Friday, October 6, 2017

GABF: Thursday Session

Ahhh, Thursday. The most civilized of the GABF sessions. The evening started off with a bit of a somber note as our entry was slowed down just a tad by the addition of metal detectors for the first time. This was, I'd imagine, in direct response to the Vegas shooting. While I have never seen the logic of adding security AFTER an isolated incident of idiocy, I don't see the metal detectors as any kind of burden. I'm surprised this wasn't a part of the fest in the past.

This year, festgoers had added bonuses like an expanded Meet the Brewers section with 136 participating breweries, as well as a larger brewpub section with 42 pub represented. This might have been a draw for some people, but most were lining up at stalwarts like Dogfish Head and Cigar City. Toppling Goliath also had long lines all night, thanks to Mornin' Delight BA Coffee Stout and King Sue DIPA. Every year, I pick a brewery to kick off the tasting and Toppling Goliath was my choice this year. I found both Mornin' Delight and King Sue to be underwhelming. Could be the growing pains associated with the gain in popularity. Things got better with Bell's Blackbeard's Bear Hug Stout: rum-barrel aged with cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut. Great stuff. Also, a surprise addition of bottles of BA Expedition Stout. Sorry Albuquerque, we most likely won't get any b.ottles.

Other standout beers were Genius IPA from Highland Park in Los Angeles. Finally some good beer to be had out of LA. Only problem is you can't get to any of the breweries there because of traffic. And you couldn't get anywhere near thee Sam Adams booth when they were serving Utopias. Line down the street. Stupid.

The Brew Kettle was solid as always with El Lupulo Libre DIPA as well as Tunguska BA Imperial Stout. Liquid Mechanics had a rum-barrel aged Coconut Porter that stood out. Lone Pine Tessellation IPA represented Portland, Maine well. Fremont had a long line due to Rusty Nail and BA Dark Star on tap. Dark Star never disappoints.

The booth of the year (century, probably) belonged to Melvin Brewing. Their booth was a bus. An actual bus. They had a DJ spinning old school rap, people dancing, etc. You could almost get a sample poured when they were in between dance moves. Let's stay focused on why we're here please, people. I'm sure they gained a lot of new fans with that booth, as some festgoers are just there to party.

I think my beer of the night goes to Great Notion's Juice Box DIPA. That, or Ripe IPA. Both were really good. The word of mouth had gotten out about them, as the lines were impressive. Not Dogfish Head long, but not every booth has Sam greeting people.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

And It Hasn't Even Started Yet

Come to think of it, maybe I should just go up on Thursday from now on. You'd think, 10 years into my annual visits to the Great American Beer Festival, that I would have some clue by now on how to be prepared physically and mentally for the world's largest beer event. But sadly, I still feel like I have to participate in every event leading up to, during, and after GABF.



And so it was that I found myself in the sea of barely humans gathered in the parking lot of Falling Rock Tap House, where Melvin was hosting the IPA Throwdown, in which you throw down $40 for six 8 oz. pours from the list of 22 IPAs. The format differed from last year's free for all where you were waiting for 10+ minutes to get served and felt compelled to order 6 at a time. In the new format, you could only get one at a time poured into the glass that came with the admission fee. The new format allowed for shorter wait times but also made me feel like I had to drink them fast in case something else I wanted was about to run out. As it turns out, the only keg that kicked while I was still drinking was Other Half Double Dry Hopped Stacks on Stacks and I had gotten that one first. May as well go big. I got smart after the first couple of pours and started pouring them into plastic cups and going back for something else in order to compare and contrast the different beers. Yes, that meant drinking out of plastic cups, but comparing side by side was worth it. I recommend going to an event like this with at least one other person- that way you get to try many more samples, as long as that person isn't a selfish dick. I also ended up talking to guys from Great Heights Brewing out of Houston and shared some samples with them.

So, the list of beers I got to try:

Bissell Brothers The Substance: Looking forward to trying their beer for a long time. Tasted old school. Not impressed.

Berryessa
Cortez the Killer: Looked old school. Tasted new school. Perplexing like a blond stout but it was great.

Breakside What Rough Beast: Touted as PNW meets NE. Another really good one.

Cellarmaker Dank Williams: No haze here. Straight up dankness. Also good.

FieldworkPULP: One of the most talked about, from what I overheard. Loved.

Great Notion Juice Jr: Liked at first but had a strange aftertaste. Underripe.

Kane Mosaic Punch: Peaches and mangoes added during fermentation. It worked. Really good.

Lawson's Finest Mosaic IPA: Not Lawson's finest effort. Pass.

Modern Times Perfect Talon. Not perfect at all. Looked great, just too fruit heavy.

Singlecut
DDH Workers Are Going Home: I wanted to love it but I ended up dumping it.

The VeilIf You're Drinking This It's Too Late: One of the best. Back for seconds.

Other Half
DDH Stacks on Stacks DIPA: Also one of the top ones. Great beer.

WeldWerks Extra Extra Juicy Bits: takes the good Juicy Bits to immortal status. Possibly my favorite.

And the nightcap: I walked inside because I saw more than one person with a stout-like beer and thought, "Something good was tapped!" Just Fremont's Rusty Nail BA Imperial Stout. Just what I needed to end the night!

And so I sit here, a few hours before the first night of three sessions of the Great American Beer Festival. 800 breweries. 4000 beers. That's over 1,333 beers a night if I want to get to them all. Starting to come around now. Feeling alive. I'll let you know tomorrow how I did.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Imaginary Savings Account

I can't help myself. I guess I'm addicted to beer, if that is even a thing. You see, if a new beer hits local shelves, I find myself buying it no matter what. Take Bell's Two Hearted, for instance. I bought a six-pack knowing full well that I don't really care for it, I've been to the damn Bell's Eccentric Cafe and didn't even think to order it, even though I could have it straight from the source.
So I wasn't about to let a $13.99 four-pack of 12 oz. cans keep me from buying it when I saw it at Jubilation this weekend. That's right: a 7.3% ABV IPA selling for $13.99. What is this, a Green Flash beer?? They're flying off the shelves here, huh? No, it is from the hotbed of IPAs, Oklahoma, where Prairie Artisan Ales has taken a break from barrel-aged stouts and farmhouse ales to bring you Imaginary Friends, their first canned IPA. Is it worth $14? I don't know, are you rich? If so, buy some. Once is all I can (barely) afford.

Friday, September 15, 2017

This Could Be Rio Bravo Someday

Wow, so this is the kind of clout you have when you're one of the big boys of brewing. Bell's Brewery celebrates its New Mexico launch with no less than 9 events around the state today. From Taos to Las Cruces, stores and bars are hosting Bell's tastings and tap takeovers. Locally, Kelly liquors on Juan Tabo has a tasting from 4-6, as does the Total Wine on the west side. They will also make you feel like a criminal if you try to leave without buying anything, rest assured. Craft Republic, formerly the broke ass Fox and Hound, hosts four Bell's taps from 5-8. Sister Bar has a Bell's takeover with the standard Bell's lineup but with the added bonus of the new Kiwi Club Gose. And we know everyone loves those Goses.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

For Whom the Bell's Tolls

It tolls for thee. Yes, you! You've been asking for it for years, and now you've finally got it. Kalamazoo's finest, Bell's Brewery, will be filling up the beer shelves and taking over taps at stores and bars near you this week. Maybe Jubilation can get rid of the 10 or so facings of Golden Road and put Bell's there instead. They deserve it, right? After all, they have the NUMBER ONE RATED IPA, don't they???
Well, that's a big "sort of".

Yes, Zymurgy magazine readers voted Bell's Two Hearted Ale the best beer in the world, unseating perennial winner Pliny the Elder. Zymurgy magazine readers are a hard nut to crack when it comes to being a newer beer trying to make a name in the world. These older homebrewers are set on the classics like Anchor and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Classics for sure, and beers that have earned the recognition they get. But let's face it: Pliny hasn't been the beer I'd choose as the best in the world for years now, and I was a Pliny fanboy. Made multiple trips to Russian River, spent hundreds on bottles and growlers. Worked the parking lot trailer at Falling Rock and thought, "Cool, I'm pouring Pliny!" each time I filled a glass. And now Two Hearted unseats Pliny. Cool. It's a good beer. Maybe you'll think it's the best ever. And maybe some Zymurgy readers are still driving Oldsmobiles and grumbling that Teslas are just a flash in the pan.

But anyway, Bell's has a large portfolio of regulars and some great seasonals and specialty beers. While I may not be drooling at the thought of seeing Bell's Best Brown Ale on tap everywhere in town, there are a number of Bell's beers I look forward to drinking. May even pick up a sixer of Two Hearted for old times sake.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Mosaic Promise: Made to Be Broken

Founders latest release to hit Albuquerque is Mosaic Promise, a 5.5% ABV single-hopped Pale Ale. The advertising for Mosaic Promise invites you to "Experience the art of aroma". I hate that phrase, hated typing it. I feel like the person who does the voice in the Jaguar commercials would be chosen to voice it if Founders did a commercial for this beer. So does the Mosaic Promise deliver as advertised? Well, yes, if all you're looking to "experience" is the smell. It smells amazing. But the taste doesn't live up to the smell. At 5.5%, I'd expect more body, but the beer comes off as more of a weak Session IPA. I'd actually take Easy Jack or Go To IPA over Mosaic Promise. The artwork is very nice, and if Founders told me to "experience the art of art" with this label I would gladly do so. However, Founders is more likely to tell me to go F myself, as I can't recommend this beer. I know Founders can make great hoppy beers: how about bringing back Double Trouble? Wake me up when Canadian Breakfast Stout gets released.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Hurricane Harvey Benefit at Tractor Brewing

Hops for Harvey, an event benefiting victims of Hurricane Harvey, takes place at Tractor's Wells Park location on Wednesday, September 6 beginning at 3 pm. 24 NM Brewers Guild member breweries donated kegs for the event, where 100% of the proceeds from beers sold will go to help people affected by the hurricane. Remember Katrina in 2005? Did you know that a lot of the people in New Orleans put out by Katrina ended up making a new home in Houston? I don't know how many were hit again, but they had to be asking, "Um, God? What did I do to piss you off this much???" Just an awful situation where people are rendered helpless. I feel that way when the power goes out and I can't charge my phone. This is real tragedy, and kudos to Skye Devore at Tractor for organizing Hops for Harvey, and to the 24 NM breweries who donated kegs. The event goes until midnight.

Friday, September 1, 2017

There Once Was a Man From Nantucket

Rupture, Odell Brewing's latest Pale Ale release, takes me back to the elementary school days when kids would share classical pieces about the girls in France, diarrhea, and one that I never really understood the logistics of, but was unsettled by nonetheless: When you're walking down the hall and your balls hit the wall, it's a RUPTURE! It's a RUPTURE! I still can't figure out how a clothed person could pull off this feat, and the visual of someone trying gives me a headache, but I guarantee you this- I will NEVER stop thinking about it. Odell hurt no balls (that I know of), only whole cone hops, in the making of Rupture. They manufactured a machine that grinds the hops and they say that it essentially ruptures the lupulin, releasing those good oils and science stuff and blah blah blah. They claim to only grind what is needed to brew that day. Like a coffee place grinding coffee beans fresh to order. Or a Subway Sandwich Artist baking that disgusting bread daily. Soft, mushy bread. Rupture is a good beer, though. It has excellent aromatics, is low in bitterness, and has the hop forwardness of an IPA. Six-packs are available at your local liquor store for about $10. Be careful if you're walking there.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Cheddar's Just Got a Little Busier

The sad news in the local beer world today is the closing of Chama River Brewing Company. The mix of fine dining with craft beer worked for a long time, but the increasing number of breweries with a more welcoming atmosphere and led to Chama's demise. I have many fond memories of Chama River, the first of which came when it was still Blue Corn Cafe. This was where I first saw Ted Rice, who went on to found Marble Brewery. He was lugging around sacks of grain and I remember thinking, "Man, that does not look fun." I had fun drinking his Chama creations, most notably the Dangerous Intentions Pale Ale.
The first NM IPA Challenge I attended was at Chama in 2005. Il Vicino won with their Wet Mountain IPA.
I enjoyed the busy but fun discounted Wednesday pint nights, drinking Copper John Pale Ale and Sleeping Dog Stout.
I went to a beer dinner there once. Quail legs. Never again.
I interviewed Jeff Erway there when he was Head Brewer during the early days of this blog. The March Hare, Dr. Strangehop, and Dr. Hopgood ring a bell?
Justin Hamilton and John Bullard both put their time in as brewers at Chama and they're both the better for it, I'd say. Not sure if any of the former servers went on to table waiting greatness at other establishments.
It's a part of Albuquerque brewery history that meant a lot to many of us who have been around the scene for a while, and I'm sorry to see them close. Raise a glass to the memory of Chama River Brewing Company.


Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Stone is Barely Legal

Finally, Stone is old enough to drink itself. The iconic brewery that is as determined to remain independent as it is to making every variety of IPA possible has added another to its portfolio: 21st Anniversary Hail to the Hop Thief DIPA. Stone didn't throw every popular hop into this one, choosing instead to use Magnum, Pekko (which they featured in last year's dry-hopped Old Guardian Barleywine), Hopsteiner experimental 06300 (featured in the Heretic-Stone-Beachwood collaboration beer), and, ok, one popular hop, Mosaic. The finished product is 9.8% ABV and a relatively tame 80 IBUs. So does the choice of hops work in this beer? Well, the taste is classic Stone West Coat Style DIPA, which they are as responsible for creating as Pizza Port and Green Flash. There's a big, big hop punch but also a grapefruit candy-ish flavor that you may love, or it may not be your thing. I don't know. I can see it being a big hit. The price is classic Stone as well: $9 bucks gets you a piece of history, as long as you live in one of the 49 states that carries Stone. West Virginia gets nothing.

Monday, August 14, 2017

It's Hopfest Time Again

Want 10% off Hopfest tickets? Sure you do! Go here and enter the code MONDAYS to save 10%. Only good till midnight tonight! General Admission tickets are only $30 as it is, but those three bucks could buy you a couple of Clif bars to sustain you for the millions of unlimited samples you're going to drink. Or it can be a tip for your Uber driver. Oh, what's that? You're still boycotting Uber? Well, keep banging those protest drums, and remember: righteous indignation is only cool if I'm the indignant one. And I usually am indignant about most things, but I'm excited for Hopfest. I've said before that Hopfest is my favorite beer fest in NM, though the one that was put on at the zoo a couple of years ago has to be a close second, right? Anyone still waiting in line for a beer there?

Hopfest is happening on August 26th from 2-6 at Isleta Casino and Resort, the hottest hangout between I-40 and the Los Lunas Chili's. Over 70 breweries will be pouring a multitude of styles. Betcha can't drink just one. There will also be three stages with seven bands playing throughout the fest. There are additional pay as you go events this year, such as a $10 beer and cheese pairing featuring Marble beers and Whole Foods cheeses. There's also a $10 sensory analysis class offered by Craft King Consulting's Angelo Orona. Learn why your beer tastes the way it does and why you like it. Angelo will tell you. He's not scared. A free event features Chris Jackson, author of Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap. He'll be signing copies of his book. The book is not free.

The ticket prices are as follows:
$60 for VIP, which gets you an hour of extra sampling plus VIP pours every hour, food pairings, and a souvenir. This is where my money would go.
$40 for Extra Hoppy Hour, which does not mean you have to drink hoppy beers for a whole hour, but rather you have an hour more of drinking than the other entrants.
$30 general admission gets you in the door for 3 hours of glorious beer sampling.

There is a ticket party happening Tuesday from 5-8 at Rio Bravo Brewing, and you can go to either Tractor location to buy tickets as well, just in case you aren't into that online buying stuff. And aren't a human.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

IPA Day

It's National IPA Day. I know for some that's every day. For others, it's all Gose, all the time. AB InBev seems to be pushing the Golden Road and 10 Barrel stuff hard- you can see the stack of 10 Barrel's Apocalypse IPA pictured at Whole Foods for the low price of $10.99. I broke down and bought a single bottle to test out. IF it was good, I would tell you, big bad corporate owners and all. But this beer blew. A few sips and down the drain it went. Happy IPA Day indeed. Know what else I did? I bought a mixed six-pack at Smiths. Really. But it was because they had the Sam Adams Brewing the Dream pack broken down into singles. And since Bosque was one of the featured breweries that took part in the Accion program and subsequently landed John Bullard's face on a Sam Adams bottle, I had to put a couple of those Bosque Desert Kaleidoscope IPAs in the mix, along with the new Stone Hop Revolver single hop (Mandarina Bavaria), two of the 2017 Sierra Oktoberfests, and...a Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA. Haven't rushed to open that one yet. The Sierra was fine. The Stone was fine. The Sam Adams/ Bosque beer was, well...leave it to Sam Adams to dull down a Bosque IPA. Tasted extremely old school, which isn't an indictment, but it certainly isn't a glowing endorsement especially when you taste it side by side with one of Bosque's taproom IPAs. Cool to see the Bosque guys on the bottle, at least: I'll put it next to my Ben Miller Sam Adams bottle. Anybody else still have an unopened one of those?

Saturday, July 29, 2017

2017 NM IPA Challenge

One brewer told me, while commenting on the 2017 NM IPA Challenge, "I thought there were a lot of solid beers this year, unlike last year." Funny, I thought the same thing, only I thought that last year. This year, I thought there were mostly middle of the road IPAs along with some roadkill IPAs. But first:

The location- Steelbender. Plenty of room to sit, at least at the late time I arrived. However, waited over 20 minutes for a tray when there were only 8 people ahead of me. The delay? Not enough plastic cups. They were waiting for servers to collect finished trays so they could wash the plastic cups and reuse them. Hey Brewers Guild, up everyone's dues by 5 cents and stockpile enough for the next 10 IPA Challenges, ok? Those things aren't going to go bad.

The pours: I was lucky(?) enough to get a generous tray but I saw another tray just before mine that had half of what I got. I would have been a little miffed had I been that customer if they had seen me with my Big Gulp tray.

The beers: Started out very promising. Number 1, which turned out to be Quarter Celtic's, was very solid. Then it went onto a bunch of meh: 2, Ponderosa was bitter, 3, Boxing Bear, was ok, 4, Second Street, was decent, 5, Starr Bros, sucked, 6, well, turned out I got 2 of number 5, so I got double suck. Tried someone else's number 6, Bow and Arrow, and got a Belgian beer instead of an IPA. Yeah, that'll win. 7, Marble, didn't stand out. 8, Steelbender, wasn't very good. 9, Blue Corn, and 10, Tractor, got a "Nah" and a "No" in my notes, respectively. 11, Picacho Peak, wasn't bad but I got butter out of it. 12, Canteen, was finally another good one. 13, La Cumbre, was my favorite but had a poor showing overall. 14, 377's first IPA Challenge beer, was surprisingly decent. It got an "Ok!" in my notes. You can see I take intricate notes in my judging process. I can now understand why 377 got a lot of votes at the first event at Duel. I initially figured it was ballot stuffing but no. 15, perennial favorite Bosque, had a good entry, but...

Boxing Bear repeats with a 104-101 victory over Bosque. I'll be honest, that Boxing Bear entry wouldn't have placed in my top 5. And I picked Boxing Bear last year, so it's not like I dislike their beer. Just not my choice this year. On my choice of La Cumbre as the winner, a prominent brewery owner said, "Finally, someone with half a brain!" There may have been only 30 of us half-brains who voted for them, but exceptional people are never part of the masses. That's why we're exceptional.

Friday, July 28, 2017

GABF Public Ticket Sale Looms

And here I thought tickets were impossible to come by back when you had to physically wait in line for them. I lined up overnight for tickets one time: waited all night in a sketchy city for the Ticketmaster location to open, only to find that this one wasn't open on Saturdays. Rushed down to another part of the city, where a department store had a Ticketmaster office hidden on a forgotten upper floor. Stayed up all night for mediocre seats. But all that has changed with the internet. Now you can (have to) be ready to click on tickets the second they go on sale, like I did for a beer release recently. One second, tickets not yet available. OK. Next second, tickets available: choose quantity. OK, I choose, click on NEXT. Sorry, this item is no longer available.
What.
The.
F.
It was available for all of five seconds, then gone. That's the reality of online ticket sales now. And it will be a struggle to get those GABF tickets in an age where everyone has discovered craft beer. They'll wait online so they can then wait in line to get into a place where they will line up over and over again to try beers. And you know what? IT'S SO WORTH IT. You know me. I don't get excited about much. But the feeling when you walk into the exhibit hall and hear the bagpipers and the buzz of all the other beer freaks there and there's all that wonderful beer waiting to be discovered...there's nothing like it!

So when the public sale begins on Wednesday, August 2nd at 12 EST (that's 10 am here in Albuquerque, you know), be on Ticketmaster and hope for the best. 3,800 beers are waiting to meet you.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

New Bears and Birthday Bears

If you were tired of only seeing April-dated cans from the Firestone Walker Leo Vs. Ursus series, well, aren't you the spoiled little thing? It's not THAT old, and still within the window that most breweries allow for an IPA/DIPA. Some breweries date their hoppy offerings as being good for 6 months, which I find absurd. And I'll admit to being one of the spoiled consumers who doesn't want to buy a 3 month old IPA, though I find the beers which use a light malt base (Like Firestone Walker's use of Pilsner malt in the Leo Vs. Ursus series) to hold up over time better than, say, a Great Divide Hercules. So now we have Adversus, the follow-up to the home run that was Fortem, the original in the lion vs. bear series. 8.2% ABV, only 55 IBUs (remember when people were crazy about IBUs!), and hopped with six varieties: Citra, Mandarina, Azacca, Cascade, Ekuanot, and Simcoe. Is it in the same class as that delicious Fortem? Well, it's worth trying. And Jubilation has single cans available so you don't have to commit to a whole 4-pack. If you don't like it, I bet you can find some fairly fresh Fortem out there. And speaking of Jubilation, it looks like they're almost down to the end of their stock of LAST YEAR'S Lagunitas Sucks. They're selling the December 1st, 2016 brewed beer in the singles section. Just so you know.

Happy 3rd to Boxing Bear! I stopped by there yesterday and found it to be as busy as it was when they hosted the IPA Challenge, which was plenty busy. Tried their long-awaited New England style Eastern Standard IPA. Found it to be very good as a beer, but didn't quite have the look of feel of standard bearers Other Half, Tired Hands, or Monkish. Also tried the 11.1% ABV TKO Triple IPA, the beer brewed specifically for their 3rd Anniversary. Kind of reminded me of the excellent Waldo's Special Ale, with a massive tropical hop presence and sweetness from the high ABV. This is one I plan on drinking fresh. Bottles are available for $15. Boxing Bear continues to crank out quality beers with an emphasis on IPAs. I like that.

Friday, July 7, 2017

The Big Guns Are in Town for the Big Cans

Come one, come all to the 14th annual Brewery Collectibles Show and swap meet being held at Drafty Kilt Brewery from 10-1 tomorrow. This event is always a big deal, hosting all the locals who have been collecting beer memorabilia while you were still chugging 40s in the park. Cans, bottles, caps, tin signs, etc. will be available to view and to buy. Come bring that item you found in your grandparents' house and get it appraised: it's like Antiques Roadshow for beer.
This year's event is extra special: the national board of directors for the Brewery Collectibles Club of America will be attending and touring local breweries in preparation for Albuquerque hosting the BCCA's national CANvention in 2019. Come out tomorrow and show the bigwigs how much the craft beer scene impacts the city. Make friends with them. Buy them lapdances at Knockouts.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Beer Week: Saturday, June 3rd

Cazuela's is hosting Yappy Hour, an adoption/fundraiser event benefiting Watermelon Mountain Ranch. You could spend your money on worse things. Event goes till 3.

Quarter Celtic releases their first Gose style beer, Mangose. Gose is where the money is at these days. Anderson Valley isn't selling much Hop Ottin' here anymore, but the Blood Orange Gose is chugging along.

Upslope continues their close Beer Week friendship with M'tucci's Market and Deli as they host a beer dinner together. Din-din served at 7.

Some pretty special Great Divide beers at Nob Hill Bar and Grill: Barrel-Aged Yeti and She Said, I Brew: a barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Possibly wine-barrel aged?

The girl scout cookie/Sierra Nevada beer flight pairing returns to O'Niell's, this time at the Juan Tabo location. Shouldn't this be a milk stout pairing? Milk and cookies? No? Oh.

Tractor Nob Hill hosts Cider Day Night fever. Tractor cider and DJ Wae Fonkey spinning disco "hits". And you don't have to drink cider if you're there, so you've got that going for you. Which is nice.

Red Door hosts a Food Truck Battle at noon. Try treats from a number of local food trucks and drink some milk stout. Or cider. But you don't have to drink cider, which is nice.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Beer Week: Friday, June 2nd

Rock and Brews hosts a rock paper scissors event with Upslope beers featured throughout the night. Top 5 finishers get prizes. I'm the world's worst at this game so I don't approve. I suck at chess as well. F you Bobby Fischer. The cutting/covering/crushing starts at 5.

Oskar Blues breaks out the secret stash on Friday night at Nob Hill Bar and Grill. You already know NHBG gets the best taps. Come see what Oskar Blues has to offer for Beer Week.

Is this the most anticipated event of Beer Week? For Tums it is. Tower of Sour returns to Back Alley Draft House at 6 with over 20 sours, live music, and a New Belgium bike giveaway! $25 gets you 6 samples and a 10 oz. pour. $45 gets you unlimited sampling. $55 gets you an hour early admission, unlimited sampling, food, and superiority. $10 just gets you in the door. Because I like to watch.

Tastings and tappings: Sierra Nevada at both Gecko's locations at 4. Total Wine is serving up Goose Island Samples, and Whole Foods on Academy is sampling La Cumbre beers. La Cumbre Brewing Company is also serving La Cumbre samples.

Tractor Wells Park hosts Art Fight 32: Electric Boogaloo at 7. Or Beer Week edition. One of those. Come watch angst in the form of art being created live, soon to be available at your local thrift store.

Night Out Cards at Tractor Nob Hill, 7 pm. Apparently, this is the "traveling truth or dare game for adventurous people". Alcohol and a game of Truth or Dare, nothing bad could ever come of that, right?

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Beer Week: Thursday, June 1st

Whole Foods' Sandia Saloon hosts a tapping of Marble's new Guava Gose. Not into guava? Hit up the produce section and squeeze your own choice of fruit into your beer.

Beer dinners abound: Freight House hosts an Upslope dinner at 6:30. Bien Shur hosts a Marble dinner at 6. Decisions, decisions. Which dinner features pizza?

Nob Hill Bar and Grill does it again, this time with a keg of Cascade's Sang Royal, a cabernet/port barrel-aged sour.

Battle of the Beer Geeks once again at Tractor Brewing. The event features local beer groups (no solo acts welcome, apparently!) as they pit their Tractor-brewed creations against one another in a public vote. There is no partisanship to see here; move along! Dark Side Brew Crew vs. Babes in Brewland vs. Wort Hogs vs. Dukes of Ale vs. ABQ Craft Beer Drinkers. Tasting begins at 6, voting ends at 8.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Beer Week: Wednesday, May 31st

Rock & Brews, where've you been all Beer Week? At least they are hosting a tapping of Idaho 7, Marble's latest Pale Ale release. Idaho 7 is the type of hop used, for all you beer trivia rejects.

The Barley Room is like another state away from where I live. After a Founders Imperial Stout, my house may as well be another continent away. A rare sighting of that Imperial Stout as well as PC Pils and All Day IPA.

Odell takes some of the taps over at Freight House in Bernalillo. 90 Schilling, Drumroll APA, IPA, and Brazzle (raspberry sour) will be pouring.

Marble's Brett IPA is released today, with a 5 pm Brett IPA/food pairing at all locations.

A chance to win a Firestone Walker longboard and free FW samples, including Bretta Rose. Thanks, Jubilation! Sampling goes from 4-6.

Total Wine, Jubilation's good friend, is also hosting a tasting and giveaways, also at 4. This one from Odell Brewing.

Irish Cream Porter, a special IPA, and Kilt or be Kilt Scotch Ale are featured on cask at Quarter Celtic today starting at 5.

Wine tasting at a brewery during Beer Week? Hmmm. Ok, well, Gruet wine pouring at Tractor with Cheese and Coffee Downtown providing food pairings. Event starts at 7.


The Grain Station hosts an early 90's themed party from 5-9. Upslope will be featured on tap and there will be a DJ spinning 90's music. Also a costume contest for the best early 90's outfits. Ok, who's coming as Chris Cornell? Too soon???

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Beer Week: Tuesday, May 30th

Kettle Sours are quite popular now, and Canteen has a special release of Social Capital, a sour with basil, coconut, and lemongrass. Your choice of white or brown rice.

Still supporting businesses on Central Ave throughout this nightmare that is ART? Goo for your! Even better for you: Tractor Nob Hill is offering $1 off pints for those who bring in a receipt from a Central Corridor business. You must bring in a receipt for something bought within the last week, so don't bother with that receipt from Bailey's on the Beach.

Marble Brewery's Westside Taproom hosts a beer trivia night from 6-8 pm with questions from the brewers themselves. Prizes awarded to the top teams. Food truck cleanup assigned to the worst.

Luponic Distortion, Parabola, Leo vs. Ursus, Kreiky Bones. Those Firestone Walker beers sound incredible on their own, but pair them with a dinner at Nob Hill Bar and Grill? Well, now you have a Firestone Walker beer dinner! Event starts at 6:30. Call 266-4455 to see if there is still space for you.

Drafty Kilt, home of Mike Campbell's award-winning beer, is pairing beers with local food trucks. Event starts at 5.

Taco Tuesday at Sister just got better: Upslope will be bringing cans of Citra Pale Ale to go along with your tacos. Tacos and canned beer seem to go together best, right?

Tractor Wells Park is teaming with Cheesy Street to create a flight of 4 assorted mini grilled cheese sandwiches along with 4 Tractor beers for $13. If that's not enough, karaoke starts at 7. Sing Bobby McGee with a mouthful of grilled cheese, I dare ya. You'll still sound better than Janis Joplin ever did. Yeah, I said it. Pairings start at 5.

Four Peaks and Farina Alto are pairing up for a beers and bites event. If you tell the Four Peaks rep that you don't like their beer, he'll bite the f*** out of you. And Hop Knot is good, so just keep your mouth shut and behave, ok?

Monday, May 29, 2017

Beer Week: Memorial Day

A fairly light day of events on this Memorial Day. Enjoy your cookouts!

If you are going out, it's probably to Marble for their Memorial Day Festival, which starts at 3. Four bands, food trucks, Double White.

Firestone Walker sampling at both Total Wine locations. If you go to the westside location, you can buy the can of Avery Raja DIPA that was canned on 12.10.2015. A real collector's item.

Calling all know-it-alls: Tractor Brewing presents Beer Geek Trivia, hosted by the NM Dark Side Brew Crew. Think you've got enough beer knowledge to stand above the rest? Get out there and prove it! Questions start at 7.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Beer Week: Sunday, May 28

The BIG Beer Week takes place at Sandia Casino today: ABQ Blues and Brews. The fest has been a favorite of local beer fans for 7 years now and is largely responsible for getting people turned on to the craft beer scene. Over 70 breweries and 4 hours of tasting makes for a busy day. Get some food in you first!

It's an Oregon invasion as Deschutes takes over the taps at Gecko's in Nob Hill. Is Deschutes on AB-InBev's radar for buyout? What's your guess for the next craft brewery to get bought out?

Pints, Planks, and Pups is going on till 6 at Rio Bravo. Come adopt an animal in need of a friend. $1 from each pint sold will go to Animal Humane.

Defying Gravity Car Club wants to show off their rides without turning Central Ave. into a standstill. Instead, they'll be in the parking lot of Ponderosa Brewing from 1-4. Ponderosa is also doing that tapa/beer pairing all day/all week.

It's always nice to see breweries get together to make a beer. Dialogue and Quarter Celtic did just that, and the result is Common Irish Conversation. I suppose a common Irish conversation topic is alcohol. Actually, I know it is.

Head over to Imbibe for a pairing of KBS and your choice of cigar. Buy a KBS or PC Pils and get $1 off your cigar purchase. I can see KBS and a cigar together, but a cigar and a Pilsner- not so much. There's my expert recommendation for you.



Saturday, May 27, 2017

Beer Week: Saturday, May 27

As if the Santa Fe location at Green Jeans wasn't busy enough, they're throwing a party to celebrate Beer Week. An all day party featuring Bocadillo's TV star chef Marie Yniguez cooking up a storm while you sit back and enjoy your beer. Party is going on now!

O'Niell's Juan Tabo presents The Beer Olympics: channel your inner Bruce Jenner and challenge your team of four in olympic style events. I'm betting there will be no swimming nor ice skating. Event starts at 2.

Eclectic Pizzeria hosts a family style dinner with Upslope Brewing. So get ready to yell at the people across the table about how they held you back and mom always treated them better than you. Fights cost $25, start at 7.

The Freight House in Bernalillo is holding a pig roast and special Marble tapping at 1 today. "Hi, can you scoop me out some of that belly, please?" Marble Flower Digger Pale Ale, featuring NM lavender, will be tapped to complement your pig.

The annual 505 Collaboration beer is being tapped at multiple breweries today. Golden Strong, a well-hopped Belgian Strong Ale, is this year's special beer.

A fundraiser for NMARB Youth Music program takes place today at Rio Bravo at 1. Lots of music, including Red Light Cameras (the Lachiomas have been camped out since last night to get a good seat) and Le Chat Lunatique will be performing. Art stuff, food trucks, beer, fun. I wish I had been more diligent in learning an instrument as a kid. Maybe if my mom forced me into guitar instead of trumpet I would have cared.


Does running from brewery to brewery sound fun to you? Or safe? If so, join the Hash House Harriers at Canteen beginning at 2 as they drink and run, drink and run from brewery to brewery. Where's my Uber?


Friday, May 26, 2017

ABQ Beer Week: Friday, May 26

Friday, the day where its almost a law that you have to drink. The police have enough to worry about rather than come after your ass for teetotaling, so hit up some of Friday's Beer Week events.

Red Door is releasing a Blackberry Hefeweizen at both of their locations. I love the look of the downtown location. There's lots of empty space on Gold St. Wouldn't it be cool if all those business spaces were filled with brewery taprooms? Like 6th St. in Austin has all those music venues, or the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego has all those douchebag bars? We could have Brewery Boulevard, where Albuquerque craft beer is the only alcohol served.

Remember: when it happens, you read the idea here first.

Be honest: Have you been getting growler fills at Jubilation? Why not? What do you want, an Altbier collaborated on by Mother Road from Flagstaff and your own Tractor Brewing? You got it. Fills (and a tasting of various Mother Road cans) begins at 4 pm.

Tractor hosts a rare tap takeover from one brewery in another's brewery. Yup. Rowley's Farmhouse Ales will be the focus of Sour Hour, featuring John Rowley's spectrum of sour beers. From 5 pm till they're all gone.

Sister Bar already carries La Cumbre handles. Tonight, they'll carry a lot more! Stick around for music from Biome and Esh One. Taps at 5 pm.


Nob Hill Bar and Grill, you always get the good kegs! Bourbon County Brand Stout makes a glorious return, joined by Goose Island's first beer in the Cooper Project: a barrel-aged Scotch Ale! Something that tastes like a bourbon-y band aid or something that tastes like a bourbon-y band aid but gets described as something more acceptable, like "peaty"? You be the judge. I'm actually excited to try it, as Goose Island just does something magical with their barrels, but mad I won't be able to until Saturday...please leave me some.

Sing it with me:

Hop on
Hop off
Hop On Hop Off: The Brew Cruise

Thank you to The Clapper for giving us a tune that will live forever. And thank you to ABQ Trolley Co. for driving a bunch of eager beer drinkers to 4+ breweries in this "Hop On, Hop Off Brew Cruise" 3-hour tour that begins at 7. All participating breweries will offer a discount to those wearing their ABQ Trolley stickers, and free beer to those wearing K-Swiss.

That is, you should get free beer for wearing K-Swiss. Don't sue me if it doesn't happen.

Monroe's? The place that the little kid does the radio ads for? And they're participating in Beer Week?? Excellent. Loteria for prizes and Upslope pouring freely* (not the same as being poured for free). The games begin at 5 pm. Don't drink the Fabuloso.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

ABQ Beer Week 2017, Day One

This is the week you've been waiting for. Not the one where your attempt at the Whole 30 Diet ends, though the amount of drinking you'll do is probably the same both weeks. ABQ Beer Week 2017, in my opinion, is the best lineup of events since the whole dang thing started. Here's some highlights of Thursday's events. All events can be viewed at Abqbeerweek.com

Bow & Arrow has quietly been releasing solid beers at their chic location since they opened, and this dry-hopped Sour Farmhouse Ale should be no exception. A refreshing way to kick off the long week.

All Beer Week long Ponderosa will be featuring a different beer with a different tapa for only $7. Want to know what this one's going to be? Don't ask me, I just work here. At the computer. The tapas deal runs from 3-6 each day.

M-Tucci's Moderno joins in the Beer Week fun with a special tapping from Upslope Brewing at 4 pm. Upslope has been sending some nice stuff down here in those 19 oz. cans, including a tequila barrel-aged Barleywine and a barrel aged Coffee Stout.

Get a sneak peek of Chris Jackson's upcoming book, "Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap" at Jubilation. A small amount of books will be there for you to get signed. Pre-orders for the book will also be available for those of you who couldn't get an early copy.

Bubba's 33, home to all the sports on TV and all the pickups in the parking lot, will be hosting an Alaskan Brewing tap takeover a 4 pm. Some Alaskan Smoked Porter sounds pretty good right now...


Marble Brewery's most popular event? Beer and Cheese takes place at the Heights Taproom this year, with the usual format: 5 cheeses, 5 beers, $25. Get your tickets NOW; they sell out every year. Event begins at 5 pm.

The official beer of Pork and Brew, Big Sipper IPA, will be released in cans as well at Tractor Wells Park. The Silver String Band performs 7-10.

Sierra Nevada beer paired with Girl Scout cookies at O'Niell's on Central? Sure, why not? You know the moms who do all the selling of the cookies for their kids? They'll be there. They won't be selling anything, but you can buy them a drink. Event starts at 7.

Torinos at Home hosts a multi-course beer dinner with La Cumbre Brewing Co. at 6. Salmon slider, beef filet, peach tart, arancini...yum.

Have a big belly and a Tommy Bahama shirt? Then come to Jinja on the westside for a a cigar night with Jake and Harley's Cigar Gallery and a tapping of Alaskan's Perseverance, Raspberry Wheat, and Summer Kolsch. Cigars are from Perdomo's Craft Series. Event starts at 5:30.







Friday, April 7, 2017

Leo vs. Ursus vs. Waldo

Here he is! Waldo's Special Ale is Lagunitas' finest beer in their extra large portfolio of beers, High Westified and Born Yesterday notwithstanding. This year's 11.5% version is as deceptively drinkable as the previous year's, though the high ABV may be the beer's only flaw. Hard for me to justify drinking multiples of these on a weeknight, but it's so hard to stop at one bottle. The drinkability is one of the things that makes this such an accomplishment. What other beers in this ABV range are as light and easy to put down? Maharaja? No way. Devil Dancer? Hell no! Pliny the Younger comes to mind, but you can't walk into Jubilation and buy a six of Pliny the Younger, though I'm sure many have asked! And the price- what, like $12 for a six-pack? Well done, Heineken Jr.

With Fortem, the first rotating DIPA in the Leo vs. Ursus series, Firestone Walker puts its name in the UNFILTERED beer category (also joining Avery in the dead-language Latin category of beer). Because, as we all know, an IPA isn't truly an IPA unless it's UNFILTERED. For one, though, the beer is mostly clear, which is sure to disappoint haze-heads. And second, doesn't Firestone Walker know that an IPA can't be taken seriously unless it comes in a can with a wraparound sticker label? That's how you know an IPA is truly legit. As FW themselves put it, "Fortem has been left unfiltered for a full hop impact." Yeah, impact on their sales by calling it unfiltered!
All idiocy aside, Firestone Walker has released their best DIPA yet. No, it isn't hazy, but it does have that great mouthfeel people are looking for these days. Way toned down from Double Jack's 9.5% to 8.2%, Fortem has the low-bitterness, high juice factor. Non-believers who put it next to a Monkish DIPA to look for flaws should put it next to a Great Divide Hercules DIPA...then tell me it isn't a modern DIPA. A four-pack of 16 oz. cans goes for $13.99 at Whole Foods on Carlisle- certainly a modern DIPA price!

Friday, March 31, 2017

Free Tickets to Food Truck Festival

Yes, this is what it has come down to. I have such little faith in peoples' attention span that I have to offer the giveaway in the title. But that slight wasn't meant for you. No, you care enough to read all the way to the end.Good reader.

Poll any local brewery's beertenders and ask what the main thing people call about is and they will likely say it's people wondering, "What food truck will be there today?" That or, "Uh, yeah, are you guys hiring?" Because nothing shows initiative like sitting at home and calling a business rather than actually showing up and filling out an application.

Food trucks have become a huge part of the experience of visiting Albuquerque breweries, both to my delight and dismay. Dismay because I saw a need for a food truck (at least parked outside downtown bars) back in 2006; even wrote a business plan for it but never followed up on the idea. And look at the phenomenon it has become: trucks outside every brewery that doesn't have its own kitchen, and even a food truck meets craft beer festival.

On Saturday, April 8, from 12-6 pm, Food Truck Festivals of America presents the 3rd Annual Great New Mexico Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival at Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum, or, as locals simply call it, balloon fiesta park. Lots of good beers to choose from, with the list including:

Dogfish Head - Sea Quench, Flesh n Blood, 60 Minute
Avery Brewing- White Rascal, Liliko'i Kepolo, Ellie's Brown Ale
Santa Fe Brewing – Happy Camper IPA, Freestyle Pils, Pale Ale
Sierra Blanca Brewing- Cherry Wheat, Alien Amber, Outlaw Lager
Great Divide Brewing – Colette, Yeti, Titan
Lagunitas Brewing – IPA, 12th of Never, Hop Stoopid
Ska Brewing – Modus Mandarina, Mexican Logger, Pinstripe Red
Abbey Brewing – Monks Ale, Monks Dark, Monks Tripel
Santan Brewing – Mr. Pineapple, Devils Ale, Sex Panther
Breckenridge Brewing- Nitro Vanilla, Dry Irish, Mango Pale
Sandia Cidery – apple, watermelon, cherry
Nuevo Brewing – Nuevo and Bloody Maria
Sierra Nevada- Pale Ale, Sidecar, Torpedo
Green Flash- Pure Hoppiness, Tangerine Soul Style, Passion Fruit
Rio Bravo- Roadkill Red, Pinon Coffee, Snakebite IPA
Wasatch- Hop Rising, Ghost Rider, Off Duty IPA
Pecan Brewing – Hoppin Wheat, Pecan
Upslope- Citra Pale, Craft Lager, Guava
Guns and Oil- Wheat Bock, American Lager
Ballast Point- Longfin Lager, Mango Even Keel, Sculpin

There a quite a few standout beers on that list, and it's a reflection of how times have changed. I remember seeing Pure Hoppiness listed as being on tap at Toronado San Diego a few years ago and the bartender said he had put the sign up but the beer wasn't being tapped till the next day. When I told him we were flying home the next day, he went and tapped the keg for us. That was such a big deal then, but now we can drink it in a park in Albuquerque...thanks, Obama.

The food truck list as of right now (with possible additions to come):

Big Dawg’s BBQ

Castaneda’s Kitchen- Southern fare

Curbside Pies– Italian cuisine

Europa Roaming Kitchen- European cuisine

Gourmet Doner Kebab- Mediterranean cuisine

Joe’s Grub Hub– Specialty sandwiches

JP’s Custard Cart

Karibu Caf̩РCaribbean cuisine

Lil’ Lunch Box– Chili Cheese Treats

My Sweet Basil– Gourmet sandwiches

Mystique- Burgers, brats & burritos

Nomad’s BBQ

O’Bean's Coffee Cruiser

Rescue Pizza

Saep Fire – Asian fusion

Snow Cone Xpress

Street Food Institute-International street food

I thought I knew most of the food trucks in town, but many of these are new to me. I can vouch for Street Food Institute (which employs CNM culinary students). Nomad's BBQ "truck" resembles something you'd see when you're getting your roof tarred but the BBQ is excellent.
My Sweet Basil decorates the exterior of their truck like a Williams Sonoma store and may be the closest to gourmet that you get on wheels. O'Bean's Coffee Cruiser is an East Mountain-based mobile coffee shop run out of an actual 1971 Volkswagen van. Whoa, is this coffee laced with something? I think I'm trippin'...no, wait- those are just East Mountain people I'm seeing.

Ok, so you could choose from a number of ticket options, including an 11 am early admission VIP ticket or a beer lover's package ticket. Even better, you could get in for free! I have a 4-pack of tickets along with $40 in truck bucks to give away to a lucky reader. Send an email to abqbeergeek@gmail.com with "Food Truck Festival" in the subject line and I'll randomly pick a winner. Don't want to get in for free? Go to
http://www.foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com/abq-nm to purchase tickets.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Canteen Brewhouse Gives You a Little Space

What kind of beer drinker are you? When you go out to your local pub, are you there to quietly contemplate that new offering in front of you, swirling, sniffing, sipping, repeating? Or maybe you're there to get away from drinking at home with the cat again, meeting up with the familiar group of regulars and talking about what you read on Facebook about Trump while you scan your Instagram feed? While both experiences have their worthy place, some breweries try to offer up cultural events to accentuate your drinking experience (or just to get people in the door on a cold Monday night). Art shows are common, Geeks who Drink nights abound, and poetry slams have been held at breweries, though I prefer not to be yelled at while I'm drinking, thanks. Give me some nice e.e. cummings poems instead. Educational events are less common, but Astronomy on Tap is looking to change all that. The group has held events all over the country, and the first event in NM will be held Monday, March 20 at Canteen Brewhouse. From the group's website, "Each FREE event features accessible, engaging science presentations on topics ranging from planets to black holes to galaxies to the beginning of the universe." That sounds good. Most of what I know about space came from watching the Jetsons, and I know astronomy involves a lot more math than most people care to think about. So I don't think you'll have to worry about Kepler's Law ( for each planet orbiting the sun, its sidereal period squared divided by the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit is a constant). Here, let me put it this way:












See, that's no fun. So, I'm sure you'll get a more, ahem, down to Earth presentation on the wonders and mysteries of space. Beautiful telescopic images and the like. All you wanted to know about quasars, black holes, and dwarf planets. Maybe some moon landing truthers will be there to really get the party started.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Thoughts on the National IPA Championship

Been following the Brewing News and their annual March Madness style National IPA Championship? I was a little late to the game, but I think I'm caught up now. It took me about a month to actually navigate the Brewing News' website to finally get to the brackets. The site itself may have been designed using someone's Earthlink account. And then, once you get to the brackets, you can't really look at the earlier rounds without seeing the winners from following rounds first, so some of the fun is lost. I understand this is how brackets look, but there should be a separate page where you click on the head to head matchups. And yes, I know I haven't changed anything on my site for 8 years.

Anyway, a few scattered thoughts:

I wish the system was broken into regions so NM breweries wouldn't have to face each other until later rounds.

Good to see 377 Brewery win their first round matchup against Eel River, though I think the last time I changed my website design was more recent than the last time I bought an Eel River beer.

No shame in Canteen's Exodus losing to Tamarack Brewing in the second round. Who? This Montana brewery may not be well known, but they won the Alpha King Challenge in 2016, and they're my dark horse for winning the whole thing.

Whoops. I realized I somehow missed that they lost in the third round. Well, maybe another Alpha King Challenge-winning brewery, Melvin, will win. Their Morris IPA is set to go against IPL, a LAGER from Jack's Abbey. Can't see a lager (as great as it is) beating Morris.

Then again, I couldn't see Tractor actually making it into the third round. Nice going! And even better, they somehow knocked off White Rajah, the 2015 GABF bronze medalist and probably on the short list for many degenerate gamblers. But they went down against Clark (who also knocked out Santa Fe's Snowflake in the 2nd), the hazy IPA from Quarter Celtic. But now Clark has to go up against Hopcelot from Lawson's Finest Liquids. Gulp.

Ponderosa made it out of the first round only to be brought down by NM IPA Challenge winner Bear Knuckle IPA from Boxing Bear. Bear Knuckle is all the way to the 4th round...

As is La Cumbre's former National IPA Champ Project Dank, which had to make it past Canteen's great Hopballer IPA in the third round. Tough one.

Scale Tipper also went down in the third round to a very tough opponent, Head Hunter from Fat Head's. Bosque, you guys had to let another brewery win sometime.

Sorry to see two Rio Bravo entries go out quick. Their two beers should have gone head to head. Everyone gets a trophy!

Hop Shovel from Bear Republic is a really good beer. Not surprised they've made it to the 4th.

Glad to see Dialogue win in the first round. Sorry to see Pi Brewing not.

Glad to see Chama enter a Kolsch in an IPA Challenge. Hey, if Jack's Abbey can make it 4 rounds with a lager...

Is everyone else just taking it for granted that of the 16 breweries remaining, THREE are from Albuquerque? I'd say this is a great time to live in Albuquerque...if it weren't for the damn ART construction.