GOOD FOOD. HAPPY HOURS. GREAT BEER. Published By: Brewers Crew Magazine Inc. 901 Rio Grande Blvd Suite D-126 505.883.5400 Publisher Paul Mares paul@marketstrategies.biz Advertising Sales Juan Munoz Social Media Manager Chloe Rae Podkonjak Contribution Writer George Boese Contributing Journalist Chris Jackson and Luke Macias of NM Darkside Brew Crew
LETTER FROM
THE
Volume 2 Number 2
PUBLISHER
Greeting fellow craft beer enthusiast! Thank you for picking up another copy of Brewers Crew Magazine. As usual, much has happened since our last issue and you can read all about it inside. I am proud to mention that we finally have our website up and running. On our website you can find updated happy hours, news, events and an updated map of all the tap rooms and breweries. Check it out! If you ever have an event that needs to be in there just let us know and we will get it on the website and let our social media followers know. brewerscrew.biz In this issue you will read about a handful of new tap rooms and breweries opening up and learn more about the new Brewers Guild Director. There is much to keep up with as the craft beer industry is constantly developing. However, we have the great craft beer minds of NM Dark Side Brew Crew to keep us up to speed. Well here we go! This is the final issue before we sling shot into my favorite spring and summer season. I hope you enjoy and as always drink responsibly!
Photographer Mae Tafoya Design Contributor Marlo Gutierrez
Salud!
Publication Design Lance Cherry
brewcrew.biz @brewcrewabq @brewcrewabq /bcrewmagazine Brewers Crew is always looking for: l Contributing Artists l Photographers l Journalists. Call if you are interested in being a crew member: 505.883.5400. The opinions and views of the authors, advertisers or otherwise herein contained are not the opinions or views of, including, but not limited to, the publisher, editor or owner of Brewers Crew Magazine.
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GOOD FOOD. HAPPY HOURS. GREAT BEER.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Starr Brothers Brewing Company
DARK SIDE
MR. HOPS
BREW LOGIC
BEER HISTORY
BEER & FOOD PAIRING
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14
13 10 9 7
3 ON THE COVER
IBUs versus Bitterness: There Is a Difference
I’d like to clarify a few common misconceptions surrounding the almighty International Bitterness Unit or IBU. While this can be a useful bit of information for brewers, I believe it has been a bit misused as a marketing technique, especially given the increasing popularity of IPAs over the last few years. Oftentimes, the estimated IBUs are included with other beer information like alcohol content and tasting notes on a beer menu. You might see Pale Ale with 50 IBUs, an IPA with 75 IBUs and even an Imperial or Double IPA with 100 IBUs. The Double IPA is probably more bitter tasting than the IPA, and the IPA more bitter than the Pale Ale, but there is far more to consider than just IBUs. They are not a sliding scale, and they do not accurately quantify the perceived bitterness of a beer, as most beer drinkers believe they do. So what is an IBU anyway? IBU is actually a scientific term and a measurement of milligrams per liter, otherwise known as parts per million of isomerized alpha-acids. In and of itself, this does not tell you anything about the perceived bitterness of the beer, i.e. what you taste as a bitter flavor. There are a couple of far more important factors like hop selection, other bitter effects, and a host of measurement issues to consider. For one, different hop varieties elicit very different effects in terms of bitterness. For example, let’s say you were to brew two identical Pale Ales with 50 IBUs a piece. Example A is dosed with a hop called Chinook and example B with a hop called Horizon. The beer brewed with Chinook will taste far more bitter and astringent, while the beer brewed with Horizon will be surprisingly clean and snappy. Despite the equal amount of IBUs, the beers will actually have far different intensities and characteristics with respect to bitterness. There are some widely accepted theories based on the oil composition of the hops that seek to explain this, but really different hop varieties have unique qualities that can’t be easily quantified and compared with a nice simple number. Another problem with using IBUs to describe bitterness is that it doesn’t capture other bitter effects that aren’t related to the hops. For instance, a bit more body or higher residual sugar in a beer will tend to drown out bitterness. This can be the case with Barley Wines and Imperial Stouts that are highly hopped, but also very thick and full-flavored. The powerful malt flavors start to overpower and subdue the bitter effects of the hops, regardless of a large IBU count. On the flip side, a drier beer or beer that contains high proportions of rye will tend to accentuate hop bitterness. I personally find rye-based IPAs to be some of the most intensely bitter, but painfully enjoyable craft beer treats. Next, hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma fall victim to the almighty law of diminishing returns to scale (I used to be an Economics nerd before I was a beer nerd). Say for example 10 pounds of Horizon hops boiled for sixty minutes creates 40 IBUs in
a finished beer. You might expect that 20 pounds of hops in the same beer would give you 80 IBUs, double the hops equals double the IBUs right? That is not the case. The more hops that are added to a beer, the less effective those incremental hop increases are in terms of IBUs and even perceived bitterness. As you approach the coveted triple digit IBU mark in a beer, the additional hops are increasingly ineffective. This is why you don’t see Double IPAs with 200 IBUs, it’s not that people wouldn’t want to buy that product, it’s that you can’t make it. The next IBU concern is accuracy. At its core, any IBU calculation is based on the alpha acid content of the hops. The problem is that the alpha acid content is constantly dropping as hops age, even in the best storage conditions. Additionally, individual brew house characteristics, particularly the intensity and duration of the boil, will affect the quantity of alpha acids that are isomerized and make it into the sweet wort (unfermented beer). Also, fermentation has a profound effect on IBUs. The quantity of IBUs will actually drop significantly over the course of fermentation, and this can depend on everything from yeast strain to a host of fermentation conditions. These are just some of the variables that affect IBU calculations and tend to cause estimation inaccuracies. Additionally, recent studies have started to shine light on a potential bitterness threshold in humans (reference the 2009 study by Intlemann et al for more). This implies that at a certain level, bitter just tastes bitter. So even if IBUs were a perfect representation of perceived bitterness, research suggests that you probably can’t taste the difference between a beer with 60 IBUs and 80 IBUs. Additionally, individuals also have differing levels of bitter sensitivity, and that sensitivity changes over time. I remember my first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tasting like a liquid pinecone during my Coors Banquet days of college. Nowadays, I find that same Pale Ale to be delightfully fruity and surprisingly mellow. So where does that leave us? Are IBUs useless? Shall we burn the beer menus and decorative chalkboards? Definitely not! IBU measurements are very useful to brewers when building, tracking, and comparing beer recipes. They are useful piece of information when experimenting with new hop varieties as well. That being said, I personally don’t think that technical information like IBUs should affect your beer selection as a consumer. If you don’t think a beer is bitter enough, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t hoppy or doesn’t have enough IBUs. It only means that it does not taste bitter enough for you. If you’re a Hop Head and like those bitter beers, than keep drinking IPAs and Double IPAs, but leave the IBUs for the brewers. Ultimately drink what you like, as long as it’s New Mexican-made beer! Cheers, George Boese Boese Brothers Brewing
Hear ye hear ye fellow Guzzlers of Green Beer, MR. HOPS Lovers of Lager, Advocates of Ale, Buffs of Brew, Devotees of Draft, Sectaries of Suds and Zealots of, well, BEER! “From man’s sweat, and God’s love, Beer came in to this world.” St. Arnold of Metz. We just made it through the “holiday” called Valentine’s Day. Originally, the Feast of St. Valentine recognized Valentinus, later St. Valentine, who miraculously healed the daughter of his jailer, and wrote her a letter before his execution that concluded with “Your Valentine.” It is easy to understand how that event has evolved to what we “celebrate” now – buying over-priced cards, over-priced (usually gross) candy, over-priced flowers, over-priced knick-knacks, over-priced dinners etc. and give them to the person you give them to so as not to piss that person off. How romantic!!! Of course, the Valentine I gave to Mrs. Hops, aka Lil’ Mama Hops, was entirely heart-felt, sincere and non-obligatory whatsoever XOXOXO.
DEAR MR. HOPS: Question by “Smiling Irish I’s” -- “St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. What beer should I be drinking to properly commemorate the occasion?” Dear Future Blood-Shot Peepers, Notwithstanding my formal call-to-arms regarding St. Arnold’s Day, I love and celebrate heartily our beloved St. Patrick’s Day. From Guinness to Irish-Car-Bombs to Irish Whiskey to Irish Cream to Irish Mist to whatever libation you associate with Irish-ness, you can enjoy the beautiful history of this Celtic-borne celebration. Mr. Hops, as a university lad, had the pleasure of fulfilling undergrad requirements with a semester of Celtic Mythology – curiously identifying with the legend of Cuchulainn. As the son of a god, and thereby the incarnation of a god, this mystical hero (besides kicking ass and taking names) knew how to get-down Mr. Hops’ style. His parties included roasted deer, loaves of bread, jars of honey, baked rabbit, and “brimming tankards of mead.”
As of right now, I am soliciting ideas from the Brewers Crew faithful to establish St. Arnold’s Day. St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers and hops pickers, began his craft in an abbey in France -- an act that is solely and wholly worthy of canonization in-and-of itself. Our St. Arnold’s day should not duplicate the Belgian holiday of Beer Day (although that sounds AWESOME), but should include and celebrate what we, the Brewers Crew Beerthren, in the spirit of the Beer Monster, hold dear and true. I suggest we celebrate it in a warm weather month, and that it should always fall on a Saturday, with special call-in rights granted to those who work on Saturdays. Morning beers are a necessity and should be paired with hearty food and lively music. Beers through the afternoon should be cold and plentiful, and should be consumed while in the company of other fun-loving and like-minded folks. St. Arnold’s day should end with a favorite-brew exchange – no wrapping necessary. As always, partial six-packs are absolutely appreciated and acceptable.
Now, as poetic as “brimming tankards” sounds, the reality that Cuchulainn created, is that you and I can now enjoy traditional Irish Beer styles: Irish Red Ale, Irish Stout and Irish Extra Stout. Irish Red is a moderate amber to copper brew that will have a medium malt aroma, with a sweet light toasty-caramel character. It is truly an easy-drinking beer with only a hint of roasted dryness in the finish. Irish Stout, on the other hand, will be deep brown to jet black boasting a moderate to high hop bitterness, finishing somewhat dry and coffee-like. Irish Extra Stout is a jet black brew that is typically moderately bittersweet to bitter. This is a full-bodied beer with a high roasted coffee/ dark chocolate flavor that pairs well with its medium to medium high hop bitterness. Of course, I’m sure there are other styles and sub-styles to describe, but then, I’d have to write more and, although Mr. Hops is highly capable, I’ve never enjoyed typing one-handed while sipping my favorite brew. Now get out there, belly up to the bar, order your favorite Irish Beer and begin your St. Patrick’s Day celebration!!
I have faith in you, my Beerthren, to chime in to get this thing cranking. 2016 shall not pass without declaring an official St. Arnold’s day – let’s ban together and make it happen.
“May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a Pint! “ --Irish Toast
DISCLAIMER: Mr. Hops doesn’t recognize prior attempts of creating a St. Arnolds Day eg October 29th, because his idea is better.
Yours Truly, Mr. Hops!!
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DOWNTOWN BOESE BROTHERS BREWERY
601 GOLD AVE SW, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87102 HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI. 4 P.M. - 6 P.M. TUE. ALL DAY! HOURS OF OPERATION: MON. - THU.: 3 P.M. - 12 A.M. FRI.: 3 P.M. - 2 A.M. SAT.: 12 P.M. - 2 A.M. SUN.: 12 P.M. - 10 P.M. SEASONAL: DOUBLE DEAD RED OAK AGED PORTER
PONDEROSA BREWING 1761 BELLAMAH AVE NW, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87104 HAPPY HOUR: SUN. - SAT.: 3 P.M. - 6 P.M HOURS OF OPERATION: SUN. - TUE.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. WED. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 11 P.M.
NOB HILL
KAKTUS BREWING COMPANY
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! MON. ‘S 2 P.M. - 10 P.M.: (COLLEGE I.D NIGHT 25% OFF FOOD) HOURS OF OPERATION: TUES. - THURS.: 2 P.M. -10 P.M. FRI. & SAT.: 11:30 A.M. - 11 P.M. SUN.: 11:30 A.M. - 10 P.M.
B2B BISTRONOMY 3118 CENTRAL AVE SE, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87106 HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 4 P.M. - 6 P.M. RESTAURANT HOURS: MON.-TUE.: 4 P.M. - 9 P.M. WED.: 12 P.M. - 9 P.M. THU. - SAT.: 12 P.M. - 9:30 P.M. SUN.: 12 P.M. - 9 P.M.
LOBO BEAST 101 2122 CENTRAL AVE SE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87106 HOURS OF OPERATION: MON. - SUN.: 3P.M. - 12A.M. HAPPY HOUR: DAILY 4 P.M. - CLOSE LEFT TURN DISTILLING 2924 GIRARD BLVD NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87107 TUE. –SAT.: 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. MATANZA 3225 CENTRAL AVE NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87106 MON.: 4 P.M. - 11 P.M. TUE. - SUN.: 11:30 A.M. -11 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON.-FRI. 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. $3 CRAFT BEER
METRO AREA STARR BROTHERS BREWING MON. - WED.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. THU. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 11 P.M. SUN.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M.
FIRKIN BREWHOUSE 3351 COLUMBIA DR NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM MON-THU: 11:30 A.M. - 10 P.M. FRI-SAT: 11:30 A.M. - 12 A.M. SUN: 12 P.M. - 10 P.M. ALIEN BREWPUB (ABQ BREW) 6601 UPTOWN BLVD NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM MON. -THU.: 11 A.M. - 12 P.M. FRI. -SAT.: 11 A.M. - 2 A.M. SUN.: 10 A.M. - 12 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 4 P.M. - 7 P.M. TUE.: 50% OFF ALL BEER
BOXING BEAR BREWING COMPANY SUN. -THU.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. FRI. -SAT.: 11 A.M. - 11 P.M. SEASONAL: IRISH RED - RED KNUCKLE IMPERIAL STOUT - VANTA BLACK PORTER- BALTIC BEAR
SANTA FE BREWING CO. 3600 CUTLER AVE NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87110 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK. MON. - THUR.: 11 A.M. - 11 P.M. FRI. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 12 A.M. SUN.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON. ALL DAY & TUE. - THU.: 4 P.M. - 6 P.M. SINNERS N SAINTS BAR AND GRILL 9800 MONTGOMERY BLVD NE UNIT 3 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87111 MON.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. TUE. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 12 A.M. SUN.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: OPEN - 7 P.M.
RED DOOR BREWING CO. 1001 CANDELARIA RD NE, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87107 HOURS OF OPERATION: MON. -THU.: 11 A.M. TO 11 P.M. FRI.: 11 A.M. - MIDNIGHT SAT.: 7 A.M. - MIDNIGHT SUN.: 11A.M.-10P.M. FOOD TRUCK SCHEDULE: SUN.: 12 P.M. - 9 P.M. (TOASTED BEAN) MON.: 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. (THE LUNCHBOX) TUE.: 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. (SOO BAK) WED.: 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. (IRRATIONAL PIE) THU. 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. (STREETFOOD BLVD) FRI. 3 P.M. - 9 P.M. (EUROPA ROAMING KITCHEN) SAT. 7 A.M. - 10 P.M. (S’WICH IT UP) PI BREWING 9780 COORS BLVD, SUITE B ALBUQUERQUE NM HAPPY HOUR: TUE. - FRI.: 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. BEERS ARE ONLY $3.14/PT., EXCLUDING SOME SEASONAL AND SPECIALTY BREWS. MON. BEERS ARE $3.14 ALL DAY.
LAS CRUCES
STATEWIDE
THE PECAN BAR AND GRILL 500 S TELSHOR BLVD, LAS CRUCES, NM 88011 HOURS OF OPERATION: MON. -THU. , 3 P.M. - CLOSE FRI. & SAT.: 11 A.M. - CLOSE SUN.: 10 A.M. - CLOSE HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. REVERSE HAPPY HOUR: MON. - WED.: 9 P.M - 11 P.M. THU. - SAT.: 9 P.M. - 12 P.M.
BATHTUB ROW BREWING CO-OP 163 CENTRAL PARK SQ LOS ALAMOS, NM MON. - WED. : 2 P.M. - 10 P.M. THU.: 2 P.M. - 11 P.M. FRI. - SAT.: 12 P.M. - 11 P.M. SUN.: 12 P.M. - 10 P.M.
SPOTTED DOG BREWERY 2920 AVENIDA DE MESILLA, LAS CRUCES, NM 88005 HOURS OF OPERATION: WED.: 11:30 A.M. - 10:30 P.M. THU.: 11:30 A.M. - 10:30 P.M. FRI.: 11:30 A.M. - 12 A.M. SAT.: 11:30 A.M. - 12 A.M. SUN.: 12:30 P.M. - 08:30 P.M.
SANTA FE SECOND STREET BREWERY 1814 2ND ST, SANTA FE, NM 87505 MON. - THU.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. FRI. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 11 P.M. SUN.: NOON - 9 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: EVERY DAY; SUN. - SAT.: 4 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. BLUE CORN CAFÉ
133 W WATER ST, SANTA FE, NM 87501 HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 4 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. OPEN DAILY 11 A.M. - 10 P.M.
DUEL BREWING 1228 PARKWAY DR. SANTA FE, NM 87507 SUN.: 12 P.M. - 8 P.M. MON. - WED.: 12 P.M. - 10 P.M. THU. - SAT.: 12 P.M. - 10 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. $2 OFF ALL DRAFTS
TAOS MESA BREWING 20 ABC MESA RD EL PRADO, NM 87529 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK; 12 P.M. - 10 P.M. HAPPY HOUR: MON. - FRI.: 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. ROOSEVELT BREWING CO. 201 S MAIN AVE, PORTALES, NM 88130 $2 TUE. HOURS OF OPERATION: TUE. - SAT.: 11:30 A.M. - 9 P.M. KAKTUS BREWING CO. 471 S HILL RD, BERNALILLO, NM 87004 MON. - THU.: 2 P.M. - 9 P.M. FRI. & SAT.: 11:30 A.M. - 10 P.M. SUN.: 11:30 A.M. - 9 P.M. COMMANCHE CREEK BREWING 225 COMANCHE CREEK RD EAGLE NEST, NM WED. - SAT.: 12 P.M. - 6 P.M. TWISTED CHILE BREWING COMPANY 115 ABEYTA ST, W. SOCORRO, NM 87801 HAPPY HOUR: EVERY DAY; 3 P.M. - 6 P.M. HOURS OF OPERATION: MON. - THU.: 11 A.M. - 9 P.M. FRI. - SAT.: 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. SUN: 12 P.M. - 9 P.M.
R
ounding up the many news stories regarding craft beer in New Mexico should be easy when one is looking at just a two-month span.
That was not quite the case for the January-February period, which saw so much news break that kept the Crew awfully busy. Here are a few of the biggest breaking stories to date.
NEXUS ANNOUNCES WEST SIDE TAPROOM I managed to corral owner Ken Carson and brewer Kaylynn McKnight over at Nexus in early January to talk about what’s next for their brewery — Nexus is finally opening that taproom they have talked about for a couple years now. “I’m excited about the new taproom,” Kaylynn said. “It will definitely keep me busy.” The long-awaited Nexus taproom is set to open sometime this spring on the West Side. The exact location is 2641 Coors Blvd. NW, 87120, which is just north of Interstate 40 on the west side of Coors. Turn on Quail, head into the shopping center, and the taproom will be located in the building just south of Golden Corral, right in between a Wing Stop and a Pizza 9. With all of that food already in the vicinity, that will mark a change from past ideas about the nature of the taproom.
DUEL’S DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE TAPROOM OPENS The Crew was surprised when Duel’s downtown taproom suddenly swung open its doors in early January. They had progressed quite fast since our visit on Jan. 17. The taproom is located at 606 Central Ave., between 6th Street and 7th Street on the south side of Central, right next door to the Launchpad. It is a humongous space, with a max occupancy of about 250 people, said general manager Milo Carrejo. That does not even count the forthcoming rooftop patio, which will not be ready for a while.
The taproom will seat about 80 people inside, Ken said, plus they are taking out four parking spaces (fear not, plenty remain) in order to have an outdoor patio. In terms of layout, he said it will be similar to the Marble Westside Taproom.
As noted above, the space is big, with high ceilings. There is a second floor/mezzanine in the back from when you walk in, where a rare beer bar and a special cellaring room will soon exist.
There is still a lot of work to be done inside, hence the lack of a firm opening date.
The main floor features a zigzagging bar that runs north-south, with a 58-foot long beer cooler behind the bar featuring 80 (!) taps. There will also be tables on the other side of a series of dividing walls for a more private experience, plus there will soon be four community tables set up for larger parties. Duel will have a stage up front (the north end) underneath the big windows.
— Chris Jackson
SECOND STREET ANNOUNCES A NEW PRODUCTION FACILITY Over a few pints, I recently sat down with Second Street brewmaster Rod Tweet to discuss his plans for a third location. “We’re out of barrelage, really, to do anything else as far as taproom opportunities or anything like that, so I want more production,” Rod said. “So, this other site is going to be a production-oriented site with a three-vessel system, and it will have a taproom.” The size of the new facility will dwarf what Second Street has now at their original location. It will have a 20-barrel brewhouse. “We have a 20,000-square foot building on Rufina,” Rod said. “It’s a warehouse building. And, about 3,500-square feet of that will be dedicated to the public space. We’re going to do a nice taproom there. It’s important that it gets busy and people want to go there.” Second Street’s production will jump from 1,800 barrels a year to somewhere between the 8,000- to 12,000-barrel range. There will also be more packaged beers coming out of the new facility, starting with cans and perhaps bottles down the line.
— Chris Jackson
CANTEEN ANNOUNCES FIRST TAPROOM’S LOCATION One of the biggest reasons for Canteen Brewhouse to re-hire Zach Guilmette in January, this time as head brewer, was to get the brewery ready to ramp up production. That increase in production will come into play this year as Canteen will be opening their first satellite taproom. “We signed a lease to a taproom up on Tramway and Cloudview,” assistant manager Gabe Alarid said. “That’s right off the bike track, which is really nice.” Cloudview, for those not familiar, is the first red light north of where Tramway passes under Interstate 40. The building Canteen will occupy is on the west side of the street. “We’re hoping late spring here,” Gabe said. “They’re gutting it out, getting it ready, getting it set up. Hopefully we’ll be rolling by late spring, early summer. It has a great patio, a great view of the Sandias. It’s right off the bike path as well.”
“We’ll probably start doing some of that, eventually,” Rod said. “And, we’ll be working up new formulations for that site, too. So, what John (Walker) and I are envisioning is basically its own family of flagship beers.”
Zach, who lives in the East Mountains, said that the taproom will give him a place to stop halfway home.
Rod said that if the build-out goes according to plan, the new facility should be up and running by Jan. 1, 2017.
“We intend to make the taproom an extension of what we have here,” he said. “We’ll send specials up there to keep it interesting.”
— Luke Macias
— Chris Jackson
16
PILSNERS are light straw to golden color with a dense and rich head. The flavor is simple with light grain and hops bittering. It has a clean and refreshing finish.
WHEAT beers (found under many different names such as Hefeweizen) are refreshing, pale in color, sometimes cloudy and unfiltered, and highly carbonated. Fruity flavors are common.
PALE ALE is light-colored beer that is both malty and hoppy. Pale ales from England are often hoppier and spicy, where American pale ales are a little lighter, sometimes with fruity aromas
LAGERS are crisp and refreshing with a smooth finish from longer aging. Most lagers are a pale to medium color, have high carbonation, and a medium to high hop flavor.
The SAISON is complex style of beer; many are very fruity in aroma and flavor, with mild to moderate tartness. They tend to be semi-dry and vary in color from pale to reddish amber.
INDIAN PALE ALE (IPAs) range in color from very pale golden to reddish amber. They are moderate to medium bodied with herbal and/or citric character and are known for their bitter aroma and flavor.
True to its name, BROWN ALE is a dark amber color. They have a higher level of malt, which makes them more earthy and less bitter. Flavors vary from sweet to slightly hoppy, to malty.
BOCK beer is a rich complex, malty, low-hop style of lager with a dark amber to brown hue. Among the heaviest and maltiest, yet smoothest of brews they are very rich in flavor.
STOUT features a rich, creamy head and is flavored and colored by barley to develop a dark slightly astringent coffee-like character.
PORTER is a dark, almost black, fruity-dry, top fermenting style. An ale, porter is brewed with a combination of roasted malt to impart flavor, color and aroma.
JOHN GOZIGIAN l GUILD DIRECTOR By Chris Jackson NM Dark Side Brew Crew John Gozigian is not some newcomer to the craft beer scene. The new executive director of the New Mexico Brewers Guild was there when the organization came into formation in 2011-12. As a former co-owner at Marble Brewery, John saw the initial explosion of our current craft beer scene. Now, two years after accepting a buyout of his shares and leaving Marble, he is back in his new role, with a new vision of just what that role is, and the role of the Guild itself. “We had several of the packaging breweries that were facing an excise tax crisis in that we were about to hit this threshold where the excise tax would balloon, it would quintuple at 5,000 barrels,” John said of those initial gatherings in 2011. “That was going to put a huge damper on these nascent packaging breweries in New Mexico. That was the impetus to get together at first. What do we do about this? Our competitors in surrounding states aren’t paying anywhere near that kind of excise tax.” While that initial issue brought the breweries together, keeping them together as a united front has becoming increasingly more challenging as the scene has exploded. The days where everyone knew everyone else have long since passed. It is time, then, that the Guild evolves beyond simply fighting for legislation in Santa Fe and organizing festivals. “I had someone ask me the other day, ‘What’s the Guild going to do over the next several years?’ The answer is, there’s not really an individual hot-button issue right now that we need to rally around necessarily that we know of, (but) I think there will be (eventually),” John said. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. “The importance of the Guild is to continue to maintain this ability to mobilize the craft brewers of New Mexico and their respective customer bases if we need to protect ourselves. There’s always stuff going on in legislation that might not be on your radar, but it could be potentially detrimental to you. We have to protect ourselves. That’s when we really show what we’re made of.” John said the recent 30-day legislative session did not feature much regarding craft beer (other than a bill to allow grocery stores and liquor stores to potentially fill growlers, something the Guild is neutral on), but 2017 should see another attempt to lower the state excise tax, which is the highest in the Southwest. “Right now we’re protected up to 15,000, well, we have relief up until 15,000 barrels,” John said. “And then it goes away after that, it goes back up to 41 cents for every barrel over 15,000. We’re still way better off than we were two years ago. But, that’s a legitimate thing we’re going to have to deal with, and plus this current law sunsets in, I think, 2023.” The Guild will push to deal with both of those aspects next year. “First, we have to protect what we have already, and then see if we can bump it up a little, because still in New Mexico our breweries are comparatively small,” John said. “Our biggest brewery (Santa Fe) is making around 20,000 barrels a year. You go to Colorado and you can throw a rock and hit a brewery that’s doing 100,000 barrels-plus. There’s a bunch of them. In Colorado, I think it’s 8 cents a gallon for no matter what your barrelage is. They’re definitely at an advantage there. If you run a brewery, you want a lot more of your money to go back into your business.” While those legislative efforts get the big headlines, John still has more immediate issues to deal with, from deciding on what to do with the festivals as well as making sure all the new breweries are being brought into the fold. “For me, it’s going to be about really promoting the culture of craft brewing and craft brewers, because even as recently as five years ago, we all knew each other,” he said. “But, it was easy, there wasn’t that many of us.
“Almost all of us had worked together at some point in the past. Now, there are breweries being opened by people I’ve never met, never worked with, I don’t know anybody who has ever worked with them. So, what does that mean? It means it’s going to be incumbent upon us as the Guild to bring those guys into the fold.” As for the festivals, John said some of them are “no-brainers” for the Guild to continue, such as WinterBrew in Santa Fe, Blazin’ Brewfest in Las Cruces, and JOHN GOZIGIAN of course the IPA Challenge. The Guild was meeting this week to determine the future of other festivals in which they have partnered, such as the New Mexico Brew Fest and Mountain West Brew Fest. It was a tough year for some of the Guild festivals, especially in the summer/early fall, when it seemed as though there was a full-on festival overload, swallowing up their events and leading to low attendance and less revenue than was expected. “I know there’s a lot of excitement about doing festivals,” John said. “But, the mind I do have is that not just do the breweries have fatigue, but there may even be fatigue with customers. Well, let me retract that, not fatigue, but there are too many to choose from for all of them to really be well-attended.” While most people have complained that the lack of new beers being offered was a major detriment to festival attendance, for many of the breweries, the cost of attendance outweighed everything else. “And then also, one of the big things for the breweries that participate is, especially the brewpubs, they need to at least recoup their costs a little bit,” John said. “If you have a big packaging brewery they can mark it off as a marketing expense. But, if you’re a little brewpub in the other corner of New Mexico, you can’t justify going across the state to a festival because you’re not going to get any return on that in terms of customer traffic. “We still want them to do that, (but) they need to make a little money on it. Those are all of things we have to balance when we put on a festival and decide how many we’re going to do and how many breweries are going to participate in it.” Another area where New Mexico has seemingly fallen behind its neighbors is in terms of promoting the state as a beercation destination. The guilds in Arizona and Colorado have been much more active in promoting their entire craft beer scenes, rather than relying solely on the individual breweries. That should be changing here soon. “Because it dovetails so nicely, you already get a lot of tourism here,” John said. “I think it’s definitely another arrow in the quiver if you can market in New Mexico tourism the number and quality of breweries here. In that vein, we’ve actually had that the last couple of years, the New Mexico tourism department with our beer map, they’ve actually covered half the cost of that. Which has really been helpful. It’s one of the biggest tools we have; they’re in every single brewery that’s a Guild member. If you stop at a brewery and pick up a map, and you’re a tourist in New Mexico, you can see where (else) to go. It’s so neat and it’s so easy.” The Guild will work beyond that to promote the entire craft scene in New Mexico, which fits nicely with the idea of bringing the breweries together more so they can help push each other to bring all of their beers up to the elite level. “What I think we really want to do is promote the Guild as more of brand itself,” John said. “I think New Mexico beer as a brand has legs. … It’s become a brand in and of itself. We have a nice logo and artwork. We need to promote that so that every brewery in the state can fall under that banner of New Mexico beer is great beer. So, I think you’ll see more in the imagery going forward, in the festivals that we do. The New Mexico Brewers Guild brand is going to be more prominent.”
LAS CRUCES BREWS DOWN SOUTH
SPOTTED DOG
BREWERY Microbrewery in Mesilla offers a wide selection of ales
By Alexia Severson Las Cruces Sun-News
LAS CRUCES - After about 14 years of brewing beers at home, Jerry Grandle, 57, a New Mexico native who previously worked in construction, decided to take a risk and open Spotted Dog Brewery in Mesilla.
(Photo: Robin Zielinski / Sun-News)
Spotted Dog Brewery owner Jerry Grandle is photographed with a selection of brewery beers on Monday. The beers from left to right are Ryeliegh Red Rye IPA, Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit and Milk Stout.
Since opening in September 2014, the brewery, located at 2920 Avenida de Mesilla, has become a popular hangout spot for beer lovers, attracting people from across the country and throughout the world.
“People are discovering that there’s a lot more out there than lagers, which going back to the 1940s, 50s, 60s, you saw the big companies take over the market and essentially offer the same style beer which is a lager,” he said. “… There’s a lot more variety out there.”
“I decided that if I was ever going to open a brewery, I better do it now or never get around to it,” said Grandle, who runs the brewery with his wife Susan.
One of the more unique beers offered at the Spotted Dog is a Belgian style beer aged in a syrah wine barrel, called the Biere de Noel, Grandle said.
The couple named the brewery after their dog Ryeliegh, a bluetick hound.
“It’s sour,” he said. “A lot of Americans have never had a sour beer, but in hot weather, it’s very refreshing and crisp, kind of like a lemonade.”
“We brew beer with kind of a philosophy about where beer came from — not so much a big hoppy beer, which are real popular out in California on the west coast,” Grandle said. “… We have Belgian style beers, we have some German style beers, some American styles, English styles, so we like to have good variety of beers.” Grandle said the Spotted Dog specializes in ales and regularly offers a selection of about 12 to 15 beers, including house beers and rotating and seasonal brews.
The Spotted Dog also offers a selection of food. Grilled panini sandwiches are offered on Wednesday, Thursday and early Sunday, and a menu, including a variety of gourmet sandwiches and appetizers, is offered by Colloquium, a mobile culinary unit, on Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon, Grandle said. Grandle said plans have begun to construct a kitchen in the back of brewery, where food will be prepared.
IF YOU GO What: Spotted Dog Brewery Where: 2920 Avenida de Mesilla Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 12:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday; closed on Monday and Tuesday. Info: Call 575-650-2729 or visit spotteddogbrewery.com. Social Media: Visit facebook.com/SpottedDogBrewery Grandle said he recommends people visit the Spotted Dog for the great beer and great service. It’s also a good place to explore and learn about a wide variety of craft beers. “Our Amber Ale is a very popular ale for people who haven’t really jumped into craft beer,” he said. “Maybe they’re not hop heads, they don’t like real bitter beers — that’s a very smooth, pleasant-to-drink beer. And then after that, they can start branching out and finding out more about what beer is really about.”
OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE
“I like the flavor that ale yeast imparts in the beer,” he said. “The yeast itself, depending on the style, can really affect the flavor of the overall product, or the end product.”
“(Tom Drake, Colloquium chef) will actually do the food and so we will have his menu available all days we’re open,” he said. “Eventually, our goal is to be open seven days a week.”
Outside of running the Spotted Dog, Grandle said he enjoys going hunting, fishing, camping and spending time with his three grown children.
The most popular house beer is the India Pale Ale (IPA), Grandle said.
Currently, the Spotted Dog is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for brewing.
“India Pale Ales are, right now, probably the most popular style with craft beer drinkers across the country,” he said. “But right behind that, we have a Hefeweizen (a wheat beer), an Amber Ale (created with roasted barley and crystal malt) and a Milk Stout that are all pretty close for number two.”
Grandle said he hopes to have the kitchen completed in about two months.
“My son lives in Seattle and my daughter lives in Midland, Michigan, and she just gave birth to our first grandchild,” he said. “My youngest daughter is going to NMSU (New Mexico State University.)”
Grandle said people’s perspective of beer has shifted and that for the first time in more than 40 years, the U.S. is at the vanguard of beer.
“Once we get that done, then we’ll start doing all of our cleaning and sanitizing in the back side if the brewery,” he said. “When we’re proficient doing that, then we’ll open seven days a week.” Getting to that point may take about six to nine months, he said.
For information about Spotted Dog Brewery, call 575-650-2729 or visit spotteddogbrewery. com. Alexia Severson may be reached at 575-541-5462, aseverson@lcsun-news.com or @AlexiaMSeverson on Twitter.
A “Hymn to Ninkasi,” the Sumerian goddess of beer, is inscribed on a tablet, about 4,000 years after men first leave evidence of brewing activity.
Saint Arnold of Metz is born, one of dozens of patron saints to beer, brewers and hop-pickers. He helps end a plague by convincing people to drink beer rather than impure water.
The Reinheitsgebot, instituted in Bavaria, is a beer “purity law” that remains today in revised form. The original laws permits beer to be made only with barley, hops and water, later acknowledging yeast and permitting wheat.
Heinrich Knaust writes the first extensive book on brewing in Germany, describing in detail about 150 different beers. He calls the “noble Hamburg beer the queen of all other wheat beers.”
1800 BC (Circa) 580
The tavern that will become known as the Wayside Inn after being immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Tales of a Wayside Inn opens in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Nearly 300 years later it’s oldest continuously operating inn in the United States. Prohibition, in the form of the 18th amendment, outlaws the sale of alcohol in the United States. Key dates to remember: • The 18th Amendment is ratified on January 16, 1919 and goes into effect January 16, 1920. • On March 23, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signs into law legislation permitting the sale of 3.2% a beer. • On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment repeals the 18th Amendment. The late Michael Jackson, “The Beer Hunter”, drinks his first beer at the Castle Hill Hotel in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Twenty years later he writes The World Guide to Beer, one of the inspirations for a “beer revolution.” Hilton Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado, hosts a modest 20 breweries serving only 35 beers for the first Great American Beer Festival. Today the annual event features more than 2,000 beers. Jack McDougall of New Jersey wins the first US Beerdrinker of the Year competition sponsored by Wynkoop Brewing in Denver. McDougall is an original member of the Bar Tourists of America, a loosely organized group that held its first tour in 1978. The craft brewing sales share in 2012 was 6.5 percent by volume and 10.2 percent by dollars. 2,347 craft breweries operated for some or all of 2012, comprised of 1,132 brewpubs, 1,118 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries. Craft brewers reached 11 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 19.3 percent in 2014, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $19.6 billion. More than 3,400 U.S. breweries operated for some or all of 2014, of which 99 percent were small and independent craft brewers as defined by the Brewers Association. Of those craft breweries, there were 1,412 brewpubs, 1,871 microbreweries and 135 regional craft breweries.
1516 1573 1716 1814 1919-1933 1944 1957 1972 1982 1992 1997 2008 2012 2013 2014 2015
A storage vat at the Horse Shoe Brewery in London containing more than 300,000 gallons of porter collapses, knocking down brewery walls and flooding immediate area. Eight people are killed, “by drowning, injury, poisoning by porter fumes, or drunkenness.” Because it is not practical to ship beer, the HMS Menestheus, a British mine-laying ship, is converted into a floating brewery to supply beer to British and Allied troops in the Asian theater during World War II.
Development of Cascade hops begins in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1956. The hop is released to brewers in 1972 and becomes a hallmark aroma and flavor for beer from American small-batch brewers.
Astronaut-homebrewer Bill Readdy blasts into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery carrying an unofficial package, a bag containing Cascades hops. Spinnakers Brewpub in Victoria, B.C., later makes a beer brewed with the hops that circled the earth 128 times. Smithsonian Magazine states: “The best beers in the world today are being made in the US.” Craft brewers reached 7.8 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 14.3 percent in 2013, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $14.3 billion. More than 2,800 U.S. breweries operated for some or all of 2013, of which 99 percent were small and independent craft brewers as defined by the Brewers Association. Of those craft breweries, there were 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries. New Mexico Craft Beer Industry has shown ability to make an impact on the State’s economy and embraces new laws laying the ground work for a successful industry in years to come. SALUD!