9 minute read
From the Vine
Turtle Mountain Brewing Co. opens a taproom in Enchanted Hills.
RAISE YOUR GLASS TO NEW SPACES AND CHEERS FOR A CAUSE
COMING OUT OF ITS SHELL
After 22 years of operation, Rio Rancho’s Turtle Mountain Brewing Company is spreading its reach.
The brewery recently opened a taproom in the Enchanted Hills neighborhood located in northern Rio Rancho. The new venue is much larger than the brewery’s original location in southern Rio Rancho. Turtle Mountain North, located at 835 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE, is about 7,400 square feet inside with an outside patio that is about 4,000 square feet.
The taproom offers 32 taps and plenty of seating at its large bar that features about 1,300 coasters embedded into it.
The taps are divided into two banks on each side of the bar. One of the banks serves patrons at the bar while the other bank serves guests in the restaurant and on the patio.
Turtle Mountain signature beers are offered on tap and soon specials and guest handles will be part of the rotation. The main house beers are Red Rye Redux, Wooden Teeth American Lager, Hopshell IPA, Metal Snake Irish Dry Stout and hazy IPA called Widespread Haze.
“We have additional hazys, we have a barley wine coming up, we have porter,” says Ortiz. “We had a steam (beer), a California common... It’s a constantly rotating lineup of beers. We’re probably going to have some funky aged beers that we don’t have room for at the (original location)... So there will be different tap lineups at both restaurants so if you want to try all the beers on tap, you’ll have to visit both places.”
The taproom’s menu offers familiar fare from its original location with a few items taken from Ortiz’s previous restaurant ventures, including the now shuttered Fat Squirrel Pub & Grille. Some highlights on the menu are Jagerschitzel, a breaded pork cutlet with hunter sauce served with mashed potatoes; the Slabtown Strip consisting of a 12-ounce Angus strip, seasonal vegetables, and mashed potatoes; Schnitzel Strips that are breaded pork strips fried and served with brown gravy; and the Monte Cristo sandwich made with housemade beer battered ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, powdered sugar, and a raspberry compote.
Brunch is currently offered on Sun-
Santa Fe Brewing Co. expands with a cocktail bar.
days and there are hopes to offer the menu on Saturdays as well. The taproom has a good selection of New Mexico spirit offerings from several local distilleries including Hollow Spirits, Tumbleroot, Vara and Santa Fe Spirits. This allows the taproom to create a variety of cocktails including Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
The brunch menu is inspired by some of Ortiz’s favorite items that he enjoys at restaurants around the greater Albuquerque area.
“Everything at that new Turtle is bigger and I won’t say better, but it’s definitely more functional, more utilitarian,” Ortiz says. “We can do more with it. The old Turtle was designed back in 2005, long before I had all the experience of the business that I do now. This new 2022 Turtle is born out of 15 extra years of restaurant experience and traveling.”
COCKTAILS WITH A BREWERY TOUCH
Santa Fe Brewing Co. decided to expand on recent legislation passed that allowed local breweries to carry New Mexico distilled spirits.
A cocktail lounge was created as an extension of its taproom at Green Jeans Farmery. The lounge features spirits from Tumbleroot Brewery, Safe House Distilling Co., and 505 Spirits. It also offers local wines from Gruet, Casa Rondeña and Sheehan wineries.
The most popular cocktail served is the Fizzarita, which is a margarita topped with Santa Fe Brewing Company’s lime or lemon hard seltzer. Another favorite is the Flowryeder, which is made with Tumbleroot rye whiskey, 505 Spirits cacao liqueur and Santa Fe Brewing Company’s hard cider.
The taproom’s upstairs space underwent a total transformation to house the lounge.
“Green Jeans has always been such a unique space and our goal was to not have Santa Fe Brewing be like a total separate area in the space,” Harris explains. “The whole point is it’s such a
communal space that everyone shares.”
Santa Fe Brewing Co. also utilized the upstairs space vacated by Sacred Garden Dispensary that moved to another spot downstairs. It used the space to install a small draft room for kegs and installed a U-shaped bar.
“We wanted to make it a cozier vibe than the main bar at Green Jeans and use it to highlight the cocktail menu and have it that you can go anywhere in the entire space and have a beer with your food or a drink with your food.,” Harris says.
SPORTS WATCHING AT ITS BEST
Catch all the action of the spring sports season at Sandia Resort & Casino’s new Sports Bar.
The newly built Sports Bar is located on the third floor of the property. It features 50 TV screens showing popular games and tournaments including basketball, golf, soccer, and more. UFC Fights are also shown at the bar.
There are plans to open a Sports Book in the near future.
The Sports Bar is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and opens up each afternoon Thursday through Monday.
In addition to being a great place to catch your favorite sports, the Sports Bar offers a plentiful menu that includes fries, wings, pretzels, calamari, four different salads, custom hamburgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. A specialty menu containing a fish dish, a steak selection as well as ribs, also is available.
The Sports Bar has an impressive number of taps that offer many beers from New Mexico breweries, including Ex Novo Brewing Co., Santa Fe Brewing Co., Marble Brewery, Sierra Blanca Brewing Company, La Cumbre Brewing Co., and Steel Bender Brewyard.
“We try to buy local to support the local purveyors by carrying their product,” explains Paisano. “We do like to attract, out-of-state guests at Sandia Resort & Casino to stay at our resort, play golf, visit the spa and the casino, but we also like to have a little bit of New Mexico, not only red and green chile, but also the great New Mexico beers that are being brewed here in the state.”
A gaming area where patrons can play their favorite games of chance while enjoying an adult beverage is also part of the Sports Bar. The area has 80 games.
Guests can step outdoors onto the wrap-around patio to enjoy views of the breathtaking Sandia Mountains to the east and of the greater Albuquerque area to the west.
The Sports Bar can also accommodate parties that would like an area to themselves. It is part of the Ultimate Watch Party package. Reservations can be made at sandiacasino.com/event/ ultimate-watch-party.
“It’s more like a table service where you can rent the space and have couches,” says Paisano. “It’s segregated from the rest of the Sports Bar for your party to enjoy... You get leather loungers, captain’s chairs, and you get to rent the facility for four hours. It comes with two executive party platters and some swag they give to you depending on the event.”
Sandia Resort & Casino’s Sports Bar offers games, suds, and grub.
EMPOWERING NATIVE COMMUNITIES
Albuquerque’s Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. has launched Native Land beer in commemoration of Native American Heritage Month.
The recipe, concept and label was developed by Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., the first Native woman owned and operated brewery. Breweries across the country have been invited to participate in the collaboration beer.
Participation involves brewing the recipe and offering it on draft and/or can release through the end of March. The labeling will acknowledge the tribe
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or tribes on whose ancestral homelands the brewery is located or where production is done. Participants also commit to donating beer sale profits to a Native American nonprofit that focuses on the ecological stewardship or strengthening of Native communities.
“With proceeds being committed to donate to Native nonprofits, this is more than just a land acknowledgement,” says Bow & Arrow CEO and founder Shyla Sheppard (member of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation). “Importantly, it creates awareness that Natives are not only an important part of this country’s history, we are still here, and generates resources for Native organizations dedicated to strengthening and empowering Native communities and people.”
Bow & Arrow is donating its proceeds from Native Land to First Nations Development Institute’s Stewarding Native Lands initiative. The goal of the program is to provide financial and technical assistance to support Native ecological stewardship and improve Native control and access to ancestral lands and resources to ensure the sustainable, economic, spiritual, and cultural well-being of Native communities, according to Bow & Arrow.
Updates on the Native Land initiative can be found at bowandarrowbrewing.com/nativeland. —RM —RM
fruity
tangy sweet
refreshing
SANDIA SHINE
Watermelon takes center stage in Albuquerque Distilling’s cocktail Sandia Shine. The refreshing drink is made with the distillery’s Watermelon Chupacabra Moonshine. “We ferment the mash from fresh watermelons and we distill the fruit,” says Sam Pavlakos, operations manager. “It’s almost going to be similar to a vodka, but it’s going to have a very subtle watermelon finish to it. We don’t add any artificial flavoring or preservatives to the liquor itself so it’s not going to have a lot of sugars added to it. It won’t give you a bad hangover like some of those flavored liquors typically can.” Sandia Shine also contains freshly muddled watermelon chunks, a splash of lime juice, simple syrup and fresh mint leaves. The concoction is then poured over ice. “It’s usually got a beautiful, pink-red hue to it just from the watermelon chunks,” says Pavlakos. “It’s basically like a watermelon mojito. It’s a great summer cocktail for the pool.” Sandia Shine is one of the distillery’s featured cocktails on its spring/summer menu. It also can be recreated and enjoyed at home. Bottles of the Watermelon Chupacabra Moonshine are available for purchase at the distillery. Albuquerque Distilling’s Chupacabra Moonshine line also includes apple and peach versions. “They are amazing mixers,” Pavlakos says. “If you mix them with the fruit its distilled from, you practically don’t taste the alcohol at all.” —RM
Sandia Shine, $11 Albuquerque Distilling 5001 Central Avenue NE (505) 312-7709, albuquerque-distilling.com
