Albuquerque Beer Scene

Three Floyds in NM? Bitch Please!

2012-02-11T01:19:00.007-07:00

Why have I been flying 1300 miles each year to Munster, IN to drink at Three Floyds Brewery when we get their beer here??
Well, kinda.
Thanks to the beauty of brewers getting together and brewing up a beer together, we now are all able to taste a bit of Three Floyds since we get beers distributed by their co-brewery for this collaboration, Scotland's Brew Dog. The product of the two breweries is Bitch Please, an 11.5% Barleywine aged for 8 months in single malt whisky barrels. Peated Islay malt was used in the beer as well. I wonder if the breweries flipped a coin as to who got to use the most local ingredients. And guess who won? The beer is at local Kelly Liquors and Jubilation right now, and expect to pay somewhere around $12 for a $12 oz. bottle. That's not euro price, either.

2012-02-11T01:19:00.003-07:00

2012-02-11T01:19:00.001-07:00

Frugal Friday

2012-02-10T13:04:00.002-07:00

Could be the fact that the Wyoming Blvd. Kelly Liquors shares a parking lot with a Wal Mart, or it could be just a coincidence, but they seem to have the most closeout-type sales. Today's example is the four-pack of 22 oz. Widmer Pitch Black IPA and Nelson Imperial IPA. The pack contains two of each and originally sold for $19.99. Kelly's now is offering the four-pack for $9.99. They also have individual bottles for sale for $2.99 apiece. What's the catch on this one, you ask? These beers were brewed on August 29, 2011, making the beer five months old. That's 20 weeks, for all you parents of newborns out there. I hope the beer has held up over that time, but I'm not expecting a whole lot.

Things Burquenos Drink

2012-02-08T10:48:00.002-07:00

I know all the Albuquerque folk are busy watching the "Things Burquenos Say" on YouTube and re-posting on Facebook, but I thought the headline might gain a passing glance or two.
New Belgium can't seem to make up their mind when it comes to their seasonal releases. Remember Skinny Dip, Loft, 2 Below, Mighty Arrow, etc.? Now they have introduced a new spring seasonal that sounds allll seeeeek. Dig is a 5.6% ABV Pale Ale that sets itself apart from the everyday Pale Ale by the hops it uses. Of course there are Cascade hops in the mix, but there is also the addition of lemony Sorachi Ace and tropical (and trendy, but good trendy) Nelson Sauvin hops. This is one of the few Pale Ales that have intrigued me and I am looking forward to trying it. Whole Foods on Carlisle is the first place I spotted it.

You May See a Lot More of Me

2012-02-07T16:45:00.003-07:00

Not because I started eating again instead of skipping meals in favor of drinking, either. It's that I've just found out about Designated Drivers on Demand, a local service that drives you home in your car, saving you from: a)driving drunk, or b)leaving your car somewhere sketchy and having to find a ride to your car the next day, hoping that the windows aren't all smashed out. The monthly fee is $29.99 for an individual membership or $39.99 a month for couples who reside together. Couples? Sounds gay friendly- unlike the south. The price goes down $10 if you sign up for an entire year. There is an initial sign-up fee of $50 (sounds like joining a gym or something- you think Planet Fitness is really just $10 a month??) On those rare occasions I do leave the house to drink, I have to find a ride, and mom is often too busy/won't return my calls. Then a cab ride home costs me $25, so this Designated Drivers on Demand pays for itself in two nights out drinking. And God knows I can do a lot more than two nights out drinking a month. A hefty tip seems customary, but we all know someone who is paying The Man much more than a hefty tip after getting caught driving drunk. You can find out more here: www.designateddriversondemand.com

This IS Your Grandma's IPA

2012-02-06T11:55:00.003-07:00

Finally, a new addition to the Widmer Rotator IPA series that actually comes to us fresh. Soon to be a hit in nursing homes everywhere, Spiced IPA utilizes Falconer's Flight, Zeus, Millennium, Alchemy, and those great Galaxy hops in Widmer's newest IPA. What will really have people gumming at the bit is the addition of these other ingredients: Assam black tea, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, star anise, clove, and cardamom. That's right. 7% ABV, 70 IBUs, and a science experiment in a bottle. Depending on which store you visit, you might find previous Rotator IPAs, but I know for sure that Wyoming Kelly's has it now. Just follow the line of Buicks and Oldsmobiles.

Beer Dinners Aren't Just for Dinner Anymore

2012-02-06T10:23:00.002-07:00

And for a long time, I didn't think beer dinners were my thing, either. Showering and finding a shirt to wear that had the perfect combination of being clean/not full of holes was enough to keep me home drinking my own beer. But I decided to suck it up and attend the Left Hand beer dinner at O'Niell's in Nob Hill last week.
What happens when you put a beer geek at a table with five total strangers? Things are about to get real! But since I just looovvveee meeting people, that part wasn't a problem. Give people five courses of beer and it isn't hard to talk to people. Making sense may be tough, but talking is easy.
The Left Hand offerings of Nitro Milk Stout, Nitro Sawtooth, Polestar Pilsner, Stranger Pale Ale, and Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout were all solid, and having head brewer Ro Guenzel there to talk about the beers was a nice touch. I enjoyed the food too, but wondered whether the chef was pissed at not getting to talk a little about each dish. Maybe if you ever get to cook at a food dinner, chef.
What made me not swear off beer dinners was how well prepared the O'Niell's staff was for the event. Really, I can't remember a second when my water glass was empty or wondered when my next course was arriving- the service was spot on, and that isn't easy when you have a sold out room full of people needing to be served. I recommend attending one of these beer dinners at O'Niell's. They usually run around $45, and Big Sky will be the next brewery featured. Great Job!

Saboteur Gigante

2012-02-03T11:19:00.002-07:00

Furthering the trend of taking a good everyday beer style and adding the extra Oomph! factor that today's kids are craving, Odell is proud to offer you Saboteur. This beer begins as a Brown Ale, but don't stop reading just yet- Odell puts in the twist of using Brettanomyces yeast for a funky character and then ages the beer in oak barrels. This takes the beer about as far away from Newcastle as you can get. Saboteur is packaged in 25.4 oz. bottles and is caged and corked so you can plan on getting a workout in/eye knocked out while uncorking. That isn't to say just the Odell corked beers are like that; I have trouble with corks in any beers because I am impatient when opening because I just want to get at what's inside the bottle already. You can pick up Saboteur at Jubilation for $12.99.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Oregon

2012-02-01T18:47:00.006-07:00

I guess it isn't a strange coincidence that all the beers in today's post are Oregon-brewed, considering the sheer amount of Oregon breweries. The first is an oldie but goodie for many of you: Deschutes' Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter, both of which are on sale at $10.99 a 12-pack at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming. The six-packs of each beer are selling for $7.99, so that's a $5 savings. That's good.

MacTarnahan's has been in operation in Portland, OR since 1986, meaning it only took 16 years for their beer to make its way down I-84 to I-15 to I-70 to 191 to 550 to I-25 to here. Actually, only one MacTarnahan's beer has made it here thus far. Maybe the others stopped in Salt Lake and converted. Spine Tingler is the beer we got, an 8.5% ABV Belgian Tripel style. The 22 oz. bottle is selling for $7.49, and I've seen it at Jubilation and multiple Kelly's.

Bucking the trend of Black IPAs, Bridgeport introduces a Black Pale Ale style. Not sure that is really breaking through boundaries style wise, but it stands to be an interesting beer just the same. Black Rain is the name of the 5.6% ABV beer, and it is selling for $7.99 per six-pack. I first saw this at Kelly's on Wyoming. Oregon probably has some too.

Stopping By Santa Fe on a Snowy Evening

2012-01-31T11:31:00.004-07:00

"My little horse must think it queer"...with all due respect to Robert Frost, that line made our entire 6th grade class laugh when our teacher read it. That poem came to mind after looking at the art for the upcoming Winterbrew event slated for this Friday, February 3. Thirteen breweries:Santa Fe Brewing Company, Second Street Brewery, Marble Brewery, Blue Corn Brewery, Chama River Brewing Company, Tractor Brewing Company, Il Vicino Brewery, Turtle Mountain Brewing Company, La Cumbre Brewing Company, Nexus Brewery, Sierra Blanca Brewing Company, Rio Grande Brewery and Monks' Ale will gather at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Building to celebrate the season. It is also the first NM Brewers' Guild event put on since hiring a person to basically get everybody in the Guild on the same page. Can you imagine trying to get a roomful of brewers to agree on anything? Good luck, Chris! The $15 Winterbrew ticket gets you a commemorative glass along with five tickets good for five beer samples. You may purchase additional drink tickets for a buck apiece. Small plates from a number of Santa Fe eateries including Rio Chama, Zia Diner, Junction, Epazote, Second Street, Flying Star, Whoos Donuts, Whole Foods, Slurp, and others will be sold for $1-$4 each. I'd like to see Bobcat Bite there with some burgers, then maybe that Bon Appetit magazine guy who is always on TV and looks like he should be in Nickelback would show up. As far as the beers go, expect winter-appropriate styles like Stouts and Porters as well as the usual favorites from the breweries in attendance. You can pick up your ticket at one of our locals (Marble, Chama, Turtle Mountain, La Cumbre, Santa Fe) or at the door. The RailRunner station is only a few blocks from the Winterbrew location and a 9 pm train will get you back to Albuquerque in time for bar-hopping.

Widmer's Time of the Saison

2012-01-30T12:21:00.003-07:00

Well Sacre Bleu! Widmer has done gone and fooled around with the classic Saison style and added Chocolate and Caramel malts to create Dark Saison, the 2012 style in their Brewmasters' Release series. I'm not sure how this will match up to the classic French Farmhouse-style beers, but I do know that "Dark Saison" is easier for me to say than "Avec Les Bons Voeux". I have trouble pronouncing "frites" without stuttering. The xenophobe in me doesn't mind paying the $8 to try Widmer's take on a style that, if done right, is as sublime as Pissaladiere or Brandade de Moure Marseilles. I first saw this at Sunflower Market on Lomas, though it should be appearing everywhere Widmer is sold.

One More Outburst Like That...

2012-01-27T14:07:00.003-07:00

...and you'll be drunk! Pyramid kind of flies under the radar these days, with newer breweries outdoing them in many styles, but Pyramid tries to catch up with Outburst Imperial IPA. Hops varieties abound in this beer, with Chinook, Cascade, Nugget and hops from the Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus family. The beer is dry hopped with Falconer's Flight and Zythos hops. The resulting beer is 8.3% ABV and 80 IBUs. And a six-pack is going for the very, very reasonable price of $6.99 at the Kelly Liquors on Wyoming. I haven't tried this beer yet, and I'll admit that I can't remember the last time I bought a Pyramid product, but this one might be worth a shot.

Slimmer Spring Pickings for You IPA Haters

2012-01-25T20:06:00.003-07:00

Fans of Sierra Nevada's Glissade Bock, the Maibock-style beers that Sierra previously offered as a spring seasonal, will be a bit disappointed this year. Sierra Nevada has replaced Glissade with yet another IPA, this one called Ruthless Rye. This makes back to back seasonal releases for the brewery, with their Celebration IPA being the winter release. I can understand people wishing for more variety as far as new releases go, but at least Ruthless Rye has a twist on the other IPAs: you guessed it- the rye malts. Rye pairs with pale, caramel, and chocolate for the malt bill in this beer. The hops used are Bravo, Chinook, and Citra, along with some "experimental" hops. Hope they don't leave permatrails. I first saw the 6.6% ABV, 55 IBU Ruthless Rye at the Bird of Paradise liquor store on Gibson, selling for $12.99 a 12-pack. That same store also has some bottles of Rogue's excellent Old Crustacean Barleywine in those annoyingly small 7 oz. bottles for $2.99, down from $7.99. $3 for 7 oz. may seem expensive, but the beer ages well for years and at 11.5% ABV the small bottle size is perfect for one serving.

Fall Beers: It's a Buyers Market

2012-01-23T20:33:00.002-07:00

If you have been holding out for the lack-of-interest rates in fall seasonal beers to drop before you bought, your patience will pay off with a visit to Kelly Liquors on Wyoming. There are cases aplenty of Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale and Dundee Oktoberfest on sale for $12.99 a case. I know the Pumpkin was selling for $8.99 a six-pack, and the Dundee was probably 7 or 8 bucks, so you're getting a good deal here. I'd personally trust the flavor of the Pumpkin Ale over the Oktoberfest as far as drinkability at this point in the respective beers' lives, but you won't die if you drink a bottle of Oktoberfest. Drink enough and you'll feel great.

Told Ya So.

2012-01-20T15:55:00.003-07:00

Ok, maybe I haven't been touting Albuquerque as the BEST beer city in the country, but I know it's a hell of a lot better than Ft. Lauderdale, where I'm sitting in my hotel room waiting for the beer to get cold enough. And I am proud to see we beat out Missoula, Akron, Burlington, and other "livable" cities that I would never want to live in. I'm really enjoying the weather here in Florida, but the people in any supermarket I've been to here make our Wal Mart crowds look like a high tea gathering at Buckingham Palace. Thanks to all our wonderful breweries for making the beer that earned Albuquerque the great distinction.

More Green for More Brown Than Black

2012-01-17T19:26:00.004-07:00

There's a new Stone collaboration for you to try, and if the pricing at the Whole Foods on Carlisle is an indicator, expect to pay $4.99 for the 12 oz. release. That's a buck more than the previous releases. That's a $30 six-pack. So is Stone collaborating with Tiffany's or what??
No, this beer was made with brewers from Ninkasi (a very popular Oregon brewery; one that, when you talk about Oregon beer, someone always says, "Oooh! Ninkasi!" much in the way people used to say, "Oooh! Fat Tire!" about Colorado beer way back in the day), and The Alchemist of Waterbury, VT. Both Ninkasi (Tricerahops) and The Alchemist (Heady Topper) know how to brew DIPAs. This beer lies somewhere in that blur between IPAs and DIPAs at 7.4% ABV, but I'll call it an IPA so I don't sound wimpy. Actually, I'd better call it a Black IPA, though the Ninkasi folks would probably call it a Cascadian Dark Ale. The Alchemist would call it...a Ben and Jerry, I don't know. As the name denotes, the beer is more brown than black, and the hops are pronounced. I tried this while in California last month and liked it, though I'm sure I didn't pay near $5 for it. You may want to shell out the money if you are interested in seeing what these three hop-centric breweries created together.

O'Niell's/Left Hand Beer Dinner

2012-01-16T15:49:00.004-07:00

What are you doing for dinner on Monday, January 30? I was planning on pairing my favorite Lean Cuisine flavors with Malt Liquor selections like St. Ides, Magnum, Colt 45, OE 800, and a vintage, discontinued bottle of Crazy Horse. But then O'Niell's went and collaborated with Left Hand Brewing to come up with a beer dinner that almost sounds as good as mine. For $45 per person, you can enjoy potato leek soup, spinach salad, a chicken gorgonzola and cheddar potato fritter, ball-tip sirloin with peppercorn demi glaze, and chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert. Water will be complimentary. Oh, and beer will be paired with all these dishes. Don't know if that's your thing, but...
The Left Hand beers being featured are Milk Stout, Polestar Pilsner, Stranger Pale Ale, Fade to Black Pepper Porter, and Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout. And don't think you have to make friendly with people seated around you, as Left Hand's head brewer, Ro Guenzel, will be there to make sure you drink every last drop of his beer. He may even make eye contact or sign a napkin for you. Everyone feels a little bit special when the brewer talks to them, so make your reservations here and save that Lean Cuisine for another date. Keep the St. Ides on ice for when you invite Ro over for a nightcap.

New Beer Friday

2012-01-13T13:10:00.004-07:00

Not to be confused with the mustard, Van Steenberge Brewery's Gulden Draak is now available here. A member of the highly-populated Belgian Strong Dark Ale club, Gulden Draak is 10.5% ABV and has a label depicting a dragon being gagged with a stick, or so it seems. The 25,4 oz. bottle sells for $11.99, and the beer is also sold in 4-packs of 11.9 oz. bottles for $17.99. Expensive, but European stuff is fancy.

Here's to hoping the beer is as good as the movie: Bridgeport Brewing's Kingpin Double Red Ale hit the shelves this week. An 8.5% beer, the Kingpin boasts of being "Triple Hopped". Hey, that's the same brewing process Miller Lite uses! You surely won't get Munsoned if you buy this beer. Both Kingpin and Gulden Draak are available at Kelly's on Wyoming.

Is It Right?

2012-01-12T20:08:00.003-07:00

When I walked into the Kelly Liquors on Wyoming tonight and saw they were selling the Life and Limb #2 for $24.99, my first thought was, "Man, that's a fucking rip-off!" I thought this for two reasons:
1. When the beer was released, I never saw it for more than $14.99. The Kelly's on Wyoming was one of the cheaper places.
2. If I am at a restaurant and an entree is more than $10, I raise hell. Everything is a rip-off in my opinion.
But after reflection, I'm starting to think about the worth of Life and Limb. Is it worth $25? Well, to me, not even close. In fact, I saw some just the other day at another liquor store, at the regular price, and I didn't buy it. The Kelly Liquors on Wyoming is counting on the beer selling at such a high price because of its relative scarcity, but it can still be found. Anyway, is it worth $25? If someone is willing to pay $25 for it, then I guess that's what it's worth. I can't say I'm in love with the practice of the "less we have, the more we charge", but it's their business to run. Their prices are always on the lower end of the scale, they have a nice selection, and they are friendly people. This is really the first time that I have been in that Kelly's where I was shocked by a beer's price. So if you need Life and Limb that bad that you'll pay $25 for it, then you know where to go.

New Deschutes and Some Dubious Deals

2012-01-11T20:28:00.003-07:00

Deschutes Brewery's seasonal DIPA, Hop Henge, has once again hit area shelves. And this seasonal release has actually come to us at the time the beer is supposed to be consumed, not months after every other state gets it. Hop Henge is an 8.5% DIPA that hits 95 IBUs thanks to the generous amounts of Centennial and Cascade hops in the beer. Hop Henge won the award for best Imperial IPA at the 2011 World Beer Awards. In other Deschutes news, the brewery has realized what a relevant beer city Albuquerque has become and has us penned in for a visit from their Beer Camp. Deschutes Beer Camp is a week of beer events that involves (from the press release) "Beer dinners, tastings, music, total tap takeovers and pint specials to help fans celebrate a love of craft beer". Count me in. Base Camp will be hitting Albuquerque from Oct. 22-27, and you know I will have plenty of info for you as the date approaches.

Whole Foods on Carlisle has cut prices on some very good craft beers. Problem is, a sale at Whole Foods is like offering me $1000 off a new Porsche. To be fair, Whole Foods has competitive prices on the beers they sell, but the beers on sale are pricy everywhere to begin with. For instance, Odell Woodcut #5 is down from $23.99 to $18.99 for a 25.4 oz. bottle. See what I mean? Other noteworthy cuts involve Nogne O's Imperial Stout, down from $10.99 to $6.99, and Jolly Pumpkin sours Luciernaga and Noel de Calabaza down from $14.99 to $11.99. If you've been eyeing these great beers, now is the time to pick them up. Should I add the Rogue Imperial IPA bottles, down from $7.99 to $3.99? I just did, but when you factor in the bottle is only 7 oz., I probably shouldn't have.

Double the Pils at a Reduced Price

2012-01-09T20:26:00.005-07:00

How was the first week of the new year for you? Break any resolutions yet? Since I resolved years ago not to resolve anything that would do me any good, I am still in the clear. If you resolved to spend less on beer, good luck. Until they start offering beer at thrift stores, which would actually be kinda cool..."I found a Radio Shack answering machine and a 2006 Left Hand Milk Stout at Goodwill today!". you are better off taking advantage of the deals Kelly Liquors on Wyoming offers on slightly "mature" beers. In today's case, we have Odell Double Pilsner, an 8% ABV seasonal that sold for $9.99 a four-pack when it was released and is now down to $6.99. Not as close to free as I would like, but it can make you feel like you are truly making a difference in the world in 2012 by sticking to those resolutions.

My Team Will be at Souper Salad

2012-01-06T12:19:00.003-07:00

Football season is over as far as I'm concerned, my team once again having let me down. I shouldn't say they let me down since I never expect much, but there is always that hope, ya know? For some reason I always end up watching the Super Bowl even though I just sit and stew about how my team should be in it and I eat the disgusting fifty-layer dip that someone brought and I get mad at people laughing at the commercials...my usual happy-go-lucky behavior. I was considering watching the game at Ojos Locos this year in hope that a disgruntled Raiders fan might put me out of my misery, but it looks like there is a Super Bowl party I might actually enjoy: Boar's Nest Brewery is hosting a party in the yet to open brewery space (3300 Princeton Dr NE, Suite N1) beginning at 2 pm on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5. The full lineup of Boar's Nest beers will be served up alongside barbeque type food (no word on if there will be fifty-layer dip). You can get the full picture of what is going on at Boar's Nest's Facebook page, but owner Victor Gutierrez sent me an addendum addressing some FAQs he has received since posting the event:

"1. While we will be honoring our Founding Members for their support at the Super Bowl event, no donations are required to attend. If you would like to become a Founding Member at the event, you are more than welcome to, but there is no requirement nor expectation to do so. We welcome all ABQ beer fans with open arms and want to enjoy the event with everyone!

2. For our Founding Members that RSVP with the amount of guests that they plan to attend with, we will reserve seats for them and their guests. If you plan to sit with another group of Founding Members, please make a note of it in the RSVP, so we can put you together. All other seating will be first come, first served on the day of the event.

3. RSVP's are not required, but they help us plan out food, beer, chairs, tables, etc. Please take a second to send a quick email to Admin@BoarsNestBrewery.com with the amount of people that you plan to attend with.

4. We will be using a ticket system to make beer and food purchases quick and easy. One ticket will equal one beer. Some meals will be 1 ticket, while some will require 2 tickets (i.e. 1/2 rack of baby back ribs). Tickets can be purchased with cash, credit cards, or debit cards. No checks please."

Sam Keeps Cranking Them Out

2012-01-03T12:06:00.002-07:00

A new year, a new Samuel Adams variety pack from the brewery that changed the way you think of George Thorogood's "Who Do You Love?". The Brewer's Choice collection contains three familiar styles: the trademark Boston Lager, Irish Red, and Black Lager. All decent, but not a selling point as far as I'm concerned. However, the addition of three new beers might get me to pick this 12-pack up (and at $12-$13.99 at most liquor stores, the Sam Adams packs are always a good deal). Alpine Spring replaces the Noble Pils as the spring seasonal (the Pils will now be a year-round offering) and is introduced here in the Brewer's Choice collection. Alpine Spring is a 5.8% ABV Helles Lager that is big on citrus, though not as lemon-heavy as the Coastal Wheat. The Mighty Oak Ale is an oak-aged Red Ale with vanilla and caramel notes. Finally, yet another new IPA, Whitewater, is the final addition to this mix. Not your typical IPA, though, as Whitewater is a wheat IPA brewed with apricots and spices. Hmmm. You try it first.

Santa Fe's Dark Side

2011-12-30T15:04:00.004-07:00

What, you say? Santa Fe doesn't have a dark side. In fact, the city has an abundance of people who proudly strut their stuff around the Plaza while wearing their Southwestern technicolor dreamcoats and decorate their Subarus with bumper stickers in all the colors of the rainbow. Thankfully, Santa Fe does have some people who are still living on Earth, namely homebrewer John Rowley, who collaborated with Santa Fe Brewing's Tony Cordova to create the new Black IPA. I have written before that the style is not one of my favorites, as I usually end up thinking how much better the beer would be without the roasty malt flavor. However, I got a chance to try the Rowley/Santa Fe version and was very pleased with the beer. Though the color fit the name, the hops were the star, with maybe a hint of chocolate malt coming through. Not a surprise, I guess, considering that the recipe uses Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra hops and is 92 IBUs. This 7.1% ABV beer will not be on the shelves in Albuquerque, as it is an experimental first run batch, so put on that turquoise belt buckle and trek up to either Santa Fe's Tasting Room or Eldorado Tap House, where the beer is available on tap and in bottles.

New Year's On the Cheap

2011-12-29T12:42:00.004-07:00

Throwing a New Year's Eve party rather than dealing with drunks on the road and "complimentary champagne toast at midnight!" at the bar? Generous enough not to make it a BYOB but don't want to serve up $19 bottles of Sam Adams Infinium to people who are just going to be puking it all over your carpet later?

Kelly Liquors on Wyoming, as usual, has some decent craft selections at deeply discounted prices that should please your partygoers. Widmer's X-114 IPA, the first release from their Rotator series, is on sale for $8.99 a 12-pack, or even cheaper at $16.99 a case. Since they only come in 12-packs at Kelly's, I guess that means if you bring up two 12-packs to the register you'll get the discount. These beers are on sale because they were brewed back in July, but look at it this way: it is beer for your guests, not you, and you can theme the party as "a look back at the year in beer".

Also discounted is the Montana Mixer, a 12-pack of four different styles from Big Sky. For $8.99, your guests will enjoy having the variety of Moose Drool Brown, Trout Slayer Wheat, Big Sky IPA, and a mystery beer, determined by the season when the 12-pack was released. Since these 12-packs are $5 off the regular price, you may get Summer Honey or even last year's Powder Hound Winter. It's all part of the New Year's fun, and I hope you all have a happy and safe one.

California Day Two

2011-12-24T15:48:00.008-07:00

So, you'd think that after all these years of traveling, I would be able to plan things out a little better. Even though the first part of the day depended on how long it would take to get our bottles of Beatification at Russian River, I still thought we would have plenty of daylight to do the coast drive. And we got our bottles at RR way faster than expected (the whole batch sold out by 11:20am!), leaving us plenty of time. Right?

We made it from Santa Rosa down into San Francisco without any problem, until I realized that the city founders didn't build a magic road for me that went directly to the coast. This meant stopping on the side of the 101 with cars zooming by way too close while I retrieved the map from the trunk. Yes, I actually brought the trusted Rand McNally US Atlas with me. It's nice having the phone with the GPS and everything, but sometimes it helps to have the bigger picture of where you are in relation to the rest of the state that the map gives you. After a few minor detours we were headed towards the coast. Thanks, Rand.

What I didn't take into account nearly enough was how damn early the sun sets at this time of year. By the time we were here in Monterey, it was somehow already 4 and the sun was due to set at 4:45. We couldn't even go on the famed 17 Mile Drive around the peninsula because they close the road near sundown. I didn't mind not having to pay the $9.50 fee to get on the drive.

And though it was close, my madman driving through Monterey and Hwy. 1 got us to the scenic Big Sur area just as the sun went down. However, I was soon wishing that they closed that road at sundown as well- as any of you who have done the drive can attest to, that road is damn near treacherous in the dark. I was not doing any madman driving once it got dark, I assure you. More like a white knuckle steering wheel grip while I did 20 mph through the twists and turns for hours, sure I would make a wrong move and put us over a cliff.

By the time the road straightened out, I wasn't interested in finding any breweries, just some pizza and a hotel. We ended up staying in Pismo Beach, famous to me because of that Bugs Bunny episode when I was a kid. And we were fine without visiting any breweries because we had picked up a growler of Pliny the Elder that morning. Pliny really does wonders to get rid of the stress of a long drive!

Next: Hooray for Hollywood

How's That Weather?

2011-12-22T22:49:00.006-07:00

I hear that mother nature isn't smiling so kindly there on you Albuquerque folk. Guess I picked a good time to be here in sunny California! And though I am typing this from balmy San Diego right now, the trip started up in Santa Rosa (north of San Francisco), so we actually had to deal with temperatures in the 50's! And we wouldn't have even had to deal with such low temperatures if it weren't for those lousy early beer releases. See all those people in the picture? They were patiently waiting for Russian River Brewing to open at 11 am- though I took this picture around 9:45. We had gotten there at 9 am and were still parked somewhere around 30th in line. Some had shown up in the 7 o'clock hour. All this madness of waking up early and standing in near blizzard temperatures (seriously- I had to keep switching my Starbucks from one hand to the other to avoid a chill) was for the first release of Beatification in two years.

Beatification is one of Russian River's most sought after sours, chock full of brettanomyces, pediococcus, lactobacillus, and sacchromyces- all the things a growing boy needs. It's too bad that the beer release only allowed for two of the coveted bottles per person. Also too bad is the $16 per 12.6 oz. bottle...doesn't Russian River care that I still had a lot of trip left and lots of beer to buy? At least the small release meant there was still plenty of trunk space left.
Next: why I shouldn't plan trips.

Solstice Blackout

2011-12-16T12:28:00.002-07:00

It sounds kind of sinister, doesn't it? Solstice Blackout...but I assure you, the latest of Il Vicino's events is really just a celebration of the darker beers, not a gathering of teenagers who think being pagans or wiccas is cool. Solstice Blackout consists of sampling glasses of five different dark beers: Sweet Sanderine Porter, CDL (Cascadian Dark Lager), Schwarzbier, Dark And Lusty Stout, and Passtout, an Imperial Stout. You get all of these beers for $6.00, plus a score sheet where you get to give the brewers feedback on which you liked best. The event starts at noon on Saturday at the Il Vicino Canteen.

No' Ryely IPA

2011-12-12T23:05:00.002-07:00

I'm a sucker for the Widmer releases, no matter how big a part InBev plays in their distribution. their discontinued Broken Halo IPA was a great buy when it was available. The Rotator series of IPAs has been a little hit or miss, with the X-114 and Falconer's only entered into consideration for purchase because of the good 12-pack price point. I got that little "ooohhh" feeling when I saw the latest Rotator release to hit our shelves, O'Ryely IPA. Then I saw the September 27 bottling date and I got that other "ooohhh" feeling. Took awhile to get that one to us, eh? Maybe it is because the new Chipotle restaurant has only been open a week but has sold more burritos than Widmer has sold Rotator IPAs in six months. The distributor has to try to sell out the current stock before releasing another one, even if it is a better IPA. The combination of rye malt and Nelson Sauvin hops sound like a good mix for this 50 IBU, 6.4% ABV beer, but we will have to see how time treated it. I first saw this at Smiths at Academy and Wyoming for $8.49, though keep an eye out for 12-packs at a better price.

Happy Anniversary, La Cumbre!

2011-12-08T23:42:00.003-07:00

It couldn't have been a better year for Jeff and Laura Erway, who opened La Cumbre December of 2010. In their first year of business, they have built a brewpub that has produced enough IPA to warrant new equipment, won two golds and a silver at the GABF, and, most importantly, amassed a loyal group of pub regulars who devour the beers that Jeff and brewers Kaylynn McKnight, and Nathan Zerbe make. Albuquerque craft beer lovers are lucky to have La Cumbre as a destination. I plan to make it my destination on Saturday, as they will be tapping the special anniversary DIPA. See you there.

Hey, You On the Scooter!

2011-12-08T10:48:00.004-07:00

Gimme a sec to catch my breath; I had to walk kind of fast to catch up with you. I just thought that you might like to know that your favorite brewery, Ska, has released a beer to honor one of your favorite bands, The Toasters. Yup, in honor of the group's 30th anniversary, Ska brewed up Shebeen Black IPA. I imagine that it must be named after a song or album, though you would know better than me, right? I've yet to start trying to polish up on my ska music knowledge. Perhaps the next time 97.7 changes formats it will become a ska station...yeah, I think the odds are pretty good on that one. Anyway, I won't keep you, as you're probably on your way to meet up with other scooter riders so you can terrorize the streets as you roam in your packs. But stop b y Jubilation on the way, where this Black IPA is selling for $6.99. Get an extra one to drink before the Jan. 23 Toasters show at the Launchpad.

Out of the Red, Into the Double Black

2011-12-05T21:55:00.002-07:00

Thank you, Odell Brewing. I have picked up way too much beer lately, and lower beer prices aren't exactly the trend. However, with the re-release of Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA (formerly Mountain Standard Reserve), I feel like I can buy this and and a couple of six-packs to boot. The first Mountain Standard release was in 22 oz. bottles, and sold for $10.99. The second coming of the Mountain Standard is in four-packs of 12 oz. bottles, and is the same $10.99- more than twice the beer at the same price. More beer, and better reviews as well; I have heard that this release of the Imperial Black IPA style, with roasted malt and native Colarado hops, is better than the original. Get this 9.5% ABV beer at the Whole Foods on Carlisle.

Your RDA of Fruits and Fresh Hops

2011-11-30T21:30:00.003-07:00

New Belgium sends a couple of new beers in their Lips of Faith 22 oz. bottle series: Fresh Hop IPA and Prickly Pear Saison.
The Fresh Hop IPA made use of Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascade hops from Washington State's hop harvest...from a couple of months ago. Fresh is relative, I guess. Just look at the food you can buy at Ross, meant only to be given as a gift and re-gifted, but never meant to be consumed. Let's hope the Fresh Hop IPA is better than any of that. The IPA is 7% ABV, is 70 IBUs, and sells for $6.19 at the Kelly Liquors on Juan Tabo.

Looking for a beer with a fruit other than lime in your beer (and a fruit beer other than Bud Light Lime)? New Belgium's Prickly Passion Saison adds passion fruit and prickly pear to the delicate Saison style. No longer will you have to trudge to Whole Foods for $10 worth of fruit to throw in your Jack LaLanne juicer to mix with your Saison Dupont (or your Bud Light). This 8.5% ABV Saison is selling for $9.29, also seen at the Juan Tabo Kelly Liquors.

All I Want For Christmas...

2011-11-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for a gift for the beer lover who has everything? Well, I guarantee they don't have this fancy gift basket from Marble Brewery. The package includes a Ritzenhoff geen-u-wine crystal logo goblet, dark chocolate almonds from the local Chocolate Cartel, and the brand new, very, VERY limited release Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout. The gift baskets will retail for $25 and will only be available at three places: Marble Brewery, Jubilation and Quarters on the west side of town. While the shopping locations are limited, at least you won't have to go to the mall, where you know you'll just end up circling the Hickory Farms display for samples and taking a nap in a Brookstone vibrating chair. Plus, you buy a gift basket, you'll be satisfied knowing that you're buying that special someone a gift that that will actually enjoy for a change.

The baskets will be available starting Thursday, December 1, also the day of the release party for the Imperial Stout at Marble Brewery. From 5 to 6, draft pours of the beer will be available to mug club members only. After that, it's open season, but there are only a few kegs of this 11% beer. Individual bottles of the stout will be available for sale so you can treat yourself to an early present or two.

Better Than a Cask of Amontillado

2011-11-27T22:46:00.003-07:00

Poe little me, having to drink Bridgeport's new Imperial Porter, Raven Mad. This 7.5% ABV beer returns from the Rue Morgue after being retired in 2008. It has the enticing mix of aging 50% in whiskey barrels and 50% with oak, and a price tag that won't leave you weak and weary like many of the other "Imperial" style releases lately: $5.99 for a 22 oz. bottle. I picked this up at the Kelly Liquors on Wyoming.

Blink and You'll Abyss It

2011-11-21T22:52:00.004-07:00

This is hard for me to do. My instincts (probably all the way down to my DNA) are telling me to keep this to myself. But I feel it is my duty as an official blogger (and I am proud to say I can be in the 2011 edition of "Who's Who: Bloggers" as long as I pay a $120 handling fee) to tell you that Deschutes The Abyss is here...for now. NM was only allotted a miniscule amount this year, meaning you better get your butt out there and buy this 11% ABV Imperial Stout, partially aged in bourbon barrels and with added molasses and coffee. This is a seasonal release that I look forward to, so telling you was especially hard. Remember, this is from a guy who hates sharing so much that I drunkenly ordered a pizza and had the delivery guy meet me down the street so I could smuggle the pizza inside and sneak bites so I wouldn't have to share with the guys hanging out at my house. Get your Abyss right now at Kelly Liquors at Mountain Run, Whole Foods on Carlisle, and Jubilation, retail around $12.99. And get me some pizza.

The Secret of Bigfoot Revealed

2011-11-21T21:14:00.004-07:00

The 2011 release of Bigfoot may have happened months ago, but there are still many cases around at local stores. That is a good thing (Bigfoot, being a Barleywine, ages great, unlike me). Here's a better thing: Kelly Liquors on Wyoming still has about eight cases, and the price has dropped from $11.99 to $7.99 a six pack. It isn't often that a beer meant to be aged will get a price reduction, so take advantage of this sale while there are still some six-packs left.

I'll Be Taking These Hop Huggers...

2011-11-16T22:25:00.007-07:00

And whatever cash you got.
From sporadically-seen Durango Brewery, we have two new releases: Winter Ale and Hop Hugger IPA. The Winter Ale is of the traditional Winter Warmer variety (think Great Divide Hibernation. No, forget that, they don't distribute here anymore. Think Odell Isolation, or some other -tion). ABV is 6.3%, and is selling for $6.19 per 22 oz. bottle at Kelly Liquors on Juan Tabo.
Hop Hugger IPA is a reformulated version of Durango's outdated IPA from years past, when a 5.5% ABV IPA was acceptable. The new recipe utilizes six hop varities and ups the ABV to 7.5%. A six-pack is $9.49, also at the Juan Tabo Kellys. The store also has magnums of Mikkeller Red/White Christmas beer (Imperial Red/Belgian Wit cross) and some other interesting items in the coolers. Dodge the Steel Reserve and Almaden wine buyers and check out their selection.

A Sale to Drool Over

2011-11-16T01:14:00.003-07:00

Doesn't seem like there's a whole lotta love for Brown Ales in this town. Neither Marble nor La Cumbre, two of Albuquerque's most popular breweries, carry a Brown in their regular offerings. But there have to be a few Brown Ale fans reading, and this is for you:
Head over to Kelly Liquors on Wyoming, where you can get a whole case of Big Sky's biggest seller, Moose Drool Brown Ale for only $9.99! A $2.50 six-pack probably isn't sounding too bad right now, even for those of you who don't like the style, huh? Of course, the beer is selling so low because it is past its freshness date, but these are canned beers, meaning the beer doesn't deal with lightstruck issues that will affect bottled beers...talking about you, Newcastle Brown Ale.

News FLASH!

2011-11-11T16:26:00.002-07:00

Green Flash,one of San Diego's many hop-centric breweries, now has their beers available here in Albuquerque! Jubilation has Le Freak, West Coast IPA, Hop Head Red, Imperial IPA, and Double Stout. Great brewery; very excited to have them in Albuquerque!

Eleven! Eleven! Eleven!

2011-11-11T01:15:00.011-07:00

It's 11.11.11, the numerologically significant day for the neurologically impaired, and also the day that Stone Brewing releases Vertical Epic 11.11.11. The series started with the 02.02.02 release, a Witbier. Since then, releases have ranged from a Belgian IPA to a Belgian Porter, but they all have a Belgian yeast as their base. This year's has a New Mexico twist, but it doesn't involve anyone named Walt or Gus: The beer is brewed with Hatch Green Chile! That's right, the same chile that you waited/wasted half the day to get roasted at Sunflower Market because they had it for cheaper than the other stores. While Stone gives credit to using Hatch Chiles, the chiles are listed as the Anaheim variety, which I guess are the same peppers? I don't really have a clue. I usually think of the "Big Jim" variety when I think of Hatch Green Chile, but "Anaheim" doesn't make me question my sexuality as much, as I never have to say, "I just got done munching on a Big Jimmy!"
Whatever the variety, the chiles are our own NM chiles, and a key ingredient in the 9.4% ABV beer, along with cinnamon. Sounds interesting! It kinda sounds like taking a chile relleno that uses cinnamon in the batter and dipping it into a Belgian beer...but I sure hope it doesn't taste quite like that. In any case, it is always worth trying out the unique Vertical Epic annual release. I got mine at mt local Kelly Liquors on Wyoming, though it should be showing up all over today.

A Beer Glass for the Klutzes

2011-11-09T12:00:00.003-07:00

How often do you find yourself in this situation: drunk and blindly stumbling around the house, having a good ol' time, when your brain forgets about that beer glass in your hand and smash! Party's over. You've lost that souvenir glass from that fest in Oregon, one that can never be replaced. You pick up the pieces of the ruined glass from the floor, your tears mixing with the blood from your lacerated fingers.
Why subject yourself to this, day in and day out, when you could be using a Silipint? Leave the souvenir beer glasses in the cabinet where they were meant to be and try out this pint glass made entirely from silicone. I got one to try out and was initially skeptical, as the glass had a faint rubbery smell upon unpackaging. But after a run through the dishwasher, that smell was gone and I was enjoying my beer out of it. Forgot I was drinking out of a silicone glass after a minute or so. Never forgot I was holding a glass, but if I had, it would only have taken a few sheets of Bounty (the quicker-picker-upper!) to clean up the mess.
Caution: Since the material is so pliable, you may not want to use the glass while watching your favorite football team disappoint you, as it would be easy to squeeze the Silipint in frustration and give yourself a beer shower. Other than that, I give it a thumbs up. You can check out the product at www.silipint.com

New Beer Friday

2011-11-04T14:04:00.004-06:00

There's a plethora of new beers for you to try this weekend. First up, four new Samuel Adams beers that don't bear any resemblance to the typical Samuel Adams offerings. These are all 22oz bottles with ingredients from around the globe. There's Vixen, an 8.5% ABV Chocolate Chili Bock using Asian cinnamon, Mexican Chiles, and Ecuadorian Cocoa Nibs. Next is the Griffin's Bow, an Oaked-Blonde Barleywine. What? Blonde Barleywine? Aged on toasted oak, Griffin's Bow uses Zeus and Nelson Sauvin hops and is 11.5% ABV. There is also Third Voyage Double IPA, an 8% ABV beer using UK and New Zealand Cascade and gold old USA Simcoe hops. Finally, there's Tasman Red, a 6.7% ABV "Red IPA" that uses Topaz and Galaxy hops from Tasmania. All of you proud New Mexicans out there with Tasmanian Devil tattoos will be sure to buy this one. I found all of these at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming at surprisingly affordable prices, considering how much beers have skyrocketed in price for limited releases. Red IPA is $4.99, Bock and DIPA $5.99, and Barleywine $6.99.

Now onto a beer that is not-so reasonably priced: Anchorage Brewing Company's Bitter Monk. Anchorage is the brainchild of former Midnight Sun head brewer Gabe Fletcher, and is a brewery we don't get regular disribution from. Any, to be more precise. But this beer was a special order for the folks at Kelly Liquors on Juan Tabo, and is the only place you will find Bitter Monk, a Belgian DIPA with brettanomyces. I guess that is why it is selling for $16.99 a 25.4 oz. bottle! Yeah, it's pricy, but Fletcher has always made great beers and this 9% ABV, 100 IBU DIPA may almost be worth the price. Call it an early Christmas present to yourself.

There's Silverton in Them Thar Hills!

2011-11-03T11:30:00.003-06:00

If you attended the recent Hopfest, you probably noticed the Silverton Brewery's table. I think they had about fifteen people representing the brewery, along with enough schwag to put a radio station promo at Rich Ford to shame. It's no surprise that Silverton made their presence known at Hopfest- the owner is a New Mexico native and is excited to now have Silverton Brewery beers in Albuquerque stores. Bear Ass Brown, an English-Style Mild Ale (Gold Medal winner at the 2011 World Beer Championships), and Ice Pick Ale, an IPA, are both available at Jubilation. We don't have a whole lot of Mild Ale choices in these parts, and this 4% ABV version is actually on the higher end of ABV for the style, so drink responsibly. The Ice Pick IPA uses Summit, Cascade, and Palisade hops and is 6.4% ABV. Both of these beers retail for $9.99 a six-pack.

Let It Snow?

2011-11-01T13:37:00.002-06:00

Just because it is November 1 does not mean Christmas music should take over a radio station. But 95.1, "Albuquerque's Lite Rock station", is playing nothing but Christmas music through the end of the year. I guess it's no big loss, as their idea of lite rock is basically just pop hits and nothing like the great smooth jazz stations, of which we have NONE. I'm still lamenting the loss of them. They helped me think.
So...Christmas music...colder weather...Snow Day! New Belgium's Snow Day replaces 2 Below as the winter seasonal. While 2 Below was an ESB, Snow Day is a Winter Warmer that combines Midnight Wheat Malt along with Cascade and Centennial to create a hoppy (55 IBUs) beer that is balanced by the chocolate and caramel from the Midnight Wheat. This 6.2% ABV beer is available everywhere because it is made by New Belgium.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T10:58:00.003-06:00

I know a lot of you did the Halloween party thing on Saturday night and are leaving tonight for the kids, but for the dedicated out there I thought I'd tell you about this new cider.
Yup. I'm writing about cider, probably this one time only. Add it to your bookmarks. Me writing about cider is as frightening as looking around and realizing how many formerly thriving businesses are now just buildings for the Spirit Halloween company to use temporarily. The reason I'm giving cider any print is because this is the new Pumpkin Cider from Ace- you know, the people who make that Pear Cider that your friend who can't stand beer brings to parties. Since I've already given the lowdown on all the local pumpkin beers available in town, I thought I'd throw this one out there. It sounds interesting; maybe not enough for me to buy it, but I'm sure you know someone out there who will enjoy it on this Halloween night. It should be at all the local stores, but I first saw it at Kelly's on Wyoming.

Another Pumpkin Beer, Of Sorts

2011-10-28T14:58:00.004-06:00

Raise your hand if you aren't getting enough fenugreek and birch bark in your diet.
I thought so. Good news- you can find those ingredients, along with yams, lemon verbana, and of course pumpkin in this newly released Pumpkin Ale. This collaboration between The Bruery, Elysian, and Stone is dubbed La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado, naturally. It's what I would have called it. The breweries involved seem like a good mix to pull off this kind of beer: Elysian is known for making a million pumpkin styles, The Bruery uses many unorthodox ingredients in their beers, and Stone is, well, Stone. Years of solid beer and a very successful brewery. I spotted this at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming, where a 12 oz. bottle is selling for $3.99.

Marcello's Hosts the Belgians

2011-10-27T11:41:00.003-06:00

Though wine is still the popular choice for pairing with fancy foods, Marcello's Chophouse (2201 Q St Suite B
ABQ Uptown Center - Louisiana Blvd @ Indian School Road NE) has been advocating the craft beer/food pairing for some time. I never wrote about them because I don't have a nice black shirt to dine in like the guy in the photo.
This Saturday, Marcello's is hosting a Belgian beer tasting from 12-2 pm. For $25, you will be treated to Delirium Tremens, Kasteel Rouge, Kasteel Tripel, St. Louis Framboise, and Ichtegem's Grand Cru, as well as some light appetizers. Maybe they will have someone playing the house piano softly in the background while you sip your Belgian treats. Maybe one of you will get drunk and bang out "Crocodile Rock" on the keys. I sure hope not, but who knows?
This event will only be open to about 25 people, and reservations are required. Call 837-2467 to save your spot.

Pumpkin Beers Abound in Albuquerque

2011-10-26T12:51:00.002-06:00

With Halloween just a few days away, it is appropriate that our locals are showcasing their Pumpkin beers on tap. Il Vicino has the Punk'n (not to be confused with the Uinta beer of the same name). Marble just tapped their Pumpkin Ale on Monday night. La Cumbre has Witch's Tit, a Pumpkin Ale that at 7.5% borders on imperial status. Chama River has their popular annual release Pumpkin Drublic, the darkest of the local Pumpkin releases. Turtle Mountain will be tapping theirs soon. And today, Il Vicino will be tapping a cask of their Pumpkin style beer using sugar pumpkins and chiles. That one won't last long!
As far as national releases, I have bemoaned the lack of the quality of the distributed Pumpkin beers in Albuquerque. However, we are getting Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin for the first time. This is a 9% Imperial Pumpkin Ale that retails for $6.99, seen at both Jubilation and Quarters liquor stores. If a 9% beer is a little much for a weeknight beer, the Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is a solid choice.
If you plan to get a local Pumpkin beer, don't procrastinate- these beers are all made in limited batches and will be gone before you know it.

Hopfest Was So Much Better Than the Camera On My Phone

2011-10-24T21:25:00.006-06:00

If it was up to me, beer fests wouldn't start until about 8 pm. But since Hopfest was starting at 2, I had to rush to wake up, get all my stuff together, and head out to the Hard Rock Casino Hotel. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, which isn't great but still beats the camera on my stupid phone. Therefore, all you get is this blurry photo of Boar's Nest Brewery's booth, but that's appropriate. They had one of the consistently long lines of the day, showing that people are still excited for new beer even with the influx of breweries here in 2011. Lines were not a problem, as generous pours were allowed because of the fest's location on Isleta Pueblo property, letting people enjoy a beer from one brewery while they waited in line for another. The fest was too large for the main room so there was a second tasting room inside the casino, as well as a great outside spot where a third area was set up (as well as a third stage for musical acts- felt like I was at Lollapalooza but with good beer). VIP ticket holders had their own fourth area with special pours like Santa Fe Bourbon Barrel State Pen Porter and plush chairs for that post-tasting nap. Highlights for me included Goose Island Matilda, Widmer Nelson Imperial IPA, and Goat Head Brewing's The Maple's Shade Imperial Stout. Another highlight was the Dukes of Ale homebrew club's table, where they poured Ben Miller's IPA (best IPA I tasted), Saison, Gruit, something I forget because I don't have my notes, and the Duke's people's choice award winner Milk Stout, brewed by Mike Griesmeyer. The best non-beer highlight was the amount of both volunteers and Hard Rock employees who contributed to making the fest run smoothly. The water stations were so well attended to that I felt like there should have been a tip jar. Hydration is severely underrated, so the attention paid to this area was appreciated.

Come post-fest time, we still hadn't had our fill of beer despite the 150 beers available at Hopfest. As always, we were well-prepared, as were some other attendees, so we took over The Goat Head hotel room and started the second party. Turtle Mountain's Nico Ortiz brought some Dogfish Head Chateau Jihau and Pure Hoppiness (neither pictured since he showed up a little late, most likely from trying to keep the tradition of getting kicked out of every hotel he stays in after a beer fest). Fueled by all those beers, we moved on down to the casino floor, where we won a modest sum at the 21 tables. And as long as Hopfest attendees shied away from the casino, everybody must have left feeling like a winner. Everyone seemed to have a fantastic time, with craft beer introduced to a multitude of people who had no idea there were so many choices out there. Here's hoping they will become converts and support our ever growing craft beer scene.

New Beer Friday

2011-10-21T14:46:00.005-06:00

Man, this one again? I still have a bunch of bottles from last year, and so do the liquor stores. No matter, this 10.5% big brother to Arrogant Bastard ages just fine, thank you. And the price has stayed about the same for years, too, at $6.99. Thanks for not price-gouging, Stone.

Rogue releases their first Pumpkin Ale that I can remember with Chatoe Rogue First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale. I don't really know much about it other than I paid $8.99 for it at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming. In-depth reporting there, huh? Have a great weekend, and hope to see you at Hopfest tomorrow.

Survey Says...

2011-10-17T19:02:00.003-06:00

Hey, got a minute to help starving college students? Wait, these aren't the ones skipping classes (and showers) that their parents pay for to go slam on bongo drums at "occupy" protests. These are students from the prestigious UNM Anderson School of Management, where people are learning to be part of the 1%. They are also doing a survey of craft beer drinkers, I guess as part of some market research project. I try to stay away from school related things after multiple unsuccessful attempts at "the old college try", but I did take the survey. You should too. Don't be scared off by the first question, which asks how much you drink per week. I saw that and said, "Oh great, one of those surveys!", but it isn't the kind that makes you feel bad about your habits. Check it out at http://survey.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8xnnk82uY6PH5be

GABF Friday Fun

2011-10-16T21:37:00.005-06:00

If you absolutely must get out of bed the morning after the first night of GABF, the Media Luncheon is a good reason to do so.
We left our hotel and made our way over to the lower, lower level of the Marriott Hotel, which I'm pretty sure is near the center of the Earth. The table held an impressive display of glassware that would be used to serve our TEN courses of beer paired with six courses of food. Our table mates included beer writers Pete Brown, Tim Webb, and Stan Hieronymus. It felt like the time I thought I was cool working at All-American Burger until fast food legend Brad Hamilton came in and took over the fryer from me.

The fare was a cut above the menu at All-American Burger, starting with the first beer, served as a "Welcome Craft Beer" before the first course: TAPS Fish House and Brewery's Belgian White. The first course of a Carpaccio Beet Salad with fennel, green apples, goat cheese and bacon was so good I didn't even miss the dressing that sat in a gravy boat, unnoticed. I initially felt cheated, then I just felt stupid. Then I drank The Chuckanut Vienna Lager and McKenzie Saison pairings and forgot about it- until now, where I am chugging Hidden Valley Ranch. You may be reading this at work, with vending machines being your only source of sustenance, so I'll skip describing all the courses (I'll just showcase the photo of the grains of paradise seared lamb loin with ginger forbidden rice with apricots and cranberries). I'll also tell you that the theme of the luncheon was GABF medal winning brewpubs. This was a great idea, as smaller brewpubs win a large percentage of GABF medals but are often passed over by fest goers who are looking for more celebrated breweries. We only need look at our local brewpubs for examples of breweries that should never be skipped. In fact, Scott Metzger, Founder of Freetail Brewing (who's Bandito Sour we enjoyed with our "American Artisan Cheese Plate", sorry) told the story of how he made the decision to take the risk of starting his brewery while drinking at our own Chama River Brewing Company.

We bridged the gap between the 2 pm end of the Media Luncheon and the 5:30 start of the Friday GABF session with unofficial beer courses 11, 12, etc. The Friday session at GABF has the same amped-up energy that a local bar does during a Friday happy hour. That is to say, more people looking to get drunk as heck because they don't have to get up for work the next day, and that's not a bad thing at all. Even though I was being good and sampling slowly, there is always that background roar of thousands of people enjoying the best craft beer in the country that urges me to hit every brewery (and brewpub) that gets in my way. GABF has so much more going on, though- from free massages (the "happy ending" is that you get to go sample 2,378 beers after your massage is over, I was embarrassed to learn), to celebrity chefs teaching beer/food pairings, to beer book author signings, to the coolest exhibit at this 30th anniversary of GABF: a recreation of the scene of the first 1982 GABF, held in 1982, with an area the same square footage as the first serving beer from the same 22 breweries at the initial fest. That small area was just a dot on the map of the 2011 fest that took up the entire Colorado Convention Center floor with 466 breweries, and it put into perspective just how far this fest and American craft beer have come.

You Hear Those Sleigh Bells Ringing?

2011-10-14T13:19:00.002-06:00

I'm not hearing them. I'm still biding my time till Halloween candy gets discounted. You can find me at Wal Mart on October 31 at around 6:30, buying bags of half-off Mr. Goodbars. But breweries sure are getting in the Christmas spirit early, as both Anchor's annual Our Special Ale and Full Sail's Wreck the Halls are available at area stores. Anchor's version is a spiced Brown Ale that varies a bit each year. It makes for a nice beer to collect and age for a vertical tasting, perhaps a good beer to share at the holiday table with family who "doesn't really like beer".
Wreck the Halls is an IPA that leans heavily on the caramel malt, though the 68 IBUs aren't overshadowed by the malt. Wreck the Halls retails for $5.99 a 22 oz. bottle and Anchor Our Special Ale goes for $10.99 a six-pack.
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Hopfest Ticket Party

2011-10-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

You still have a chance to buy tickets for Hopfest, Albuquerque's largest beer fest. Come out to Nexus Brewery this Saturday, Oct. 15, where Hopfest tickets will be sold for $25. The ticket gets you admission to the fest, where from 3-6 you can enjoy 32 2 oz. samples from 46 different breweries! If that just isn't enough, upgrade to the extra hoppy hour tickets, where $35 gets you in at 2 pm for an extra hour of drinking and an extra 10 samples.
Sure, you could be lazy and just show up on Oct. 22, the day of Hopfest at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and pay the extra $5 for tickets at the door, but listen- Everyone who buys a Hopfest ticket at Nexus this Saturday will be treated to a free pint of their choice. On top of that, the first 50 early birds get a $25 gift certificate to Casa Verde Spa & Salon. Ooh la la. The fest is going to sell out, so you may as well stop over at Nexus, grab your ticket and free pint and stick around for a couple more pints. And your Hopfest ticket not only gets your lots of great beer (and after looking at the lineup, there are many beers to get excited about), it also contributes to a great cause: the New Mexico Chapter of Make a Wish. See you at Hopfest!

Some More GABF- Thursday

2011-10-12T21:33:00.007-06:00

No, this isn't my thrown-up aftermath of a night of Pumpkin beers at Falling Rock. I actually felt pretty good for once after a Brewers Gathering/night of drinking special releases. This is a mishmash of Middle Eastern style food at a regional restaurant called Garbanzos, located in the Denver Highlands area. We took a cab over to the area since we didn't rent a car this year. Garbanzos is conveniently located near Mondo Vino, a great little beer and wine shop. We stopped in just for a "look around", since we weren't checking bags on our flight we weren't planning on buying any beer. But damn...They had the new Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout and Avery Immitus Sour for sale- and the BA Yeti was only $30 a bottle. Glad that Garbanzos plate was only $7 bucks! Oh, and they were also selling beer from Short's, a small brewery out of Michigan that was only distributing their beers in Denver during GABF. Had to pick up some Dogfish Head Punkin too.

So with two bags full of beer, what would be a better idea than walking the 3.5 miles back to our hotel? Upon reflection- anything. I'm surprised I wanted anything more to do with beer that day, but the first session of GABF was starting at 5:30, and I had a job to do. And after seeing all the volunteers in this one section ready to pour for the soon to enter thousands, I was ready to start tasting! We camped out at Kern River for the initial tasting, where they were pouring their Citra DIPA, a beer that was bottled for the first time this year and sold out in many stores the day of the release. We moved on to Cigar City, who had thoughtfully brought Hunahpu Imperial Stout. Then Pizza Port for Pseudo IPA, last year's Gold medal winner. Ithaca Brute Sour. Jackie O's Oil of Aphrodite...wait.
I said I was going to go slower this year. I needed a break.

And this was just the distraction I needed: the Farm to Table Pavilion, a ticket-only affair in the convention center, where chefs were paired locally-sourced foods with world class beers. The foods were a little too sophisticated for me, though. I know people get weak in the knees over duck confit and pork bellies and raw oysters and whatnot, and I know the chefs are very talented and the food looked great- but I was happy just sampling the "beer" part of the pairings: Three Floyds Moloko, Nebraska Apricot, Allagash Black, Real Ale 15th Anniversary...
So much for going slow. Next year I'll take an intermezzo of pizza, please. I've got no class.

Knowing that we still had three more GABF sessions to work our way through, we moved on to Falling Rock for a nightcap. I was sooo happy to see that Falling Rock finally was using the parking lot out front to serve beer from a trailer lended to them by Left Hand Brewing. Here you see them setting up for the weekend. The trailer allowed for more people to be let in and at the same time eased the crush of people at the bar. The trailer served 12 taps with choices like 512 Pecan Porter and Pliny the Elder. We didn't get any beer from the trailer that night; instead we drank vintage Full Sail Barleywines, a 1998 Old Boilermaker (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels) and older than dirt 1995 Old Boardhead Barleywine. The 98 was the clear winner, as I find I am becoming a sucker for any beer aged in liquor barrels. I don't even have a clue what I paid for the beers; I just hear that they are being tapped and I say, "Yes, please".
So after only about thirty samples at the first night of GABF and a couple beers at Falling Rock, we ended our Thursday night in Denver. Friday was going to be a day full of drinking, and I knew I would need my full 13 hours of sleep.

It's Always Sunny at NM Brew Fest

2011-10-10T20:20:00.007-06:00

I was prepared to skip this fest.
Not because of any ill will towards the NM Brew Fest, but rather the weather the previous night, when it was cold and rainy, had me ready to see if I could make a day of shopping the sunglasses, cell phones, and brass knuckle belt buckle kiosks in Coronado Mall. Luckily, the weather cleared up to bring a sunny and just a little cool day.

Upon entering the fest, we headed for the VIP area, where we were greeted with dishes from Chef Shawn Weed, who had prepared a number of courses incorporating different Odell beers. Chocolate cupcakes made with Odell Cutthroat Porter and topped with a peanut butter frosting, anyone? No? Shoulda shelled out the extra bucks for the VIP tickets then. The VIP tickets also got you a Whole Foods bag filled with...not much, really. I appreciated the free beer token for Turtle Mountain along with a temporary tattoo with the brewery's logo, but the menu for Bailey's on the Beach and various flyers for other businesses didn't do much for me. The VIPs were treated to an Odell booth pouring their solid regular lineup along with an Oktoberfest beer available only at the Fest and at Odell's tap room in Ft. Collins, CO.

There was another area partitioned off (not to be confused with the VIP area, please) where Whole Foods had a tent that housed pours of Smoked Porter and IPA from Stone Brewing Co. More Odell beers were poured in the same area: Myrcenary DIPA and the expensive ($25 a bottle) Woodcut #5. Nice touch by the Odell rep to break out the really good stuff for the fest.

The popularity of the fest equated to longish lines but they moved quickly. I think people here are finally catching on to the idea that you don't get to the front of the line and set up camp while trying everything. And there was plenty to try, from Blue Corn's Pumpkin Ale to Chama's Amarillo Pale Ale to Il Vicino's 2007 St. Bob's Imperial Stout to La Cumbre's GABF multi-medal winning beers (more on that when I finally update the GABF trip). The worst lines of the day were in for the one men's and one women's bathroom on the event grounds. There were other bathrooms outside the fest grounds but it didn't seem like anyone wanted to get too far away from all the beers. A special thanks to the workers at Expo NM for making sure the bathrooms stayed clean and stocked- at one point, a worker stood handing out paper towels to patrons but he wasn't expecting tips. Here's a tip for you: if you skipped out on this year's NM Brew Fest, please put it on your calendar for next year. It is a fun, well-organized fest in a great location.

Friday Almost Free-For-All

2011-10-07T13:16:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note of what the Kelly Liquors on Wyoming has for cheap deals right now:

Big Sky Trout Slayer Ale: $9.99 a case

Boulder Planet Porter: $9.99 a case

Paulaner Hefeweizen: $9.99 a case

That's some cheap beer right there! Of course, for that price you know you aren't getting these beers at their freshest, but it's not bad to stock up on to give freeloading guests.

GABF, Part 2

2011-10-07T01:26:00.005-06:00

They knew I was coming, and they baked me a cake. Me and I don't how many brewery people were treated to the great spread that Wynkoop Brewery put out for their annual Brewers' Gathering, a buffet both of food and hard to get beer. This year had the addition of a "Sours Suite" where they poured the Allagash/New Belgium Vrienden, Strange Brewing's Kriek, Nodding Head's Berliner Weisse, and Black Folie, a mix of La Folie and Black Raspberry Mead. Aside from that, the highlight was Three Floyds Marshmallow Handji: Dark Lord RIS aged in brandy barrels with vanilla beans. Rare.

I've never seen a harder keg to tap than a keg made from a pumpkin. The last stop of the night was to Falling Rock Tap House, where they were hosting an Elysian Brewery pumpkin takeover, with ten different Pumpkin beers to try- including a beer fermented inside a giant pumpkin. This was a beer you had to have a ticket for, which I did. This allowed me the privilege of being in a crush of people who waited for half an hour while organizers used a variety of power tools to try to get the darn thing tapped. You can see how happy Falling Rock owner Chris Black is after finally getting the beer flowing, but he wasn't nearly as happy as I was: I had left my beer at the table so I went without that whole time.

Here is poor Paul, a server who was stuck with the task of keeping track of all the Pumpkin beers we ordered. We were with Majin and Turtle of Goat Head Brewing and we kept Paul busy with all our orders, as we are all big fans of the Pumkin beer style. Just look at Turtle's face- she's about to snatch that whole tray from Paul. I think Paul was still recovering from our visit in February and all my Pliny the Younger orders, but he did a great job as always. We ended up getting The Great Pumpkin (Imperial Pumpkin Ale), a Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner (like drinking pureed ginger, which we don't do for a good reason), Mr. Yuck (Pumpkin Sour), Saison of the Witch (Pumpkin Saison- very good), Dark O' The Moon (a Pumpkin Stout), that beer poured from a pumpkin, which I'm glad I waited all that time for, and Coche De Medianoche (weird: guajillo chiles, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and cumin- lots of cumin. Like someone opened the wrong side of the spice container and poured way too much). Finally, a cask of a Stone/Bruery/Elysian concoction of yams, sugar pumpkins, fenugreek, and lemon verbana, which somehow came together to make a very good beer with a very long name: Le Citrueille Celest De Citricado.

And that was a whole day in the life of a beer fest trip without a beer fest written about yet. That's next.

Pick Up a Peck of Peppered Porter

2011-10-06T13:32:00.004-06:00

Volume 3 of Left Hand's Fade to Black series is now available in Albuquerque. As with the first two in the series, the beer is black in color. Go figure. Volume 1 was a Foreign Extra Stout (won a gold medal in that category at GABF last year; Volume 2 was a Smoked BalticPorter, and Volume 3 is a Peppered Porter with chile peppers added. The addition of the peppers has it registering on the Scoville heat scale, at 1,984 units- about the same as a Poblano pepper. Fade to Black is 7.2% and about $8.99 at local liquor stores.

First Snippet: Great American Beer Festival 2011

2011-10-03T11:51:00.007-06:00

Apologies: computer difficulties kept me from updating the site while attending GABF activities in Denver, and I can only give a very small bit of the first day here. But that may be better than nothing...probably not though.

Well, that's kind of an ominous welcome to Denver, isn't it? But with the GABF, an event that attracts 50,000 people to the city for the chance to try nearly 3,000 beers, you can't blame cab companies for putting the stickers up. And it helped remind me of my pledge to myself for this year's GABF: Don't overdo it this time! Not that I ever found myself throwing up in a cab, but I would certainly hit the beer pretty hard the first night in town, making the rest of the week a fight between catching up on sleep and drinking the daily hangover away. At least we started off this trip right, foregoing the 7+ hour drive in favor of a quick "beverage cart through the aisle and back" 1 hour flight.

Soon after checking in at our hotel we had our first event of the week- Vegan Fest, disguised as a Deschutes Brewery industry gathering. Held at the Hyatt's 27th floor Peaks Lounge, this combination beer tasting/fill your face event is always a nice way to start off our time in Denver. Aside from the meat and cheese pictured, there were sliders and a butternut squash beer soup to go along with The Stoic, Fresh Hop Mirror Pond, and the first tastings of the 2011 Abyss.

Il Vicino Prepares for Battle

2011-09-23T13:14:00.004-06:00

Engage your taste buds in a little kumite on Saturday as Il Vicino unleashes Hop Kwon Do, a lupulin assault with four different IPAs on tap that are sure to get your Yang up. The standard Wet Mountain will of course be on tap, as well as the NM IPA Challenge winner Exodus. Making its loonggg awaited return will be Elsa's Hop Elixir DIPA, and a new IPA featuring the Galaxy hop will be on as well. I had a chance to just smell the Galaxy hops at Il Vicino when they came in, and am very excited to try the beer. I was ready to order a glass of just the hops with a water chaser but was advised to wait until they were used to make an actual beer. No matter which IPA you choose, you're sure to feel the power of The GLOW. I sleep in on Saturdays, so make sure you leave some IPA for me, ok? Don't make me sweep the leg.

New Beers to Make You a Hoppy Boy

2011-09-21T21:29:00.007-06:00

The female imbibers should not take that headline as a sexist comment- Hoppy Boy is one of the beers brewed by Twisted Pine, the newest brewery to be distributed in Albuquerque. Hailing from Boulder, CO, Twisted Pine is only distributed in six states. Their lineup that I have seen here thus far includes the aforementioned Hoppy Boy, a 6.2% ABV IPA; Billy's Chilies (confused whether to spell it chili or chile? Use both!), brewed with habanero, Anaheim, Fresno, serrano, and jalapeno peppers; Big Shot Espresso Stout, and one of their latest releases: Bough Breaker Barleywine, 9.1% ABV and 120 IBUs. The only store I have seen these in as of Wednesday night, Sept. 21, is the Bird of Paradise liquor store on Gibson. The Hoppy Boy is retailing at $10.99 a six-pack. The Chile beer is $9.99 a four-pack, which at first seems a little pricy, though there aren't many Chile beers to price-compare to. Rio Grande Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza is around for $6.99 and up per six-pack. Rouge Chipotle Ale is, not surprisingly, the hardest on the wallet of the locally available chile beers at $5-6.99 per bomber. I'm sure you'll be seeing Twisted Pine available all around the city soon, so try them out and see what you think.

Saying Goodbye to Summer

2011-09-19T19:15:00.005-06:00

Not going to Telluride for Blues and Brews? Skipping the Great American Beer Fest? Boycotting Colorado fests in general? Take that money you saved and head up to Pajarito Mountain in Los Alamos on Saturday, Sept. 24th for the annual Ullrfest. The fest celebrates the end of the wonderful days and nights where you can stroll the streets without near-zero temperatures and freezing wind chilling you to your core. The end of my favorite time of year is celebrated because I guess skiers and snowboarders need that kind of crappy weather to create the right conditions (i.e.: snow), but I don't have to like it. I do like the Ullrfest and its $10 admission fee, which entitles you to numerous samplings from 10 of New Mexico's finest breweries as well as a pint of your choice. Additional pints may be purchased for $4. The fest will go from noon-5, with many other outdoor activities coinciding with the fest. There will be a disc golf tournament, and the lifts will be open for you mountain bikers and people who like to go sledding on grass.

Roll Up For The Magical Brewery Tour

2011-09-14T12:05:00.002-06:00

Those of you who frequent Marble Brewery can't help but know Grateful Dave, or as he is now known since cutting off all his hair, Corporate Dave. Good news: you are free to sit on the Marble patio this Saturday without fear of Corporate Dave accosting you with offers of sharing the cheese and crackers he has been carrying around in his fannypack. Dave is organizing a bicycle brewery cruise on Saturday beginning at Tractor's tap room at 2 pm. From there, expect a leisurely cruise along the diversion trail to Hallenbrick, Nexus, La Cumbre, Il Vicino, and finally ending at Marble Brewery. There is no real incentive for doing this ride- no discounts at breweries or free t-shirts or anything like that- but then again you aren't getting charged to ride your bike in a group. And for some reason, people really like to be part of a group. So if you just weren't good enough to make it into that fraternity or sorority, or even to college in general, then you'll fit right in with Corporate Dave's Army of Miscreants. Feel free to bring snacks, though I'm sure Dave will be prepared with plenty of rations from Trader Joe's dumpster.

Late for the Trolley, Early for the Train

2011-09-13T11:58:00.004-06:00

ABQ Trolley had such a good response to the first Ale Trail trolley tour that they are doing another this Saturday, Sept. 17. I planned on writing about it sooner, like when they still had tickets available. They already sold out, so writing about it is kind of pointless now. But for the future, check out abqtrolley.com for the next scheduled Ale Trail tour. For the price you get lots of free samples and glasses and you can wave at cars passing by like you're a tourist. Whaddya mean "red or green"? What the hell is that?

Beer and cheese. The finer things in life brought together by the Santa Fe Southern Railway, which will host a beer and cheese train ride on Oct. 16. For $30 ($23 for NM residents, free for illegal immigrants...I kid) you get cheeses from local providers The Old Windmill Dairy and South Mountain Dairy along with beers from Santa Fe and Blue Corn. Enjoy the ride to the Galisteo Basin in one of the vintage cars and marvel at why anyone would want to live in Santa Fe. The chicken burrito from El Parasol is great but come on- have you seen the construction on Cerrillos Rd.? Forget that! I'll stick to the train where someone else is driving and I get good local beers and cheeses on the way. There is also a wine train on Oct. 2 for those who haven't figured out that beer is classier now that so many have corks. You can find out more about the historic trains by going to thetraininsantafe.com. I didn't see a place to buy tickets for the beer train so you should call 1-888-989-8600 for ordering info.

Pumpkin Beers are Very Gourd

2011-09-09T14:17:00.002-06:00

"I am just LOVING this weather!", so says every person I see. Ugh. Yeah, it's nice to get a break from 100+ degree days, but before you know it every day is freezing and you're dreading leaving the house because your car doesn't warm up till you're a minute away from where you're going.
At least we've got the seasonal pumpkin beers for the 5 second transition between summer and winter. Though looking at what we get compared to the rest of the country, ours are some sad choices. Of the three pictured, I have yet to try the Wasatch version, but that is because I don't want to pay $8.99 for a very Utah-like 4% ABV beer. The Uinta Punk'n and Buffalo Bill Pumpkin (the originator of the style) are fine, but I will be holding out for the locals. Il Vicino's version. Chama's Sleepy Hollow. Marble's brand new Belgo Pumpkin! None are out yet, so don't go asking just yet. But when you find yourself deciding between shelf brand Pumpkins and the local breweries takes on the style, the locals blow the nationals away.

Deschutes' The Stoic on Shelves

2011-09-07T01:18:00.005-06:00

Deschutes' latest release in their Reserve Series, The Stoic, is now available here in Albuquerque. I was kind of surprised we were getting this one due to the hype surrounding it; thought it might just pass us by, like The Dissident. The beer is described by Deschutes as being of "stirring depth and complexity". Oh, like Ice Age 2. And 3. And 4. And the first one, and any animated/CGI movie that has the animals singing pop and rap hits.
The Stoic certainly sounds interesting: A Belgian Quad style, brewed with pomegranates and aged in both rye whiskey and wine barrels before being wax-sealed and shipped out to us. It ends up at 11% ABV, though from what I heard you shouldn't think of it being a true Quad-style beer when you drink this one. However, you should think of it kindly, as it is sensitive to criticism. Jubilation has this one now for $13.99.

Labor Day Libations

2011-09-04T20:40:00.005-06:00

Lots of bargains available at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming this Labor Day. First up, we have Full Sail (in honor of all of you readers spending Labor Day on your yachts...but then, yachts don't have sails, do they?). Full Sail's IPA and Amber are selling for $9.99 per 12-pack, a reasonable deal for perfectly drinkable beers. These middle of the road beers not doing it for you on this celebration of your great job that you never mind waking up for?

Ok. Moving up in the hop world you have your Coronado Mermaid Red and Islander IPA. Personally, I'd like to see the Idiot DIPA at a reduced price, as the latest batch I've come across is from 3/2/2011. Six months old DIPAs aren't worth my $6.99, but I'd be happy to buy 3 for $10, as the Mermaid and Islander are selling for.

You say you want to spend your Tuesday back at work in a hungover haze? I can't say I blame you, and I have just the high-alcohol beer for your holiday that will leave you money to buy something better than Flanders burgers for your holiday cookout. Great Divide Old Ruffian Barleywine, a beer from a brewery that no longer distributes to New Mexico. These 10.2% ABV beers are from late 2009, but we all love our Barleywines with some age on them. At a 3 for $10 price tag, you can't afford to crawl to your cubicle without having downed a beer that was brewed back in the economic boom times of 2009? Old Ruffian also makes a great marinade for your Flanders burgers.

Get Your Kick on Route 66

2011-09-01T11:38:00.002-06:00

...or at least closeto Route 66. I don't think any of the Circle Ks or 7-11s along Central Ave. are stocking Kick, the collaboration between New Belgium and Elysian Brewery's pumpkin beer master, Dick Cantwell. Don't think of Kick as your everyday Pumpkin beer that tastes like the pie- well, if you do, think of it as the pie my mom made one Thanksgiving where she forgot one key ingredient- SUGAR. Really. Kick has the New Belgium twist of being a sour-style pumpkin beer made with cranberries and blended with barrel-aged ale. The result is an 8.5% ABV mashup of flavor that is unlike any "pumpkin" style beer you've ever tasted...unless you've had my mom's pumpkin pie.

Marble Septemberfest Looms

2011-08-29T21:42:00.002-06:00

I'm not really sure why I chose the word "looms" in the headline- looms sounds like such an ominous word. Looming should be reserved for hurricanes and bill deadlines. Marble's annual Septemberfest is an occasion that people welcome like an unexpected refund check, not a call from Comcast demanding you pay for your internet so they don't go out of business.
What makes Marble's fest unique is the unlimited
free samples you get as part of the $20 fee, and none of the 17 NM breweries represented at the fest will be crying about going out of business from the amount of samples you take. The fee also gets you a souvenir pint glass and a pint of whichever beer you choose. The fest runs from 12-6 so I'd advise you to pace yourself, lest you end up with a skinned knee like the New Zealander I saw take a fall at last year's fest. It would probably be smart to take advantage of the Chama River food area that will be at the fest, or take a break from the beer and catch the three musical acts who will perform (I don't think any will be playing oompah music, so you're safe there).
Among the 17 featured breweries, there will be one which I haven't sampled from yet: Blue Heron, out of Embudo. Always excited to try a new brewery, even if they were "new" as of 2010. News travels slow on the internet.
Marble's Septemberfest is based loosely on Germany's famed Oktoberfest. I've made this point in the past, but again: there are only 6 breweries pouring beer at the Germany fest, and only one beer at each brewery's tent at that. We lucky Americans have 17 breweries to sample from with multiple beers pouring at each booth. If that isn't incentive enough, you get even more beer when you buy your ticket in advance at Marble Brewery: with a $20 ticket purchase, you get a free pint (only available at time of purchase; don't show up a year later with a rotted wristband still attached to your arm and expect to get that pint). Tickets at the door will cost $25, but I strongly suggest you buy that ticket in advance as the event sold out last year and turned many a lederhosen clad person away unhappy.

Oh Boy, We've Got a Busy Weekend Ahead

2011-08-25T20:34:00.007-06:00

I'm not just talking about drifter workers like myself; Even you sixty hour a week crazy career people should take the time to enjoy the new beers that are begging to spend the weekend with you.

Konichiwa bitches! That's what this Stone collaboration would say if it could talk. Even without a voice, it speaks volumes above the other recent collaboration brews Stone has done. The Japanese Green Tea IPA was done with Baird Brewing out of Japan and Ishii Brewing out of Guam and all proceeds from sales of this beer go to relief programs for the recent Japanese tsunami. The Japanese Green Tea IPA is brewed with Sencha green tea and Crystal hops, along with seldom used Pacifica and French Aramis hops and finished with Japanese Sorachi Ace hops, It is really a Double IPA, at 9.2% ABV and 70 IBUs. It also has the unfortunate visual of a beer filled with sea monkeys, as there are floaties galore in the 12 oz. bottle. Relax- it's just green tea leaves. If you have the guts to drink one of those sick-looking boba teas, you can handle this beer. $3.99 a bottle.

The 15th Anniversary of Stone beers brings a reminder of the 11th Anniversary Ale, as both are in the "Black IPA" category. This one is a monster 10.8% ABV though, compared to the 8.7% ABV of the 11th Anniversary. This one also features Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops along with Columbus and Pacific Jade. It is also officially called "15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA", a jab at the Pacific Northwest's claim of "Cascadian" relating to any Black IPA, with Escondido being home to Stone. I had this tonight and could only wonder what a great beer it could be without the dark malts involved. I have to admit I'm not a fan of Black IPAs in general, preferring a lean malt-billed IPA instead. That being said, it is a very good beer, somehow hiding that 10.8% ABV. A very easy drinking DIPA that retails for $6.99 per 22 oz. bottle. I found that if I drank the beer very cold that the hops were still pronounced, while the chocolately malts were more subdued and made the beer much more enjoyable for me.

Last in our weekend warmup is another collaboration, this one between the breweries of New Belgium and...Clutch? What does a Baltimore-area band know about brewing? Maybe it's those brewers beards they sport. I know that members of the band went to tour the New Belgium facility only to find that the brewery was closed. Lucky that they ran into New Belgium brewer Eric Salazar at a restaurant and the next thing you know, they were brewing a beer together. Wish that kind of thing could have happened the first time I went to Falling Rock Tap House in Denver years ago when I showed up but they were closed for the first time in forever for a company party. If I had Clutch's luck, I would be drinking free beer at Falling Rock for life. Sour grapes aside (for the briefest of moments), this beer is a, whaddya you know...Sour. A Sour Stout, to be more precise- a blend of chocolate, coffee, and black malts and dark wood-aged bacterical beauties. The result is the 9% ABV Clutch, available in 22 oz. bottles for $8.99. Enjoy the weekend!

Cowboys, Bad-Asses, and Hooligans

2011-08-25T12:26:00.006-06:00

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.

Get Your Mojo Workin' For Cheap

2011-08-24T21:45:00.003-06:00

Another Kelly Liquors old beer sale for you, but beware: this is an IPA, a style that feels the brunt of a life spent on warm, bright shelves quickly. Boulder's Mojo IPA cases are selling for $14.99, down from a regular price of $7.99 a six-pack (that's close to $32 a case for those who don't want to do the math). The "enjoy by" date on the cases is 8/18/2011...not too bad, but I thought I was being clever and grabbed a cold six-pack out of the cooler to replace one of the sixers in the case so I would have cold beer to test when I got home. Little did I know that there was even older Mojo in the cooler with a best by 7/26/2011 date! And here I am now with my older than the on sale Mojo, drinking it and wondering what the month fresher Mojo tastes like. I will say that the enjoy by July 26 can still be enjoyable, with the grapefruity Amarillo hops still present amongst the time-pronounced maltiness. For the price, you could do much worse.

VIP Tickets at a Recession Price

2011-08-23T13:05:00.000-06:00

If you want to experience this year's NM Brew Fest with a little more glam than the average fest-goer, you need to head to ABQ Brew Pub this Thursday. VIP tickets to the fest will be selling for $35...that's $15 off the regular VIP price! At 30% off, you'll feel like you've walked into a Borders! As a VIP ticket holder, you'll have access to beer and food pairings prepared by local chefs, a wine bar, a gift bag with goodies from Whole Foods (wouldn't it be funny if it was filled with milk and other perishables and you had to carry it around all day?), and beers unavailable to the oh-so general public, along with all the other beer from the 20 breweries at the event. If you can't make it to ABQ Brew Pub on the 25th to buy the tickets in person, you can still take advantage of the great deal by going to Nmbrewfest.com, where the same deal will be available for that one day.

2011 NM IPA Challenge Winner Crowned

2011-08-21T14:06:00.004-06:00

Don't let the arm of Nico Ortiz, Turtle Mountain honcho and holder of the IPA Challenge Cup in the photo fool you- Turtle Mountain did not win.
For the third year in a row, Il Vicino has taken the coveted cup, taking 140 votes. A landslide victory.
La Cumbre-94
Marble-74
Chama-56
Blue Corn- 30
Santa Fe- 28
Hallenbrick- 23
Tractor-23
Nexus- 22
Turtle Mountain- 21
Second Street- 20
Mimbres Valley- 17
High Desert- 15
Three Rivers- 12
Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande- 4
Eske's- 4

Congratulations to Il Vicino! Better luck to Nico's arm next year!

Presidential Elections Have Nothing On Us

2011-08-19T13:51:00.004-06:00

We may not have rigged voting machines, union strongarms intimidating voters, or ballots tossed in dumpsters, but we do have a lack of organization when it comes to responsibility for tallying and posting voting results for this year's NM IPA Challenge. What the NM Brewers Guild needs to realize is the fact that people who pay the $20 to participate in the IPA Challenge are people who are also actively interested in the results of each challenge. With Twitter, Facebook, and certain beer blogs, there is no reason for results not to be almost immediately available. But that has been the case for the second and third stages of the NM IPA Challenge. Calls to host breweries Mimbres Valley and Second Street ranged from having absolutely no clue (Mimbres) to a promise for a return call once the votes were tallied (Second Street- going on four hours now). I feel a certain responsibility to have this kind of info for you, so maybe I dropped the ball by not going to Deming and Second Street personally to report on the events, but I didn't think it would be this hard to get some answers. Our Brewers Guild does a fantastic job of organizing events for us that showcase breweries from around the state all year long, but in this case they needed someone responsible for getting the results out to you. I'm sorry I haven't been able to do it myself.

I do have the cumulative results through Tuesday's Mimbres Valley event but not including Thursday's Second Street event.

Il Vicino- 80
La Cumbre- 50
Marble- 40
Chama River- 32
Blue corn- 14
Tractor- 11
Nexus- 8
Hallenbrick- 8
High Desert- 8
Turtle Mountain- 7
Santa Fe- 4
Mimbres Valley- 4
Second Street- 3
Three Rivers- 2
Sierra Blanca- 1
Eske's- 1

The Little Kelly's That Could

2011-08-17T14:55:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I know that the photo looks like Budweiser has taken over the world, but that is only partly true. This little Kelly Liquors pictured tucked in on Juan Tabo between Indian School and Constitution (near "Please God don't ever make me shop at" House of Floors and Bamboo House Chinese Restaurant, which never has any cars in the parking lot but somehow manages to stay in business) has been carrying a nice selection of crafts along with the Budweisers and Millers for some time. The selection may not be as big as other stores but is well thought out, thanks to employees who are really into craft beer. Oh, and that life and Limb you weren't able to find? This store still has a full rack of them for $9.69. Get your Cannonball Run on and beat the competition over there for your bottles.

This Beer Will Cost You

2011-08-17T12:11:00.002-06:00

For the first time that I can remember, Buffalo Bill's Alimony Ale is now available here in Albuquerque. We have always gotten the seasonals Orange Blossom and Pumpkin Ale (also now in stores), but the beer that made Buffalo Bill's famous was for some reason not distributed here. Now that it is, I'm not actually suggesting you get overly excited about it. I just wanted to write about something, and this 6.8%, 70 IBU IPA was asking for it. Alimony Ale is an old school IPA, first brewed back in 1987. It is primarily hopped with Cascade, so if you are a fan of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale type beers you might want to shell out the eight bucks for a six-pack.

2011 NM IPA Challenge, Day One

2011-08-15T10:25:00.008-06:00

So who's bright idea was it to have the first leg of the NM IPA Challenge on a Sunday?? Don't they know Saturday is my all-out drinking night? I had to nurse Pilsners all night to keep from sleeping through the noon start time. It worked, and I even got there early early enough to get a few pictures of the pre-challenge setup. Remind me to invest in Reddy Ice.

My arrival time came just before the crowd swarmed upon La Cumbre, thankfully. With 16 IPAs to pour for each tray, the volunteers had a hard time keeping up with the initial crush of patrons. I felt bad walking back through the crowd with all my IPA goodness as those still waiting ogled my tray. One eager-eyed guy commented in a Barry White tone, "Yeahhh...that's the stuff...".

It is indeed the stuff. But 16 different IPAs threw my palate for a loop. This was by far the hardest time I've had judging thew entries in the seven years I have been attending. After over two hours, I had narrowed it down to four (1, 6, 8, and 12). Unfortunately, there were a couple of beers that just didn't belong (Green Chile beer is NOT an IPA whether we live in New Mexico or not!).

It's great to see that people who attend the IPA Challenge every year are there as fans of IPA first and the effects of beer second, unlike many of the major national beer fests. I don't even think anyone threw up, at least not while at La Cumbre. This Cowboys fan may be feeling nauseous once football season starts, but I'll try to save the cheap shots till then. The beers were under intense scrutiny all day, and by the end it turned out that the majority of the crowd had the same top picks as I did.

At 4 pm, La Cumbre owner/brewmaster Jeff Erway stood above the crowd and announced the results. It seems that Jeff has as much of a future in auctioneering as he does in brewing because he read so fast that I could barely keep up while writing down the results. Could all those IPAs I drank have affected my motor skills? I'll never admit it, but I was able to decipher which beer was which:
1. La Cumbre 2. Nexus 3. Three Rivers
4. Santa Fe 5. Mimbres Valley 6. Il Vicino
7. Tractor 8. Chama River 9. Second Street
10. Sierra Blanca 11. Turtle Mountain 12. Marble
13. Eske's 14. High Desert 15. Hallenbrick 16. Blue Corn

And with the best view possible of the tireless pourers, I give you the voting results of the first stop of this year's IPA Challenge. Remember, there are still three more events and votes from all four will decide the final winner. Here ya go:

16.Eske's 15. Sierra Blanca 13. Tie- High Desert/Three Rivers
11. Tie- Santa Fe/Second Street 9. Tie- Mimbres Valley/Turtle Mountain 8. Hallenbrick
6. Tie- Nexus/Tractor 5. Blue Corn 4. Chama River

The top three:
3. (35 votes) Marble
2. (50 votes) La Cumbre
1. (79 votes) Il Vicino

Confectionary Collaboration

2011-08-11T19:06:00.002-06:00

Stone is once again proving that they are best friends with everyone in the brewing business as they have collaborated once again- this time with 2 homebrewers (Jason Fields, Kevin Sheppard) and the Troegs Brewery out of Pennsylvania's capitol city. I can't vouch for the homebrew guys, but I do know that Troegs Sunshine Pils and Nugget Nectar are two amazing beers. Cherry Chocolate Stout is the result of the group's efforts, a 7.3% ABV Stout that retails for $3.99 per 12 oz. bottle (available at Jubilation today, others by week's end). If you want to try some local homebrewer's work, visit Bad Ass Brewing, where Jeremy Ray's "Red-Headed Step Child", a strawberry IPA that was judged the best in a competition held by Bad Ass is now on tap. Congratulations Jeremy!

The Safer Way to Enjoy Samuel Smith's

2011-08-10T12:57:00.003-06:00

A Samuel Smith's beer dinner in some parts of London nowadays would give new meaning to the term "flame-broiled". Luckily, the land of the free and home of the Whopper is also home to Savoy restaurant, which is hosting a beer dinner featuring Samuel Smith's finest on August 27. For $55, you get five courses of beer that includes Old Brewery Pale Ale, IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Nut Brown Ale, and Taddy Porter. You also get prosciutto wrapped fontina, prime rib, salmon florentine, ahi tuna, shortribs, and grilled romaine salad. If you're at a place that serves their lettuce grilled, you know they really care about the food. Or they really like fire. The dinner begins with a reception starting at 6:30. Make reservations by visiting www.savoyabq.com or calling 294-9463.

A Tree Grows in Albuquerque

2011-08-05T13:36:00.003-06:00

The second edition of Life and Limb is in area stores now. A collaboration between the Sierra Nevada and As Seen on TV! Dogfish Head breweries, Life and Limb is an American Strong Ale that is 10.2% ABV. This bottle-conditioned beer utilizes syrup from both maple and birch trees, though I wouldn't recommend smuggling any into Denny's to pour over your Grand Slam breakfast. This year's version comes in a 25.4 oz. corked and caged bottle, as opposed to last year's capped 24 oz. bottle. The beer retails at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming for $9.49, though it mistakenly scans for $14.99. Thankfully, the guy working at the time (the red-haired guy with the goatee) knows his stuff and recognized the scanning error. I hope they get the price fixed, otherwise you might have a bit of a hassle dependent upon who is working.

A Hallmark Moment, Beer-Style

2011-08-04T12:41:00.003-06:00

Today, August 4th, has been declared International IPA Day. The power invested in bloggers such as The Beer Wench makes it so. As it is written, so shall it be done or something along those lines. It must be official, as all "collaborative worldwide grass roots social media event(s)" are. Just repost this if you agree that having a cousin is awesome and I'll send you a color!

Sorry, got off-track as usual. I haven't looked too far into what IPA Day entails, though I keep picturing Ed Grimley as the spokesperson, "It's IPA Day I must say!" I know that's not funny, just like all those old SNL and SCTV shows aren't funny. But it's what I was thinking. I was also thinking that today might be a good day to drink an IPA. I wonder if Double IPAs count or if that's a totally separate holiday.

Fall Fest Time Approaching

2011-08-04T12:04:00.002-06:00

This is just a very early reminder to set Saturday, October 8 aside for a day of drinking. The second annual NM Brew Fest and Music Showcase will be held on that date from 12-6 at Villa Hispana at Expo New Mexico at the State Fairgrounds (same great spot as last year). Tickets will go on sale August 20 at a special one-day price of $15, which can be purchased online or at Marble brewery that day. Tickets will be $25 thereafter. You VIPs out there can take a break from the lines at Q Bar and enjoy perks such as special beer/food pairings from local chefs as well as pours from Odell Brewing (exclusive to the VIP area) and a goodie bag from Whole Foods (kind of like the bags movie stars get at award shows, only organic). VIP tickets will cost $50, though a discounted VIP ticket party is in the works to be held at ABQ Brew Pub. Date and cost are TBD. Chris Goblet, organizer for the fest, says the idea this year is to have all 23 statewide breweries represented, though not all have committed at this time. I'll keep you posted on any updates I get.

Worth Risking Your Life

2011-08-03T15:12:00.003-06:00

Nope, the picture is not of beers currently sitting in my cooler, though I do enjoy a Camo 16 High Gravity xxXxx served in a snifter as an aperitif. These beers are iced down for the colorful cast of customers who make their way to Bird of Paradise Discount Liquors after a hard day of stealing. While shopping there today I saw a guy pissed off and arguing because they wouldn't sell him any more St. Ides Special Brew "blue flavor". He was obviously drunk, though his argument made sense to me, "Come on, lemme git it...it's HOT out there!"
Yeah, the place has its drawbacks, but there are some good finds there that you don't see elsewhere in town- Uerige Dopplesticke, Mikkeller Ris a la M'ale, and some bottles of Marble Imperial Red AND Reserve too! I also found a 2009 Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout. Finally, they have some craft sales going at malt liquor prices: a 355 ml bottle of Cuvee Rene for only $2.99 and bombers of Dogfather Imperial Stout almost half-off at $4.99 were a couple of the highlights, though getting out of there safe was the best part.

Knee Deep in the Hoopla

2011-07-29T12:34:00.002-06:00

In honor of this Saturday being National Dance Day, I bring you Hoopla, which of course pays tribute to Starship's (formerly Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane) legendary album Knee Deep in the Hoopla.
No, wait.
After further investigation, it turns out that Hoopla is actually a collaboration between Boulder and the keyboard player for String Cheese Incident. The 5.7% ABV beer is characterized as a Pale Ale but one of the ingredients is chocolate malt, so who knows? The beer may not be for me, but Boulder describes it as having "flavor that will have your taste buds dancing!" so put your worst dress on over your worst jeans and have a blast. I'll be watching Mannequin.

My Good Deed for the Day

2011-07-27T12:30:00.002-06:00

A short while back, Kelly Liquors on Wyoming had a tremendous sale on Paulaner Pilsner cases: $14.99 each for a beer that normally retails for $9.99 just for a six-pack. A deal that is definitely worthy of telling you about, right? The thing is, I went kind of nuts and bought so many cases that only one was left in the store (didn't want to be a jerk and keep someone else from getting one). I didn't bother writing about it because I didn't want a mad frenzy over that last case ala the 1980's Cabbage Patch Kids riots. So I may have failed you then, but I'm happy to report that the stock has been replenished at that Kelly's, and still at that great price. And I left them all there for you.

Cook and Tap

2011-07-25T12:31:00.004-06:00

Cracklin'-skinned in the desert on a summer afternoon- that was me at Saturday's Cork and Tap. Why I would choose to venture out to an event at 2:30 when I could easily have waited until a cooler time in the day (Cork and Tap went till 10:30, after all) is a study in idiocy. I just get too excited and antsy knowing that there is something beer related happening without me being there. And even though I burned every shade of red in Crayola's catalog by being there early, I still made the right choice.

Getting there early meant no wait at the gate, unlike the line for people who wandered up later in the evening. It also translated into no wait for beer from area breweries, from the new (Nexus) to the resurrected (Tractor) and more. Santa Fe brought bottles of their Surf Mountain Sour, which which definitely had the sour part down but lacked in carbonation. Marble was pouring their own sour, Sephira, of which I can't imagine there being much more stashed away. You have to come out to these events, if only to be able to tell future beer geeks, "Oh, of course I've had Sephira!!" La Cumbre brought their two newest beers, the Super Pils and La Roja Grande Imperial Red. In an interesting twist, the booths for the two Albuquerque homebrew stores, Victor's Grape Arbor and Southwest Grape and Grain faced each other directly across the parking lot. With the sun blazing directly overhead, it felt like a showdown in the old west...if not for the view of the Pussycat Adult Video store sign across the street. A good time along the old Rt. 66!

I Sweat When I Type

2011-07-21T14:51:00.004-06:00

In this weather, I barely want to lift a hand to do anything other than flip someone off, but I'm willing to risk electrocution to tell you about some new stuff. Take this new Wasatch Summerbrau Lager (please!) for instance. At 5.6% ABV, it is a little heavier than some Czech Pilsners I am used to. It's available all around our fine city in the $8.00 range for a six-pack. As far as distribution beers go, that's about all I have. Very slow in the new releases this week, though local breweries are thankfully picking up the slack. La Cumbre recently tapped the first keg of La Roja, an 8.1% Imperial Red that will be followed by Super Pils, an Imperial Pilsner, this Saturday. Around the corner, Il Vicino has the Citra-heavy Exodus IPA, the beer that took top honors at last year's NM IPA Challenge. Finally, Marble has found space to once again make brewer's specials even during their busy expansion. The wildly popular Double White makes its return on tap along with a sessionable 4.2% ABV Pale Ale. And don't forget about Nexus, which has all their house beers on tap now, including the second go-round on their IPA in which the hops are much more pronounced than the first batch.

You'd Better Hurry...

2011-07-15T12:46:00.004-06:00

You've only got a week left to buy tickets to July 23rd's Route 66 Cork and Tap, a celebration of local beer, wine, and music. Central Ave. will be shut down between Sierra and Montclaire (Central and Washington area) so you can parade around and drink like you were on Bourbon Street. For only $10, you can enjoy ten 3 oz. pours of beer from more than ten breweries or, if you must, ten 1.5 oz. pours of wine from six NM wineries from 2-10:30. Or mix and match. Once you get your fill of samples, you won't be left high and dry. You will be able to purchase beer or wine from the vendors, which is a nice touch. I never want a drink as much as when I can't have one, you know? And the list or beers at the fest are sure to make me want more than just samples, with around fifty different beers available. Musical acts every hour will have people dancing in the streets and me making fun of them. The lineup of acts certainly sounds interesting, with the descriptions ranging from Albuquerque's "quirkiest three piece dance band", to "filthy mangy jazz", to "indie-blues" (finally, a refreshing change from all the corporate blues out there). ABQ Trolley will be providing free rides from 2-9 along the entire Summerfest route, from Girard to Washington. If you feel like checking out what Summerfest offers, you can come and go from the Cork an Tap location. The real fun always begins and ends with beer, so I'll be staying put by the kegs. Visit www.66corkandtap.com for ticket info.

One IPA to Rule Them All...

2011-07-13T12:21:00.004-06:00

In the land of Mordor (near Candelaria and Vassar, you know, by where that old Blake's Lotaburger is), the first leg of the New Mexico IPA challenge will take place. La Cumbre Brewing Co. will play host to more than ten NM breweries vying to take the Challenge Cup away from two-time consecutive winner Il Vicino. This year's IPA Challenge figures to be the most hotly-contested event yet, with newcomers Mimbres Valley and La Cumbre going in against IBU powerhouses such as Chama River and Marble. As always, the IPAs will be served in a blind tasting format. There is one change this year, and that is adding a fourth day of tasting to meet the demands of the thirsty public. As stated, the first event will be held at La Cumbre on August 14 from 12-5. That's a Sunday, so don't hit the bottle toooo hard Saturday night. On the 16th, Mimbres Valley Brewing in Deming will host the second day of tasting. I'll most likely be skipping that drive, sorry to say. Thursday the 18th, Second Street in Santa Fe will be doing the pouring. Finally, Turtle Mountain hosts the finale on the 21st, where all votes from the previous three locations will be tallied to reveal the overall winner. I've been training for this event all year...bring on the IPAs!

I'm Bigger Than Groupon

2011-07-11T17:32:00.002-06:00

Hey, remember how I saved you all that money earlier today with the news about Buffalo Gold being on sale? Well, I forgot to mention the "3 for $10" sale that Jubilation is having on 22 oz. bottles of Full Sail. Ok, so the only 22 oz. Full Sail bottles available are the Elevation IPA which I wrote about a few days ago and the Hop Pursuit, which is a Pale Ale that has been around for months. I'd think about skipping that one and just buying up three Elevations, which normally sells for $4.99 per bottle at Jubilation ($5.99 elsewhere). What, still not interested? I understand...sometimes Groupon has specials on Hot Yoga but I swore I'd never wear a leotard again after I got kicked off my high school ballet team.

There's Gold In Them There Parts

2011-07-11T13:43:00.004-06:00

A quick little tip for you to start your week of drinking: Kelly Liquors on Wyoming has Boulder's Buffalo Gold cases on sale for $14.99. Quite a deal considering a six-pack of it goes for $6.99-$7.99 in stores. The style is an easy-drinking Blonde Ale that is 4.95% ABV, and may find itself sharing shelf space in my fridge alongside the High Life if it proves to be truly worthy of the distinction.

Genesee It to Believe It

2011-07-07T13:13:00.003-06:00

I was already a little disoriented while in Quarters' Wyoming and Montgomery location last night. Since my last visit, they got rid of the stacks of cases and shelves of warm six-packs and replaced them with coolers that now hold the majority of the beers. Good for them, and good for us. I rarely would buy anything from there besides refrigerated bombers because I didn't trust the dust collector shelves. So, while admiring the new cold section, I nearly stumbled over a stack (not all the case stacks are gone) of Genesee beer. That's right- the pride of Rochester, New York is now available here for less than $18 a 30-pack. I know it's not exactly craft beer excitement I'm generating here, but I thought I'd let you know just the same in case you need a break from good beer.

Not to be confused with La Cumbre's Elevated IPA, Full Sail has released Elevation IPA, a 7.5% ABV, 80 IBU offering. Elevation offers five Cs of hop additions: Chinook, Centennial, Columbus, Cascade, and Citra. I didn't buy one because I don't really enjoy that "biscuity malt" flavor that Full Sail touts in many of their beers. Quarters has plenty of them so you can judge for yourself. Sorry, I forgot to get the price on this one but Full Sail's 22 oz. beers in this genre are usually around six bucks.

She's a Butte, That Ol' Number XXIII

2011-07-04T17:13:00.002-06:00

Black Butte XXIII,
Deschutes annual take on the Imperial Porter style, has arrived in Albuquerque. The ingredient list reads like a crock pot recipe, with Seville orange peel, cacao nibs, and pasilla negra chiles all added in the brewing process. Add on the fact that 25% of the beer was aged in bourbon barrels and then blended in for the final product, That sounds better than my pot roast any day, though I'm not sure my Black Butte XXIII leftovers would be quite as welcome at work. The limited-release Butte goes for $11.99 for a 22 oz. bottle.

Four in Hand Worth Two Cans of Busch

2011-06-21T13:38:00.004-06:00

More beer from your favorite high-end grocery store, Whole Foods. First they added Copper Bell, a low-priced lager to lure shoppers away from WalMart, if at least for that one item. Now they have a couple of "craft" beers to lure me away from the free samples: St. Cloud Belgian White and Four in Hand IPA. Though these are both private label beers made for Whole Foods, they carry a $7.99 price tag, higher than house brand beers at Trader Joe's and Costco. Are they worth the price? I haven't purchased any yet; I decided to wait until there are some singles for sale.

Craft Beer a Big Part of This Pie

2011-06-19T10:39:00.005-06:00

I’ve been eager for Nob Hill’s Slice Parlor to open ever since I saw the sign, which promises a “Tap House” as part of the attraction. The restaurant opened quietly this weekend, but unfortunately I didn’t realize it until I had already eaten lunch at Flying Star. Slice Parlor is located almost directly across the street from the venerable Il Vicino, so it will be interesting to see how the businesses affect each other. Slice Parlor does offer the convenience of an individual slice of pizza, though they don’t offer salads or pasta as Il Vicino does. A slice of pizza goes for $3.25, with a choice of 17 toppings costing $.50 each. You can also get a whole pizza, either an 18” for $13.89 or a 12” gluten-free version for $6.89. I wanted to get a photo of the pizza, but none of the customers had food when I was there and I wasn't going to stand around waiting to see someone else's pizza.

Besides, as much as I like to try a new pizza place, the "tap house" component of Slice Parlor is what I was interested to see. The draft list consists of twelve beers, with Marble taking of a third of the taps. Three New Belgium beers along with offerings from Deschutes, Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada, and Left Hand round out the list. A draft will run you $4.50, though they have a special featuring a different draft daily for $3.50. Another special combines a slice of pizza and your choice of beer for $6.49. Slice Parlor may not be the place I’d stop into just to drink a beer, but I don’t think that is what they are going for anyway- much like bRgR, the new restaurant I wrote about the other day, Slice Parlor is a food-first establishment that offers a quality list of craft beer to complement the food. I hope future restaurants in the area follow their lead.

bRgR oPnS iN bRqE

2011-06-14T12:07:00.005-06:00

No, I'm not trying to channel my inner teenager with that headline. I'm trying to become more popular- I figure if bRgR, Albuquerque's newest gourmet burger/beer destination (3rd and Central), can quickly gain as many followers as it has then a little wordplay on my part will surely up my hits. But a quirky name doesn't get you far in the restaurant business if you are selling inferior food (unless that name is Lucky Boy...will never understand the popularity of that place). bRgR seems to have found the right combination, with around 20 burger concoctions from various wild and not-so-wildlife. Apart from the beef (NM grown and NM ground!), bRgR is doing lamb, bison, yakity-yak, and kangaroo...it's Australian for beef! Aside from the exotic meats, what makes this place worthy of a writeup is that bRgR has even more beeRs on tap than burgers on the menu- 32 in all. Locals make up most of the taps, with Marble, Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande, Chama River, Abbey, Santa Fe, and Isotopes all represented. There are also taps featuring pours from New Belgium, Ska, Kona, Sierra Nevada, Breckenridge, and Odell. Finally, bRgR has a line of five house beers, with an Amber, Pale Ale, Porter, IPA, and (ugh) Cider. Try them and see if you can tell who brews the beers for bRgR. Also, discuss why bRgR's website photo is of a girl holding a burger and seemingly being smacked on the ass by an imaginary assailant.