Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Ode to "The City Disappointing"

Anyone else hate Santa Fe? I do. Not so much the city itself, but the people who live there. I have been a lot of places, but I have never met a more rude, self-absorbed, and just straight up weird city of people. I don't think the city itself is that nice, either. The Plaza is touristy, restaurants are overpriced, and there's no tall buildings. What kind of state capital doesn't have a big building or two? Jefferson City, maybe. But Jefferson City doesn't exactly rate high on my list of coolest capitals. So what does Santa Fe have that is appealing? I guess Blue Corn Brewery's beers, though I only drink them at beer fests. I tried to enjoy an IPA at the location near the Plaza after paying $6.00 for a half mile cab ride (I'm not lazy- I just didn't realize I was that close), but when you are the only customer at the bar and the bartender stays at the other end of the bar and does the crossword puzzle, it is hard to feel welcome. Kinda a microcosm of Santa Fe itself- you know there has to be something good about being there, but someone is always ruining it for you.

I guess you can count Santa Fe Brewery as one of the good things about the city- at least they took all the criticism about their old IPA and reformulated the beer. And now they are canning it- the first brewery in the state to do so. Happy Camper IPA, 6.6% ABV, comes in a NM-centric designed can: that's a Zia, folks. I believe the Zia represents a diner. The design is cool, and the beer isn't bad either. Though it could use much more in the way of floral notes, it does not lack bitterness and is not an unpleasant experience. Unlike some things. Jubilation has it, $7.99 a six-pack.

3 comments:

Reid Rivenburgh said...

I live closer to Fe than Que, so I spend a decent amount of time at Blue Corn.... I only ever go to the southern location near the mall, and it'd probably suit you better, though you miss the plaza experience. Shed a tear and move on. They have big screens, a nice bar, and the best IPA in the City Silly.

I had written off SFBC's IPA long ago. I think I put it about last in the IPA challenge 3 years ago. I figured I'd give it another try, though. Like you, I'd say it's pretty good but not the best. (I'll verify at Chama tomorrow.) Kudos on the cans.

ABQbeergeek said...

Yeah, I heard the other location of Blue Corn is good. I just don't get up there too often.
We will see how the new SF IPA fares tomorrow. I'm excited for the event!

corrwin said...

great mention of happy camper ipa in a can - i have not been a big fan of SFBC but since their can release party i regularly get six-packs of HC IPA for $7.50 at the tap room.

don't forget the Marble Tap Room on the Plaza! they're expanding too. great location, even better beers.