Beer Guide for visiting New Mexico

Been to Nob Hill Bar & Grill.

As for the beer, I liked the taplist but I would have personally liked a little more local options, just not at the expense of their Odell offerings! I tend to be a homer and like to drink/discover local though. (As for the food there, I found it to be my biggest waste of money on food down here in ABQ, personally.) I am not trying to sound so down on the place, I will definitely be back to drink there, my drinking experience there was definitely a positive.

Also, regarding Matanza, I have yet to come across any place that offers as many local breweries and such a wide assortment of beers in one place here in Albuquerque. I have yet to hit up Oneils or Kellys, FWIW. My exposure to the ABQ bar and restaurant scene is obviously very limited given I have only been here for just shy of 2 months, but much of what I found on tap I have yet to come across anywhere else. So I found Matanza to seperate themselves from others in that regard.

 

Should've mentioned this awhile back. i almost never touch Riverwalk. There is almost always something in the middle boards (seasonal/pilot beers) that catches my interest. From their centennial pale ale recently, to the scale tipper, and acequia, they are never short on hop focused seasonal offerings.. In fact, I don't think I touch any of their regular core offerings. I am rarely there, once every two months, so the one offs seem to be very well made.

Their Imperial Coffee Brown in bombers was real nice. I felt as it warmed up, it became boozier, and sweeter, which never seems to happen for me when beers warm. Smoothness was nice as is. I don't like losing carbonation for the sake of more creaminess.

Totally missed the LC anniversary events. I never do that. I guess buying a bit of xocoveza will do that to ones wallet. I like big beers. But all at once is tough. Now is the time. I will need to stop by before its too late and try some of their bigger offerings.

@denver10, any other places you have visited you care to share?

My traveling and treking ways seem to be numbered. I like experimenting with the latest package sales. Bigger bang for your buck. But If I hear things about Boese or say Ponderosa or Rio Bravo, I'll be there with the quickness. I think I've given them all 2-3 chances by now. Now it's a waiting game. On the contrary, La Cumbre and Marble won me over instantly.

 

Nowhere I haven't already shared.

Just got back from La Cumbre's taproom and enjoying a Ryeot on Rye ryght now.

 

I guess I should revisit the La Cumbre Ryeot on Rye.

 

Yep, definitely dug it.

 

No, didn't try that one. Not a rum fan so that one isn't in my wheelhouse.

 

The bottles of la negra are oak aged and draft is rum BA.

 

(Off topic but the latest variation of Odell's Wolfpicker has a big honeydew thing going on....along with some strong herbal qualities and peaches.....at least that is what I got from it...I absolutely loved it)

 

Checked out Lobo Beast.

Consider me underwhelmed. Plenty of enjoyable beers to choose from but all they seemed to offer was flagship, year round offerings. Nothing I couldn't pick up at the local liquor store besides their own house brewed stuff, which I didn't try. Cool to know there's a local spot where I can nab any of my favorite Odell beers, particularly Myrcenary, but that, in all honesty, is not enough of a draw to get me back. Food didn't do much for me....wasn't bad but not anything I would seek out, personally.

 

A week from Saturday. January 30th at 4pm

 

I actually tried hitting up La Cumbre and Bosque before settling with Lobo Beast, but the two taprooms were both miserably busy and I decided not to stick around. Don't know that UNM area scene too well so can't really have an opinion of it. But the place was dead when I was there, so I was just able to drink my beer and eat my food (which I think less and less the more I think about it and my stomach continues to feel it) without any issues.

I guess I am got spoiled living in Fort Collins and Denver. Living around places like Tap N Handle, Falling Rock, Mayor of Old Town, I consistently had access to places that offered huge tap lists and awesome beers, mixing the flagship stuff, with the one off's and pilot releases, with special releases consistently. The places with the smaller tap list with carefully/well chosen beers, like Freshcraft and Choice City, was always on my radar too, but I loved the variety the other places offered. They always had something to scratch my itch. And I always loved how many of the places offered you a variety of different size pours, not restricting you to only a pint or flight. Personally, I love getting half pints/10 oz and any place that offers half pints has a notch up against those places that don't. I honestly don't get why not every place offers the half pints, given their mark up in price it seems like it would be nothing but profitable for them.

 

I'd love to do it and I think I could do a good job of it but there are three very GLARING problems.

#1: A full liquor license. This would be necessary if you intend for beer to be more than 60% of all sales. They are running for about $350,000 right now. No kidding.

#2: Distribution sorely lacks here. Sure you could clean your own draft lines and fix that major problem with distributors here, but then there is the issue of a complete lack of HTFs from outside the state and outside the country.

#3: Population and GDP/capita. Much of the state is very value oriented. Now much of the $10+ 22, 375s and 750s that one would want to sell would age well, so sitting on them should not be a problem, but you would have so much old beer if you tried to do anything more than 50 or so beers in bottles and 20 beers on tap... You'd end up dumping kegs regularly. Not idea.

So there you go. Our state doesn't have any great beer bars... But great breweries? Yep. In spades.

 

The area where NM is definitely lacking in distribution is on the saison/farmhouse front, IMO. Admittedly, I have only yet to shop at Jubilation so that this complaint might not hold hold to the market at whole, but other than Saison Dupont, which Jubilation only offers in 750's and no 4 packs at that, there aren't any saisons or farmhouse ales on the shelves that hold my interest. Many will probably stand up for Ommegang's Hennepin, but I am not a fan (too heavy on the wheat for me). If we can't get any local guys to begin offering a top flight saison/farmhouse ale, or ales, at least we could find a way to bring in some Funkwerks, Prairie, Boulevard, etc. Crooked Stave somehow manages to get the stuff into Kentucky, why not their neighbor?

Oh, and we also need some Firestone Walker (which could also help on the farmhouse front, with Opal).

Also, a place that recently opened in Denver, First Draft, allows you to pay per ounce. Awesome concept, IMO.