New Mexico Beer Guide 2016 updated

From Bosque's Website:



"IPA variations are almost as ubiquitous as IPAs themselves. For River Lager (6.5% | 90 IBU) , we took our house IPA, Riverwalker, and fermented it with Bavarian lager yeast. The clean, crispness imparted by the lager yeast and the lagering period accentuate the familiar hop profile defined by big tropics and citrPus. El Dorado, Mosaic, and Simcoe are the stars in this six-hop blend."

Wasn't a fan for the Scale Tipper IPL, so won't set my expectations too high, but I am looking forward to trying this one.

 

Gonna be in Albuquerque from the 8th to the 19th of August. Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Breweries, Taphouses and such? Love IPAs, Sours and Stouts, I'm from MD so theres an abundance of NE style IPAs out by me so I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to IPAs.

 

For most of the breweries it was a new beer, possibly the first time they brewed it so it was not a refined beer. Most were not well executed. Personally I would like to see the breweries enter a beer that they have had time to tweak, something they know is worthy of the best IPA in NM. We probably won't see many of the entries from this year ever again.

Yes I see the fun in creating something new for the challenge I just wish it would be something that has been fine tuned so that the people can expect something worthy of being crowned champion. It helps nobody that 11 out of 15 beers were average or worse. Knowing your palate somewhat I think you have agreed @ONovoMexicano. That's just my opinion of course. I know @pjeagles disagreed with my assessment that the field was sub par this year but I think he was a sponsor so I understand his argument

 

I did the same thing a few days ago.

Totally blind.
6/20 can of Pivo vs. 6/29 can of Marble Pils

The difference in ABV was quite apparent. The 0.6 higher Pivo had a sweeter bite for sure. I could pick that out. Side by side, I had to take Marble Pils. Hop aromas and tastes are so very similar. There is a slightly more floral edge to Marble. Pivo has a touch more of a hop bite. The hop bite and abv combo make that one sort of easy to detect.

I recommend all of you do the same blindly. The 4.7% Marble Pils was slightly less crisp, but smoother.

Out of all the normal FW beers, Pivo is probably the main one that I would buy again. Easy jack, pale 31, double jack, luponic, and union all very well represented in this state already.. And so is pivo (in some regard). If Marble can fix their distro issues on the pils, I may never look at Pivo again. For now, its a viable pils option.
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@toothristy , @ONovoMexicano
It's interesting. I hear people complain when that one-off NM IPA challenge beer isnt available after the event, and I hear people complain that Brewery A used a regular lineup beer. I'm not sure what people are expecting at this time. I guess it's up to the brewery to decide what's best for them. Mostly for me, I hate feeling like a guinea pig. Do some of these brewers REALLY think that their ipa is the best? or is it being tested for possible usage in the future? I get challenging yourself, and I get it's basically for fun/bragging rights. But I think we deserve ones best, and not just their latest "creation". Sort of sad to not really see any juice bombs, or hazy ipas. I know NM isn't or hasn't been about that. But that would be boundary shifting for our general beer drinkers.

Not that it matters, but I was of the opinion the top 5 for me all basically tasted like a slightly piney/slightly juicy sort of project dank. The type we've seen before. Nothing more earth shattering than that. To note, of all the dank renditions, that style is probably on the lower end for me. Top 5 all very good but I have never been challenged so much in not being able to pick a favorite. It was as if the top 5 were that 92 rated BA beer. Missing was that one that was a 99, another at 95, and 3 at 89. So take those figures as you may. All around, we may have seen the best beers. But not the BEST BEER.

 

Nothing that can really be considered New England style out here. Difficult to know what will be out or still be on tap during that time period. For breweries I'd suggest Marble, La Cumbre, Bosque, and Boxing Bear. For beer bars Nob Hill Bar and Grill, Sister Bar, Anodyne and possibly Rock n' Brews. For the best selection of packaged locals and other out of state distribution hit up Jubilation liquor store.

 

@oktoberfiesta I'd totally welcome boundary pushing but I think most of the breweries here can't afford boundary pushing or they aren't quite sure how to push the boundaries. Ideally, I'd like to see breweries create an IPA early in the year and then tweak/fine tune it over a few more batches until they have something they can be proud to enter. I know several of the breweries this year came up with something a few weeks before the competition and basically said, "well this isn't our best but we don't have time to do anything else". However, I do understand that for most breweries in NM that is an unrealistic expectation. They either don't have the tank space, money, or time to devote to a one-off IPA that will basically be given away for free at an event. That's why I think the next best option is to have every brewery enter their best version of their best year round or seasonal IPA. That way at least we can expect a solid beer.

 

You would think enough brewers and customers put enough stock into the Challenge that the breweries would make the effort to prep for this event properly. I find the idea of utilizing flagship/rotational beers boring, personally, and kinda lazy (like a brewery is resting on their laurels). Brewing something new/experimental kind of highlights the brewers that are most creative in the current moment. So, yeah, it might end up being a huge flop, but it also has the potential to be something special. I think @toothirsty is on the right path when saying breweries should be working on their entry over the course of a year, whether they simply pay attention to which of their hoppy pilot releases are the best or focusing on a basic recipe and making gradual tweaks over the course of the year.

 

The thing about the IPA Challenge is that there are always mostly shitty entries. So I didn't think year was out of the ordinary. It has always been three or four beers that are in the running after weeding out the other crap. I can certainly see the case for the other breweries stepping up and making something worth drinking, but it is unrealistic for some of the newer breweries to put it on tap at their tastings rooms. They just don't have the hop contracts to make the beer in bulk without losing money, which they are probably doing already and will continue to do.
And I can also see the case for wanting more juicy and hazy IPAs. I'm all for it! But I really liked Boxing Bear's entry this year. I think I just go into the challenge knowing that I'm going to be served a tray of mostly mediocre beer, and I'm not disappointed at the end of it.

 

Strip Mall Struggle, the IPA Bosque entered into the IPA Challenge is on tap at their Nob Hill location. Tried it and my opinion is....meh. Wouldn't get it it again in its current state, personally.

Also tried their River Lager....even more of a meh. Did not impress me, personally.

 

Brand new brewery in Carlsbad: Milton's. Some people like their beers some don't. They just opened so I haven't been by there yet. The Wellhead in Artesia has gone through several brewers in the past 6 months, but again I haven't been in a while so I can't report on the quality. I do know it was not nearly as good last year as it had been in the past.

 

I have had a number of James' beers over the years. Raton is lucky to have him brewing up there for them. I look forward to making up that way when he is open.

 

Looks like Prairie has entered the market. Really excited for this, especially for Prairie Standard.

 

Bosque just released the latest in their SMASH series, this new one being Simcoe.

Also, anyone want to meet up for a beer sometime? I need to meet some drinking buddies around here.

 

So it looks like Scale Tipper was just brewed last week. Not sure how long of a fermentation they go with, but I want to say, by months end we will be back in heaven.

Then hopefully La Cumbre re releases their wet hopped Project Dank, and we see a return of Acequia.
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In a bit of a unrelated to NM beer, but sort of related bit of random thoughts. I was out in southern VT for a wedding last week. More business than leisure. For one afternoon only, I was able to head to Burlington. Let's just say... We have something special here in ABQ. Whether we are underrated, or VT IPAs are overrated, I couldn't pinpoint it exactly..

SOS=slightly less sweet more drinkable project dank. HFS+Lost Nation+Zero Gravity =Bosque . Heady Topper just tasted off after going through a few cans (in individual sessions). Herbal tea muddled hoppy sort of aroma and flavor. I don't think I had a bad IPA. Most were of that Marble IPA core beer quality. 14th star, Fiddlehead, Trout River, Long Trail, Rock Art, Zero Gravity, etc... The same could almost apply here too. Everyone needs a solid house IPA or you aren't competing. The most impressive beer I had was probably Daisy Cutter out of Chicago (bought in NY).Very clean crisp aromatically citrus beer. Second may have been Von Trapps Bohehiam Pilsner. It runs right up there with pivo, marble pils, Chama rivers house lager, canteens house pils, and La Cumbre Beer.

And in the most bizarre situation, I happened to be in Montpelier on Thursday (not exactly a full release day at Hunger Mountain anymore, as they now sell only 8 cases each and every morning. The discount beverage shop seemed to be doing the same). But it seemed like everyone had their blinders out. Great IPAs all around the store, but when that HT/SOS sold out sign comes up, people don't care to wander into anything else. Mesmerized by hype?

We aren't just or only New Mexico. I also happened to hit up a Yankee game. If anyone is a lobo basketball fan, except for maybe the sound system, the same sort of cheesy fan flex cam/kiss cam sort of interactions is all there in NY. Maybe it's a social issue, but we give far less credit to ourselves than we deserve. Or maybe the NE overrates themselves lol

 

Hit up the new Marble Brewery in the NE Heights last night. It's a nice place, the place was pretty packed when I got there at 5, and the the friends I was with said it was even busier prior to my arrival. Follows the aesthetic of the downtown location, though it is newer and that definitely shows. Its modern, maybe a little chic, and its open in its feel.I really like that the walls are garage doors that are mostly windows, so its very airy and bright and allows for fresh air when the weather permits. A few types of seating options from 2 bars, tables, couches and outdoor seating. There might be 2 televisions, so you need to seat yourself strategically if you want to be able to see what's going on on the tube. Where we sat we could not see either television....didn't matter to me yesterday, would be an issue if I were to go there solo and there was a baseball or football game going on I wanted to follow along with though. Just like downtown the bartenders are young with some hip/cool in them going on. I wouldn't trust their beer knowledge personally. If I lived in that area, I'd continue to hit it up. As I don't, I will happily stick with the downtown location.

As for the taplist, no new pilot beers yet. I stuck with my favorite, their Pilsner, and also got a Brettana Rougue, though I had ordered the Brett IPA. Both hit the spot.


Also, had the Simcoe Smash from Bosque the other day. Really good but not quite as good as the Simcoe Pilsner. I usually don't care for single hopped Simcoe beers but clearly the issue has been the brewers, not the beer. Bosque has pulled off two great Simcoe beers, IMO.

 

No wet hopped Dank this year. We decided to brew a new full bodied pale ale that will be released in bottles early September.

 

Just did a trip to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Marble and Bosque were highlights. However Second Street impressed me with the best individual IPA with their Fulcrum. Do they package this beer at all. I would trade for it often.

 

@erway Thanks for the info.

@Nightwish1094 My memory is a bit fuzzy. But I believe Second Street had a mobile canning operation can some of their Pivotal IPA a few years back (not sure how active they currently are with that). IMHO, they are the real stunner of Santa Fe. SFBC is a bit of an after thought.. Very solid IPAs, lagers, ESBs, and seemingly non tradtional styles at Second Street. I do not believe they have packaged beer regularly. Although it looks like they got a much larger location for expansion, so anything is possible in near future. As far as IPAs, I believe it was their Trebuchet that finished top 4 in the National IPA Challenge this past year. NM is certainly producing some world class IPAs without much hype.

Heads up. Tomorrow marks an insiders return of Scale Tipper (5-7pm at san mateo). I'm guessing Friday will be for the normal folk. My body is ready.

 

Fun fact: Bosque's San Mateo location sold 10 cases of scale tipper on Friday. That's easily a scale tipper release record for a single location. I wonder how that stacks up to Full Nelson and Father Nelson release days.