Unleash the Beast on a Budget

If you like to drink the stuff beasts are made of, or if you just stayed at the Marriott and would like to save a few dollars, get over to Kelly Liquors on Wyoming and pick up a 30-pack of "distressed" Milwaukee's Best Light or Ice for only $12.99!!! Did I pick some up? Well... a "partial detox" of light beer after all those high-gravity beers at GABF isn't a bad thing!

GABF Update

Since I'm writing a big piece on GABF for the Alibi, I am going to just put a slideshow up on the website later today. EDIT: It's there now! You'll find it on the right-hand column by the other slideshows. Just click on it to go to the web album with the larger pics. You can read all about the GABF and other beer stuff in the upcoming Alibi beer issue in a couple weeks. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Blame Marriott, Not Me!

Those of you who follow the site regularly know that I will go a couple of days now and then without posting. That is usually due to a combination of laziness/lack of news, but I have a legitimate excuse this time. I'm just not going to pay $15 a day for internet when a "lower-budget" hotel charges nothing for internet. I pay $50 to stay at Super 8, which doesn't have the indoor pool and hot tub and steam room and dry sauna and great bar and Starbucks and all, but internet is free. As well as parking. I stay at Marriott for three nights and get a bill for $697. That would have been on its way to $800, had I paid for internet. So, I'm sorry that I've been away for so long, but Marriott can only make me make it rain for so much.

A Slight Change of Plans...

Ok, so you know that I planned the first leg of the trip to culminate in a visit to Trinity Brewpub in Colorado Springs, where they serve ten or so of their own beers, and another twenty or more guest taps. And big guest taps, Like Avery Maharaja DIPA and Port Brewing 4th Anniversary, among others. But idiot boy didn't think to check what time they closed. You see, we couldn't get on the road till 5 o'clock, as some people have to work (some people not being me). We weren't estimated to make it to Colorado Springs till 10 or so. But when I checked the hours of Trinity, I found they close at NINE on Tuesday! NINE! We decided to find a liquor store on the way that would have craft beer without much hope... and we found HERCULES! Hercules Liquor (112 Broadway Ave, Pueblo, CO), is owner Mike Wells' (pictured) little gem of a store that we came upon when we needed it most. He stocks a nice selection of Russian River beers like Consecration, Supplication, and Damnation, along with Port Older Viscosity and other beers you can't get in Albuquerque. He also has coolers full of craft beer. Oh- and his store is also the closest place to the ABQ where you can get Dogfish Head and Victory beer. In fact, we walked out with a six-pack of Victory Hop Devil and a couple Bombers of Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. You may just want to make a day trip there for your share of those hard to find out of town beers. So, instead of spending the evening at a local Colorado Springs brewpub as planned (NINE?? Do they have old folks lined up for an early bird special dinner too?), this is our hangout tonight- the Super 8. It's entirely tolerable, too, thanks to Hercules Liquor and the pizza place that delivers till 2 am. And we get three HBO channels. This is living!

On the Road to GABF!!!

The first stop on our journey brings us to picturesque Colorado Springs. Sure, we could have left on Wednesday and done the drive to Denver in one shot, but this gives us a chance to check out Trinity Brewpub. I booked the closest hotel I could find to Trinity, and I'm sure that the Super 8 will live up to its name! Look, it's cheap. You know how much I'm going to be paying at the Marriott in Denver??? And why do nice hotels always charge for internet? I bet it will be free- AND free HBO.
I don't know how much I will be posting this week. I think I may just put up pictures each day, but we will see. Keep checking back!

Who Ordered Extra Crispy?

Well sorry, but all you get is burnt. Saturday promised to be a sunny day with little shade at Marble brewery's annual all day party that is Septemberfest. But in my haste to get in and start the drinking, I neglected to put on any sunscreen. There would have been no haste had I had my way, but when you make plans to go somewhere with a girl, your first plan better be to wait. And wait. So even though I watched her apply sunscreen after we parked at Septemberfest, I was so anxious that I turned down her offer of SPF 45. And, as you can see in the picture, my imagination that had the line to get in reaching around the block was more than a little off, and we were able to get right in.

It didn't take long for the place to start filling up, though. Nor did it take long to start filling up my belly with beer. Marble handed out handy checklists naming what each brewery was pouring and space for comments about each, but I don't have the patience for that. I'm pretty good about remembering the beers I've tried and my thoughts on them. Another of my worthless talents, but it comes in handy at beer fests.


Not that I can remember everything in order. I didn't move down the lane; rather, I popped back and forth to the shortest lines. I know I started with Blue Corn's Atomic Blonde Lager and Lokalweizen, both excellent beers for drinking on a warm day. Had I stuck with just those beers, I may be in better shape today. But I had to jump right into the deep end and drink Marble's barrel aged Quad (11% ABV) and Imperial Stout (10% ABV). I never looked back from there. Santa Fe Happy Camper, Turtle Mountain Hybrid IPA, Second St. Simcoe Pale...I think I did em all. Feels like it, at least. I have to give Tractor Brewery the award for best treatment of the customers: They rinsed your glass for you, then rolled it in ice to cool it off before pouring. That may not actually affect the taste of a beer, but it sure was a nice touch. Kind of like fancy restaurants serving salads on chilled plates with chilled forks. Not that I would know about that. The fanciest salads I ever get start with the word Souper.

My second coveted award, for best overall beers of the day, go to the man pictured pouring his beer here: Majin Garcia. Majin is one of the owners and also the brewmaster of the soon to be open Goat Head Brewery (lots coming on that soon!), and he brewed his guest beers to be poured at the Hallenbrick tent. Along with Marble's Whole Lotta Wood Quad and Second Street's Cream Stout, the Black Bear IPA was one I overheard people praising the most. But the Green Zia IPA took top honors for me- top honors meaning the one I went back for again and again and again. And at 7.8%, Green Zia may be the main reason I go for the ibuprofen today, again and again and again. Occupational hazards. Maybe I should work for a brewery. That way, I could use a hangover as a reason to collect workman's comp.

Another year, another sold out, sun-soaked Saturday in which Albuquerque gathered for a fun day of enjoying great beer and great people. I take full credit for the sell out, of course. If I didn't write about it, it probably would have been just me, Miss "I can't be on time", and my red leather forehead. So you're welcome for the tip about this little known fest, and it was great drinking with all of you. I learned from my new Kiwi friend the best ways to insult Aussies and the Irish, which always comes in handy. And I learned that sunscreen is best applied before standing in direct sunlight for two hours, but thanks to Ted at Marble, who supplied me with sunscreen later in the day. I'd hate to see myself without that late application. Time to go- gotta put on that Speedo and go sunbathe!

Beg your pardon, Gubna!

Many months have passed since Oskar Blues introduced their Gubna Imperial IPA to the public. We in Albuquerque, also known as the Southwest's stepchild, have had to do without. And not that we have suffered, but I could have driven to Colorado and back for this beer approximately 360 times since its initial release. I had a friend bring me some from California way back in March...show us some love, good neighbor Colorado breweries! Gubna showed up at the wrong time too. I am trying to find money to pay for my hotel during the upcoming Great American Beer Festival trip, where Motel Sleaze chains are charging Four Seasons prices. A four-pack of 12 oz. cans of Gubna will set you back $14.99 at the Kelly Liquors at Mountain Run (the first place I have spotted it in Abq.). I enjoyed this beer very much when I had it in March, but I couldn't bring myself to spend that much tonight. I have to instead daydream about the 10% ABV, 100 IBU beer brewed exclusively with Summit hops. A single-hop DIPA is relatively unusual in itself, and matched with the use of dark Munich and rye malts, the recipe sounds even more strange. But it works, and works in a big way. The guys at Oskar Blues love their hoppy beers, and Gubna will not disappoint.

Hopfest Tickets at Reduced Price!

If you are among the uncool minority who still haven't purchased a ticket for this year's Albuquerque Hopfest, DON'T buy one! At least, don't buy one till this Saturday, where at Marble's Septemberfest, general admission tickets will sell for $25.00- a savings of $8.43 off the regular online price! And if you consider the words "general admission" akin to people who buy Shasta or Big K soda instead of Coke and Pepsi, Hopfest has a VIP section for beautiful people like yourself. However, event coordinator extraordinaire Marne Gaston tells me that 87% of these VIP tickets are already sold, so if you don't want to get stuck in a crowd of bus stop refugees, visit www.Albuquerquehopfest.com and get that golden ticket!

The Only Idiot That Doesn't Annoy Me

Bring on the California invasion! Coronado Brewing Company, just outside of Dan Diego, has started distributing here in Albuquerque. So far there is only one beer to choose from, but it is their finest effort, in my valuable opinion: Idiot IPA, actually a Double IPA
at 8.5% ABV, is a wonderfully hopped beer (with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus, and Centennial) that is only mildly tempered by the caramel malt. It's hard to temper a beer that uses over three pounds of hops per barrel, after all. I've only seen this one at Kelly Liquors on Wyoming thus far, and it retails for $6.99 a 22 oz. bottle. Bring on more Californians...uhhh...beers only, please!

Full Sail Sanctuary Much for Buying This

The latest in Full Sail's Brewmaster's Reserve Series, Sanctuary, is now hitting our stores. Sanctuary is a Belgian Dubbel style beer that is 7% ABV and 20 IBUs. Sounds like Dubbel specs to me. This beer, like all the Reserve beers from Full Sail, is very reasonably priced at $3.99 for a 22 oz. bottle. I'm sorry I don't like the Dubbels very much, but it doesn't mean you aren't cool if you drink them. I still respect you. Kelly Liquors at Mountain Run has this in stock right now.

Septemberfest!

I'm gonna write a larger story about this in next week's Alibi (reserve your copy today!), but I figured you must be tired of coming to the site and seeing the same "Singles Scene Hits Mountain Run" headline. I am too. So let's talk about the best beer party of the year: Marble's Septemberfest. Saturday, September 11, from 12-6, come out and enjoy as many 1 oz. samples as you can drink from 12 statewide breweries. The $20 fee includes all those samples as well as a commemorative pint glass that you are guaranteed to drunkenly leave on a random table. But first, make sure you get the glass filled with the beer of your choice, as that is included in the admission price! And if you buy your ticket in advance at Marble Brewery, you get a free pint- the beers just keep on coming! Also included is musical performances by Le Chat Lunatique (I had to restrain myself from slapping my face just for typing that name- nothing against the band itself, but I cringe at the thought of them sitting around trying to think of a name for themselves: "Hey, how about Le Chat Lunatique! Can I get a Oui! Oui!), and The Porter Draw (which sounds beery, so I have nothing bad to say). The kitchen crew from Chama River will be on hand, so take advantage of that and fill your stomach- those one oz. samples can add up pretty fast!

Singles Scene Hits Mountain Run

The Mountain Run Kelly Liquors has joined the Coors and San Mateo locations in offering a "make your own six-pack" option. I love it when beer stores offer this, especially when I am in another state, as I get the chance to try a number of single beers without having to spend my life savings on a six-pack of each beer. This is probably the only "make your own" feature a business offers that I am on board with. I don't understand the appeal of Korean restaurants that bring you raw meat and fire and, as I heard a girl excitedly tell her friend, "They let you cook it YOURSELF!" Big frickin' deal. Albertson's lets you do that too, but I don't go around gushing about it to everybody. Sooo, beer. There are three tiers of mixed-six prices at this Kelly's: $7.99, $9.99, and $11.99. The $7.99 beers, as pictured, include New Belgium, Deschutes, Big Sky, and macro imports. At $9.99, most of the Odell line...and I don't remember anything else. I'm sorry. I should have taken a picture. And in the $11.99 section, you of course have Rogue, also Stone, and pricier imports like LaRossa and Spaten. I'm not sure how it works if you mix and match among the different tiers, though I imagine you pay by the bottle. Each beer is also priced individually, with the $7.99=$1.49 each, $11.99=$2.09 each, and the $9.99= I don't know why I keep drawing a blank on this section, but I do. Anyway, you can do the math and see that Kelly's is making a good profit on this feature, but it is nice to get that variety. Someday, Denny's will let me cook my OWN eggs, any style I choose!


Another thing that caught my eye at that Kelly's was the display of Stone goods, including growlers and half-growlers for sale, $12.00 and $9.25, respectively. Or maybe not so respectively: the owner told me that these weren't being distributed, but that his son went to Stone and picked these items up at the gift shop! Hey, at least he's not trying to gouge you on the prices. $12.00 is the same as you'd pay for a growler at Stone, and if you get one, you can be as cool as me, or possibly even cooler, since my Stone growler's handle broke off. An while the half-growler is cool, I don't know if any brewery will fill them. It seems to be a simple thing, just cut the amount you charge for a growler in half, but you know how people are afraid to do anything that could be remotely frowned upon by the ABC. "What, these people want to buy beer in a smaller, non-approved container? That's a $20,000 fine for you!" Finally, I thought it was funny to see an empty bottle of Sawyer's Triple from Stone on the display: the beer is only available at the brewery, and the bottle is not for sale, not that you'd want an empty bottle. It's just "there".