause at Ponderosa, benefiting the New Mexico Autism Society. Sunday will feature a pair of events, one in Albuquerque and the other in Santa Fe. The former will feature the release of One Albuquerque shirts benefiting the Albuquerque Police Department at Canteen at 4 p.m., with live music from Todd Tijerina. The Santa Fe event will be at Tumbleroot at 4, as Soldier Songs and Voices hosts a benefit concert for veterans. Special guest Susan Gibson will also perform at this free event, with donations accepted at the door.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bombs Away hits the mark with version five of its Hazy Chain DIPA. Bosque puckers up with Re Re’s Shandy. Canteen brings back Fill in the Blanco and Coffee Lager. Cantero is feeling the season with Jelly Bean Sour and Chocolate Bunny Marshmallow Stout. Kaktus kicked out some German Pilsner, Maibock, and Lemongrass Blonde. Marble still has some celebratory beers on tap like the Malbec Zinfandel Saison. Ponderosa doubles down on Doppelbock. Quarter Celtic introduces Rosemarie, a rosé ale with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and hibiscus. Sidetrack has more Turntable IPA and Co-Mo IPA. Steel Bender walks a mile with The Whole Shoe Belgo IPA.

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn added Santa Muerte Collab IPA. Second Street takes it to the Chin-Gose, while also adding Kohatu Pale Ale. Tumbleroot has just filled bottles of Sour Golden Ale with apricots. Down in Truth or Consequences, T or C Brewing is adding four new beers during Thursday’s beer fiesta, including a pale ale, a wheat ale, and two lagers.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of April 22.

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Guest post: Archetype Tattoo brings special event to Ponderosa

Posted: April 23, 2019 by cjax33 in Guest Post
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Enjoy some art with your beer this Friday for a good cause.

Editor’s note: Carlos Contreras, a longtime friend of the Crew, asked if we could run this guest post about Friday’s upcoming Art Fusion for a Cause, and the team of tattoo artists behind this special event at Ponderosa Brewing. Grab a pint of Coco Puffs Baltic Porter and enjoy!

Art Fusion for a Cause is a charity event benefiting different charity organizations around New Mexico. Four artists combine their talents on four separate canvases, switching off on each other’s work until the four pieces are complete. The artwork is then raffled off and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the charity of the evening.
These events are often held at breweries, with the next coming up this Friday night.

“We’re staying as community-driven as possible. We have an upcoming event at Ponderosa Brewing Company on April 26 at 7 p.m. where we do a little something called Art Fusion,” said Ben Shaw, owner of Archetype Tattoo, a local shop that lends to the community on a regular basis.

Aside from using their craft to benefit the community, Archetype artists continually hone their craft every chance they get.

“A few of our artists will be attending the Explorer Tattoo Conference this May in St. Louis to gain some new knowledge and technique to create even better tattoos,” Shaw said.

His excitement for delivering the best of everything to those of Albuquerque is palpable and contagious. The shop is filled with talented and enthusiastic artists who create an atmosphere unlike any other in the Duke City. One of the things that Shaw and company are most excited about, is the ninth annual New Mexico Tattoo Fiesta at Isleta Hotel and Casino. The event will run July 12 through 14, and Archetype is an official sponsor.

Part of building a brand has come into play as Shaw and his team moved locations last year.

“We worked hard to establish our new(ish) location and prove we are some of the best in our community. The shop and our artists took a bunch of awards from the Alibi, Albuquerque Journal, and Albuquerque the Magazine,” he mentioned proudly.

Archetype is definitely a family. They lift each other up and support each other in and out of the shop.

“We have some of the most talented, diverse, and adaptable tattooists working in our shop,” he said.

Ben’s experience and leadership is at the core of Archetype. As a tattooist of nearly 20 years, Ben has honed his craft to create impeccable, intricate tattoos that will last a lifetime. He has a staff of other amazing artists, and here is a bit about them:

  • Aldo has the wackiest, most creative mind — and the technical talent to back it all up.
  • Want an original, quality sleeve done in a day? Just ask Carlos.
  • Eddie’s the man for black, gray, and all kinds of ill sh*t — and just the man to make you comfortable for your first tattoo.
  • Meghan’s sweet, neo-traditional style, coupled with her incredible customer service skills, make Archetype one special place to be tattooed.

It’s obvious that Archetype artists know their craft. All their artists are 100-percent licensed, meaning they have completed over 1,000 hours of study in the art of tattoo and have certifications in blood borne pathogen training, CPR, and first aid. This is definitely a safe place to add to a collection of body art, or to get your first.

Shaw’s artists know their stuff, and they are driven to keep learning new techniques by attending educational events and conferences specifically for tattooing. Already an award-winning business, they continue to keep getting better Burque’s ink junkies. If you’re looking for a new piece, look no further, and if you’re just looking for a neat group of folks who go above and beyond for their community, catch em at Art Fusion, or the New Mexico Tattoo Fiesta. Tell em thanks for all that they do for this city of ours.

— Carlos

Las Cruces breweries organize Beer for a Cause to help one of their own

Posted: April 9, 2019 by cjax33 in Beer in Las Cruces, Events
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Head down to Las Cruces this weekend for good beer for a good purpose.

Having a charity as a component of a beer festival is a fairly common occurrence in New Mexico. Having that charity be a brewer battling cancer is not common, but that is the case at Beer for a Cause, a special festival taking place this Sunday in Las Cruces.

Pecan Grill head brewer David Allan has been diagnosed with brain cancer, and the medical bills are understandably quite hefty. His fellow brewers are joining forces to help him out by hosting the festival at Picacho Peak from 3 to 8 p.m. For those who have not been down to visit a brewery in Las Cruces, this is a good opportunity for a good cause to do so (Picacho Peak is located at 3900 W. Picacho Ave., to further help you out).

“He is not only a great brewer and mentor but a genuinely amazing person to have in your life,” High Desert brewer David White said in a press release. “Family and friends are raising money to help in this fight. … Every little bit makes a difference.”

Tickets are just $5 apiece and available at the door. The first 500 people get a commemorative pint glass. This is not a traditional no-limit sampling event, so all pints are $5, though we are fairly certain most of the beers can be tasted before you buy (ask politely). There will also be food trucks, a silent auction, and live music from Jackson Lane, The Smokin’ Blue Band, Triple Jack, and the Derrick Harris Band. All of the proceeds will go to help David in his fight against cancer.

“You should be there, because if you are lucky enough to truly call Dr. Wackadoodle Dave your friend, then you are lucky enough,” his friend, homebrewer Dennis Talley, wrote to us in an email. “I’ve called him that for years because he’s never brewed a ‘normal’ beer in his life! Just like Dave, his beers are truly unique and brewed with passion and detail. My brother without DNA.”

A total of 15 New Mexico breweries are sending one or more kegs to the event. We will update the list as more are identified.

  • Bosque: Elephants on Parade, IPA
  • Cloudcroft: Railspike Imperial Red, Sahti Finnish Ale
  • High Desert: White Walker Stout, Cerveza
  • Icebox: TBA
  • La Cumbre: Elevated IPA, A Slice of Hefen
  • Little Toad Creek: Hop-a-Long Rye IPA
  • Lost Hiker: Ruidoso Blonde
  • Marble: Double White, Cerveza
  • Pecan Grill: Peanut Butter Pecan Porter
  • Picacho Peak: Bitchin Brown
  • Ponderosa: Schwarzbier
  • Sierra Blanca: American Style Lager
  • Spotted Dog: Bier de Chien (Farmhouse Ale), and second beer TBA
  • Tractor: TBA
  • Truth or Consequences: Good Juju (American Brown Ale)

For anyone in the Albuquerque or Santa Fe areas, this is a good opportunity for a quick trip south to try some beers unique to the area, while also supporting a worthy cause.

A big thanks to Deanna Green for sending us the information and for helping to organize this festival on David’s behalf.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

The Week Ahead in Beer: New brews to fit the warming weather

Posted: February 27, 2019 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 seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, and one in Red River 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.

We are totally done with winter, right? No more straining our lower backs shoveling snow, right? Hey, we can all hope for warmer days ahead, and the wonderful porch beers that come along with those days. Bosque is feeling a bit springy with Resto Hazy Pale Ale, which debuts in cans and on tap this Friday at all locations. Resto will be the flagship beer at the forthcoming Restoration Pizza, which will open in March. It’s a single-hop, two-grain beer, perfectly refreshing for the dawn of spring. Across town, Boxing Bear is also sticking with the hops and haze on Friday. Totally Cereal Hazy IPA, made with rolled oats, will debut on tap. If haze is not really your thing, Bow & Arrow is releasing Rad Vista Pilsner on tap Friday. It’s the first single-hop pilsner in a new series, this one using Vic Secret hops. Both beers should feel quite nice on a warm day on the patio.

Another awesome beer-and-food pairing is going down this week at Ponderosa. The brewpub is teaming up with Rebel Donut today and Thursday from opening at 11 a.m. until the donut bite supply runs out. The pairings will feature donut bites made with the same beers they’re paired with, so it’s Blood Orange Wit, Bellamah Brown, and the brand-new Red Velvet Ale. Presale tickets are $10, while tickets at the door are $12.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque also has its collaboration beer with Ex Novo now on tap, Frenemies, a West Coast pilsner made with experimental hops. Boxing Bear varies up one of its standards with Black and Blue Milk Shake. Canteen brings back Tuttle IPA and Social Capital, with the latter made with pomegranate and cardamom. Kaktus kicks over the taps with Solstic Pale Ale, Amber, Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Golden, and Darlings Doppelbock, named in honor of the Desert Darlings. Marble is feeling smooth with Marble Lager, and a big naughty with Safeword IPA. Quarter Celtic rolled out the beastly Never Cry Wolf-Dragon, a hazy IPA that was originally brewed for the canceled National IPA Challenge. Rio Bravo went ahead and made a peanut butter hazelnut brown ale and called it Squirrel Nuts, because why the heck not? Sidetrack has put its Pub Ale with Earl Grey Tea on draft, not just in the cask (but it’s there, too), plus there is more Turntable IPA and regular Pub Ale available. Toltec puts its NIPAC entry, Guapo Hoppo, on tap as well. Turtle Mountain tunes up a new Brut IPA called Toxic Masculinity.

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn and Beer Creek are releasing a collaboration, Santa Faze IPA. Rowley Farmhouse Ales introduces the new raspberry Oud Bruin, Fromabozen, and Agent Scully – Season Two, Episode Six (IPA).

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of February 25.

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Ponderosa finds its footing after taproom-fueled year of rapid growth

Posted: January 31, 2019 by cjax33 in Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2018-19
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Ponderosa head brewer Antonio Fernandez was a busy man in 2018, and that won’t change this year.

Every brewery that opens an off-site taproom hopes that it provides a decent boost in sales and revenue. For the folks at Ponderosa Brewing, they had those hopes when the small taproom at the renovated El Vado Motel on Central opened this past summer. The results, however, went well beyond what head brewer Antonio Fernandez expected, as he explained when we sat down for the Ponderosa entry in our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series on Wednesday afternoon.

“2018 was crazy,” Antonio said. “Of course the biggest thing was getting the taproom at El Vado open. None of us were ready for what was going to happen with that. I was thinking like most taprooms it would probably give us a little kick when it first opened and then ramp up business. But, man, we just hit the ground running, selling tons of beer out of there and it never slowed down until like Thanksgiving.”

That was all well and good from a sales perspective, but not necessarily from a brewing perspective. Antonio said he had to scramble to keep up with double the usual demand.

“I took a big hit over here, actually,” he said. “We have draft accounts, I was brewing beer for (putting beer in) cans, and the next thing you know we had gone down to only five beers on tap at both places while I tried to get caught up. I had to modify my brewhouse slightly so I could double-batch in a single day without taking 14 hours. That was a big change. I had to get on the new paradigm.

“I was brewing twice as much beer as the year before. Our output was way up compared to the past. This is our fourth year now. We brewed and sold way more beer than we ever had before and it’s been our most profitable year as a company, also.”

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The Crew’s brewery merchandise guide for 2018

Posted: December 17, 2018 by cjax33 in Beer Merch Guide
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Get festive with merch gifts from your favorite breweries, including Marble.

As we did the last four years, the Crew has put together a brewery merchandise guide for all of you just in time for your last-minute holiday shopping. Hey, it might be nice to just buy people beer, but sometimes they need more in life, like cool shirts, hoodies, growlers, and other specialty items carrying the logos of their favorite breweries. To make all of your lives easier and save you time in terms of searching the web or driving all over the place, we compiled the local breweries’ merch lists into one place. Now you can find out what is where, what is online, what it all costs, and any other additional info you might need.

The breweries are listed in alphabetical order, starting with the ABQ metro area breweries, then the breweries from outside the metro listed below that (those from both regions that sent us info, at least). We will be updating this list throughout the holiday season, so if you do not see a brewery here, once their info arrives, we will share it. Thank you to all the brewers, owners, and other key brewery staffers who helped us put this together. Whether via email or in person, it was greatly appreciated!

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Weekend Beer-cap: Finding time for brews amid pre-holiday madness

Posted: December 11, 2018 by cjax33 in Weekend Beer-cap
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It’s definitely not the best picture of our always-in-motion Metal Mayor, but we were happy to see him at a local brewery.

A long winter nap is becoming more and more tempting, but there are beers to drink, and the Crew kept after them this past weekend.

My weekend started early, as per usual, but it was more of a working weekend, with trips to Marble and Tractor to interview staffers for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series. After leaving Wells Park on Wednesday, I made my way to La Cumbre, as an old friend of the Crew tipped us off that Mayor Tim Keller would be making an appearance. I was not able to bend his ear, but I did still get to enjoy some Pecos Porter and catch up with some readers who were enjoying some afternoon beers. Though the Pecos does not get the hype of other LC beers, it remains a solid, sessionable dark beer that fits the winter chill.

There are two more special Brickie Stout casks to come at Steel Bender.

After a proper metal show with birthday boy Derek on Thursday night, I took it easy Friday night. By Saturday, it was time to head out again. Steel Bender has again had its 4 Casks of Christmas series every Saturday in December. They take the Brickie American Stout and infuse it with some other tasty elements, stick ’em in a cask, and watch everyone enjoy. This edition was special, as our own Franz Solo and old friend David Facey developed the French Toast Brickie. It was a delicious beer, with the sweetness of the maple syrup working in concert with the roasty malts. This Saturday will see another version, Fruity Chocolate Tart. Make sure to grab one or more of these wonderful brews while you still can this holiday season.

Speaking of the holiday season, Crew members found reasons for giving, and reasons to avoid the mass marketing rush and instead indulge in local beer and food.

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Weekend Beer-cap: The one where we get exceptionally wordy

Posted: October 16, 2018 by cjax33 in Weekend Beer-cap
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The Crew was represented at the NM Brew Fest by, from left, Andrew, Reid, and AmyO.

Well, that was quite the weekend. Of all the Crew, I may have done the least craft beer drinking, which is quite weird. Hey, I am single and do not have a kid, but I also have a screwy work schedule and missed the ninth annual New Mexico Brew Fest. Boo.

Anyway, I did get around a little bit. My quest to try all the local Oktoberfest-style beers continued with stops at Ponderosa (quite good, quite traditional) and Bow & Arrow (also quite good, but a little more bready and dry). I also found some of the last remaining cans of Steel Bender’s OktoberFiesta at Jubilation when I was sent on a beer run for a post-NMBF party.

Then the weather changed and it became stout season. That is a story for next week, however.

Here are the rest of the Crew’s weekend adventures. Let’s just say they all had a lot of fun, and a lot of beers, and everyone survived to tell the tales.

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Weekend Beer-cap: Hopping all around town

Posted: July 17, 2018 by cjax33 in Weekend Beer-cap
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The Test Batch #3, left, and Gondola Party Starter XH are two excellent double IPAs now available at Quarter Celtic.

One of these weeks we will all get our acts together and have this feature ready for a Monday run, but alas, this is not one of those weeks. As we noted last time around, this is simply a series of short recaps of weekend beer adventures for different members of the Crew.

Hops were the order of the day for this past weekend, what with the preliminary round of the NM IPA Challenge going down and all. I was not able to attend due to work, but I still managed to set out in search of at least one of the entries that is on tap around town.

My Friday night sojourn led me to Quarter Celtic, where the Gondola Party Starter XH (Extra Hops) is now on tap alongside the Test Batch #3 DIPA. Talking to QC co-owner Ror McKeown, I found out that both had been released with the goal of asking loyal customers which one should be the NMIPAC entry. Gondola was ultimately the choice of the public, though the way he described it was interesting. Most customers actually preferred Test Batch #3, but none of them thought it could win a competition, and thus Gondola became QC’s entry.

Tasting them side-by-side, I found Test Batch #3 to be lighter and sweeter, while Gondola has a bitter back-end kick, with a little less sweetness around the mid-palate. Gondola is certainly more of a traditional West Coast hop bomb, and in the end, the customers were right, as it advanced to Wednesday’s first round of the NMIPAC alongside 15 other IPAs.

— Stoutmeister

Now for the rest of the Crew … (more…)

Ponderosa’s El Vado Taproom now open as an anchor of redeveloped site

Posted: June 18, 2018 by Franz Solo in Taproom Preview
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Ponderosa’s taproom at the revamped El Vado Motel is now open.

Greetings fair readers, Franz Solo here, the other day upon learning that the El Vado taproom for Ponderosa Brewing had opened for business, I was tasked by Stoutmeister with checking it out. As it happens, the historic El Vado Motel, which first opened in 1937 and will reopen after some pretty awesome looking renovations this July, is just two minutes of a bike ride from my usual stopping point on the river by Tingley Beach.

The El Vado Motel sits just over the river on the south side of Central at New York (2500 Central Ave. is the precise address). So after a lovely late morning ride by the Rio Grande in the wonderful June heat (yes, I am a bit crazy to enjoy biking in the afternoons of June through August), I stopped in the just-opened taproom to have a look.

There are 10 Ponderosa beers on tap.

The space is wonderfully rustic, with all of the charm you’d expect for an 80-plus-year-old building, matched flawlessly with modern lighting, fixtures, and so forth. The El Vado taproom has 10 Ponderosa beers on tap at present, and is open daily from noon to close (around 8 p.m., but that is subject to change).

The patio off of the taproom itself is spacious and quite a lovely spot in which to have a pint and a bite to eat, especially once more food options arrive in the other available “pods” on site. When I rode up, several people were enjoying tacos from one of these such establishments which looked quite tempting indeed.

The patio area includes this awesome fountain.

At the back is the motel proper, which from the exterior looked like quite a nice place for both tourists and staycationers alike. The proximity to Tingley Beach, Rio Grande, and the ABQ Biopark makes this quite a nice addition to the area which, is already a lovely part of town in which to spend the day.

(You can also stop by to check out Metal the Store, an awesome clothing and merch space created by Brew Crew friend Michael Wieclaw, which is already open in the El Vado complex. — S)

Another shot of the cozy interior.

So head down and check it out for a pint or two, whether you bike (just head east on Central off the main Bosque bike trail for a couple of blocks) or perambulate down the freshly paved and finally completed Central. 

Until our next adventure, I bid you adieu!

Skål!

— Franz Solo

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