New Mexico Beer Guide 2016 updated

Per their Facebook page, latest Project Dank just hit the shelves with the following hop profile:

Anything with nelson sauvin is an automatic purchase from me. The last PD had been my favorite PD I have yet to try, thinking this one might best that.

 

@denver10 I feel the same way about Nelson Sauvin. I know in the past Elevated had hints of it in the dry hop (or at least on recipe descriptions). But when its a dedicated mention, I too take notice. Even some hops that I have never heard of. That doesn't neccersarily scream rare and must buy, but moreso a focus on obscure hops that can make the beer unique. I guess I'm back there tomorrow.

Was the last PD release 1/8? I think I bought one bottle of that. But have been reeling back since the price increase. I'm seeing tons of bottles around town going unsold. I guess their margins are high enough or they sell enough to not care about the stragglers.

@ONovoMexicano Good stuff about Boxing Bear. Short or long... I love these nuggets of info. Those guys know their stuff. The owner also runs the homebrew shop and has pretty much been a great low key mentor of sorts in regards to any home brew questions or concerns. Hamilton while at Chama was cool enough to share yeast. I don't forget these smaller moments from years ago. Good people around this brew scene. I too ordered USS equinox and read it was a brown later on @ Nexus. I'd have to check UT about my trip a couple weeks back. It was more about the food 100% of the time usually. Maybe one pint there. Take notice travelers. Like in my 2015 guide, hit up Nexus first for food, then go up to Bosque, then back down to La Cumbre zone.

 

Hit up Bow & Arrow today and pretty much feel the same way as @Oktoberfiesta.

I really liked the physical space but the beer didn't do it for me. The only beer I tried was their Sun Dagger Saison. I didn't find it to be watered down but wasn't a fan nonetheless. If I was blinding tasting that beer I would have never guessed that to be a saison, I would have guessed it was a tripel. It hit me a lot sweeter and heavier than I expect from a saison (admittedly, I am no expert and my expectations could be at fault) but would expect from a Tripel. I got a lot of pear, clove, and banana from it and a little pepper. Some technical issues (under-carbed, not as dry as it probably should have been) but I do think these guys have promise. A little more time with their space and equipment and I think they could have a good thing going. I am going to keep an eye out on these guys but probably won't revisit until they have more experience and familiarity with their new space/equipment.

Followed that visit up with a trip to La Cumbre. Tried the new Project Dank. Really good but not as good as that last batch, IMO.

 

For what it's worth, our wholesale prices for Project Dank have remained unchanged since we started bottling it. And freshness is my top concern with that beer. Some sales people have gotten a pretty good ripping for over-selling it. The whole point is that people are expecting more than just a beer, but a profound and compelling hop experience. Kinda hard to accomplish that if the beer isn't very fresh.

 

will be town in a few days for the Fiery Foods Show. thinking of stopping in Moriarty and checking out Sierra Blanca.
hadn't been to Ponderosa before and as always we'll drop by Marble. too bad what I'm reading about Il Vicino(sp) guess it's Canteen now. we've always enjoyed their patio but sounds like we might have to pass this trip.

 

usually hit la cumbre for at least one. thought sierra blanca simply because we haven't been there.
tried to get in bosque last year and a little too crowded for our taste. maybe this year!

 

I've been out to Sierra Blanca once. They have since expanded into a bier garden/tether ball/expanded backyard spacing. Inside you'll find all of their core offerings on draft (which is a bit rare in ABQ.. Same applied to Santa Fe Brewing. I could never find imperial java stout on draft in town. Their new taproom in ABQ helps with that). I guess it's more about the experience with Sierra Blanca. Inside was about 4 tables, a bar that fits about 8 people, and stacks upon stacks of merchandising. It's right off the highway. Beer wise, most stuff tasted better on draft. But I want to say BA scores match up well with these guys unfortunately. They're expanding and people are buying. It's why homebrewers feel they can open up breweries.

Knowing what I know, I would not stop there expecting ANYTHING. I would focus on the core ABQ beers, and even include Boxing Bear.
-----
Is there beer at the Fiery Foods show?
--
I also wanted to mention, there is a Draft Station in Old Town, Albuquerque. Original post mentions Santa Fe only. This is a great one stop option that includes Blue Corn, Marble, Chama, La Cumbre, Red Door, Turtle Mountain, and sometimes Bosque beers. Now they may not be the best offerings from each, but if anyone is ever in a pickle time wise, that is not a bad option.. I was there when they opened a few years back. Haven't been back. But it's not because of a lack of anything.

Another thing I wanted to mention. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has a travel gas station center called Four Winds. Inside is the only growler fill station in town that is in a grocery store/gas station. For $9, they have fills of the most popular NM beers. Usually its two from Marble, two from La Cumbre, two from Tractor, and two from Santa Fe brewing. Keg freshness may be an issue. Again, I have never been in a pickle needing an immediate growler. But the options are there. Especially for travelers. Those prices mirror or are a better value than at the brewery themselves.

 

Tried La Cumbre's BEER for the first time today.....yeah....I don't get it. Bummed that it replaced South Peak Pilnser, which I enjoyed a heck of a lot more. I thought BEER was bad. Its best attribute, from my perspective, was it would allow you to invite your Bud/Coors/Miller/Pabsty/Etc drinking friends to a brewery and keep them content.

Project Dank, on the, other hand, was tasting quite good. Enjoyed it quite a bit more this go round than my initial one. Those nelson sauvin hops were quite noticeable and enjoyable.

 

below I've copy/pasted a "trip report" I posted in a local brew group I belong to. kind of long but hopefully it reflects what a great time we had. beers at the Fiery Foods show are average, no local brews. we went with the Alaskan amber. i'll never understand why a locally sponsored event does not offer ANY local brews.

stopped in Moriarty, NM for the first time to visit Sierra Blanca Brewery.
it... was 11:30am on a thursday so we were the only ones there. they put their brewery dogs in the office so we could bring our 3 little dogs in. small tasting room but a great outdoor space in the back. if i'm remembering correctly, Sierra Blanca and Rio Grande Brewery are one in the same. we tried a sampler and ended up going with The Alien Amber and and the Alien Stout. they had a cherry sour that was ok but really enjoyed the amber, the pecan and the nut brown. extremely friendly/knowledgeable staff. had read somwhere, "not worth the stop." i disagree.


once in ALBQ we headed to Alien Brewpub, grand opening. continued with the amber and also tried their imperial stout and a cranberry sour. traveling companion tried the IPA. all were worth ordering again. one of the best bartenders in recent history!

bartender at Alien recommended a place called B2B. they serve local beers plus 4-5 of their own brews. tried several, B2B's stout and brown were both very good. if you enjoy habanero try the guac and chips. trust me you need to enjoy habanero!

on to The Boxing Bear. great outdoor space! tried the Big Body Brown on nitro. you talk about a creamy brown! so good! the Red Knuckle Irish Red, also good.

next up was Ponderosa Brewpub. nice outdoor area, very large bar and indoor seating. not the best service in the world. sat outside and i'm thinking she forgot about us a couple times.
edit: forgot about beers! a brown, good. a Turkish stout, really good. a blond Turkish stout, good.

we always go by Marble for a beer or two. this time was no different. had a sampler this go round. hopefully i can get the pictures to post so you can see what we tried. all were good, with a couple i'd be happy to order.

i had asked around and people seemed to recommend Total Wine as the liquor store to go to. we had the dogs with us so i went in first and starting filling a shopping cart and then wheeled up to the cashier and explained that we were from out of town with our dogs in the car so i was going to trade places with the traveling companion and they were going to come in and shop. well, they would have none of that so next thing you know the dogs are in their own cart and we're both shopping. very nice selection with plenty of singles to choose from, not something we get in Oklahoma very often.

well, that's it. sorry to carry on so long but wanted to share some info about one of our favorite towns!

safe travels!
___________________

we had a great time and look forward to our October trip! thanks for all the suggestions that were given.

 

we skipped la cumbre and santa fe brewing. not sure where the aversion to bosque comes from!

another chance in a few months. definitely will stop at sierra blanca and the boxing bear again.

 

Great trip report @Edie

ABQ seems to be by and large a "macro/big craft(y) distributor" run sort of region. The mayor talked about getting more local craft beers into more city run (city owned) events. But for ones like at Sandia casino, they can take the highest bidder and pump out whatever "craft" they want to sell to the people. You'll see a lot of non NM Guild beer fest type events that are more distributor run than anything. Meaning, you'll see large quantities of bottles and cans of normal beers from Sam Adams, Shiner, Leiunenkugels, Alaskan etc. It is what it is. One still needs to seek out the good stuff most times.

Dos Equis is the main sponsor of the International Ballon Fiesta. I an unclear of the exact dynamics of craft vs. import/macro at events like that. Macro is expensive as it is. Same goes with our AAA baseball team. They have some sort of agreement with a disitributor, and may possible sell their Sierra Blanca named Isotope beer there. But beyond that, it's a craft ghost town. Money, not exactly, demand still runs this town. Let's just say, I would go to a helluva lot more games if I could find La Cumbre's BEER, Bosque's Session IPA, or Marble's Pilsner at a Isotope game. @erway, is my assessment accurate regarding the Isotopes either pricing out or exclusively contracting beers? I've seen your tap placement increasing. Isotopes is that one place I would love to see a local craft presence. Other AAA parks are thriving in that aspect. One has an onsite brewery.
-------
Sierra Blanca does have a GABF winner nut brown, now simply (or less simply) called Bone Chiller. Not sure if they told you that etc. They are pumping out new brands, are in a couple states already, and no sign of stopping. So someone is enjoying their beers. I think for the most part people in the state aren't too picky with ratings or accolades. They find a beer they like and enjoy the weather. With SB, Don't stop there expecting amazing world class jaw dropping beers, but you should expect great hospitality, and a true local vibe.
--------
That goes with breweries/brewpubs in general. Most places seem to have adequate to above par offerings (for the beer geek). While most people would proclaim those beers as something that tastes good and quenches their thirst. People don't seem to be too picky (yet) with how they spend their beer money. So it's a haven for new breweries trying to find their niche. Although I would say, most try to copy Marble's approach. if I want a hoppy red, I don't necessarily need a new breweries offering, when Marble's is perfect. But that's more of a pet peeve. I haven't bought a SB beer in months, maybe a year. I need to try and given one of their places/beers a revisit.
---------
TW has the biggest selection in town. Prices on average are a few bucks cheaper per sixer. You can find very old beers in the aisles (un-refrigerated and in the light). But that can go for other places as well. Jubilation has the best customer service and is usually the first to get new breweries that just got distributed. I'm not rich, and I like beer, so I stick with both to be honest.

 

Only 5 lbs. of Nelson Sauvin in the current batch. Lots of Equinox.

As far as BEER, it was an internal discussion for years. I loved South Peak and really everyone did, but after nearly 5 years, it was the slowest seller. BEER also has a gold medal at the GABF to give it some legitimacy. Since replacing, BEER is outselling Southpeak 3:1 and we haven't even released it in cans yet.

Personally I like them both for different reasons. But, we have a business to run and can't simply play to the beer connoisseur 100% of the time, sales be damned. South Peak may make appearances in the future as a seasonal.

 

Two real problems here; One is that there are venues, who I will not name, that basically require you to break the law in order to get your beer into them. These are venues where concessionaires are running the show. May be city/state owned or not, but at the end of the day they are trying to maximize their profit, laws be damned. Second is that there is one distributor in town that is 100% AOK with breaking those laws. They are exceptionally well funded through their suppliers and so, they can absorb the cost. You see their draft systems around town all over the place, with only their placements. They have $300-500 bounties on our handles and other locals... Pay to play doesn't even scratch the surface of these criminals.

 

Guess I need to familiarize myself with Equinox hops.

 

Ha, was just reading about the Bosque news and getting ready to post that here. Depending on which beers they select to package, this news about them canning their beers will be exciting. 6 packs of Simcoe Pilsner cans, I am in. 6 packs of Bosque Lager cans.....price it like a Yuengling Lager and I might be in. Price it like a craft lager price, I am out.

And, yes, I did get around to trying Scale Tipper a couple weeks ago. Going to grab a bomber of it next time I am there (or at Jubilation) to try again. I liked it, didn't love it, with round 1. See how it grows on me with repeat visits.