Thursday, August 25, 2011

Cowboys, Bad-Asses, and Hooligans

Oh, and Pelicans too. In the shopping center at Montgomery and Eubank that is home to Albuquerque's favorite early bird fish specials, there is Bad Ass Brewery (yup, it still exists) and Dirty Bourbon, the place that gives East Mountainers a destination besides Walmart. Adding to this strip mall nightlife hotspot is the newly opened Hooligans, though don't let the name fool you- Hooligans is not a refuge for rioting British soccer fans, though you may run into a gruff Russian.

You will find that Hooligans has one of the larger draft lineups in the city, with a selection of 40 taps (with only two being Bud Light!). There is a mix of usual suspect crafts like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and New Belgium Fat Tire, but there are also taps for Dale's Pale Ale, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Bridgeport IPA, and Odell IPA. Fans of matly bocks may not be getting Salvator or Celebrator on tap here, but they do get to choose between Shiner Bock and Ziegen Bock. Hey, at least you get a choice.

As Hooligans is still in its opening phase, there were very few customers when I visited. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd the place attracts as time goes on. As of now, the hours are 7 pm-2am Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesdays should be busy, with all drafts that normally go from $3.50-$5 selling for only $2.50. Wednesdays are service industry nights, with all drinks $1 off for those in the business. Thursday through Saturday evenings there will be live DJs. Maybe we can organize a dance-off showdown between Hooligans customers and Dirty Bourbon two-steppers. I'd kick my Tony Lama's up on Hooligan's bar, order an Odell IPA, and enjoy the show.

4 comments:

HopHed said...

There you go with the East Mountain jab again. You're just bitter that we haven't invited you out for a visit to the Zuzax House of Brews, aren't you :)

ABQbeergeek said...

I am so bitter! Invite me out and book me a room at either the Zuzax Four Seasons or the Zuzax Ritz Carlton.

SoDEHopHead said...

ABQbeergeek,

Just found your site ! Currently enjoying a Evolution Lot 3 and not enjoying a CAT 1 Hurricane with Tornado Warnings ! Will be in Albuquerque mid week for vacation. Thank God ! Any suggestions for great taprooms like Hooligans ?

Thanks

Jon

ABQbeergeek said...

Hey Jon-

I would steer you first to all the great local breweries like Marble, La Cumbre, Il Vicino, Chama River, Nexus...the list keeps growing.

Email me (abqbeergeek@gmail.com) if you'd like and let me know where you're going to be and maybe we can meet for a beer. I won't complain if you bring Evolution beers with you, either. Heard a lot of good stuff about them!