Thursday, October 22, 2009

HallenBrick Opens Doors!

Well, technically, door, as there is only one, but anyway, HallenBrick Brewery(3817 Hawkins, west of Jefferson between Osuna and Paseo)is now open for business. The brewers of Green Zia IPA (third in the NM IPA Challenge) had a soft opening last week, so only those in the know (celebrities, politicians, people you see in Albuquerque Magazine) were aware that the bar had begun serving. I stopped over there this week to check out the latest addition to our local beer scene.

The brewery is located in an industrial area that owner/brewer Scott Hallenbeck described as "A place you would only come to if you needed a part for your vacuum cleaner, until now". Scott and partner Jeff Brick have turned one of those typical industrial spaces into a surprisingly spacious and inviting atmosphere. The bar has room for twelve or so patrons, as well as three four-top tables, along with a couch for lounging/passing out.

One of the things that makes this brewery's bar unique is that the majority of the taps are from other breweries. Of the eight beers on tap during my visit, there were two each from Il Vicino, Turtle Mountain, and Marble, with one Santa Fe tap and one HallenBrick, an American Stout. I had a sample and it had so much flavor I mistakenly thought it was an imperial stout, but I was informed the stout was only around 5% abv, which means I could drink more than one without getting in trouble. There were no Chama River beers on tap but Scott told me that he had kegs of Rio Lodo Brown and March Hare ready to tap once current kegs kicked. That is something that will be exciting about this bar- there will always be something different to try each time you visit, and always something from New Mexico. And HallenBrick may always be the least represented. As shown in the picture, Scott and Jeff are making beers in very small batches! You could call them "artisnal brewers".

Whatever you call them, be assured you will be seeing them whenever you are at the brewery, as this is a two person operation right now. They are the brewers, bartenders, and bouncers all in one. Their hours of operation are 12-7 Monday through Friday (though they will stay open later on Fridays if there crowds dictate it), and tentative hours of 12-5 Saturday and Sunday. They are in the process of shopping for a TV for the bar, and there is talk of getting the NFL Sunday Ticket, though they are not trying to become a sports bar, Scott assures me. They have already hosted live music from Rex Warren, and plan to have more live acts on Fridays in the future. Check out Hallenbrick.com for updates, and visit Jeff and Scott in person and try all the best beers New Mexico has to offer!

3 comments:

josh said...

Went by there last Thursday as I work fairly close-by. Nice place, still needs more of a lived-in feel though for my tastes. Most dissapointing was the fact that their beer, the Stout, was already sold out. But the crowd, about 12 people mas o menos, were still chatting it up over their beers. I had the steam beer from Santa Fe - very good. Can't wait to stop by there on one of my bike-rides home from work, as it's a hop-skip from the Diversion channel.

MrsMcGilicutty said...

Nice write up of a lovely place :) It is right across the street from where I work...seriously, RIGHT across the street. I can look out the door and see it.

Unknown said...

Finally got a chance to visit Hallenbrick over the weekend. Great little place, they've done a nice job of creating a comfortable space out of the spot in an unassuming location. Most of Marble's beers available on tap, with the Citra & Friends being our choice for the afternoon. No Hallenbrick beers were available as they are currently without a brewer, but are on the lookout for another.