The New New Mexican Beer Scene: Day 1 / Santa Fe

Just after New Year's, Rachel and I headed to New Mexico in search of good beer and even better tacos. We succeeded on both accounts. In total, we stopped at 15 breweries across the state and I rated 109 beers in total. New Mexico has some really fun breweries, so without further ado, let's take a journey south of the (Colorado) border. (Note that my ratings of each beer are listed in parentheses.)

Stop #1: Santa Fe Brewing Company

Heading to Santa Fe, New Mexico

It's about a six hour journey from Denver to Santa Fe, straight down Interstate 25. We arrived around 6pm and began our night at Santa Fe Brewing Company. Santa Fe is one of the larger breweries in New Mexico and distributes several of their beers to Colorado, mostly in can format. Taster trays weren't offered in the tasting room, but they did offer me a couple of free samples regardless. I stuck to the beers that I hadn't previously rated and tried their Dirty Blonde (5/10), Nut Brown (5/10), and Black IPA (4/10. None of the beers were that exciting but their other beers which I did not taste on this trip are pretty tasty. My favorite beer from Santa Fe Brewing is their Imperial Java Stout, which is available in cans in Colorado.

Beers: 7/10  |  Atmosphere: 6/10  |  Restrooms: B

Best Beer: Imperial Java Stout  |  Worth visiting? Yes

Stop #2: Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery

After Santa Fe Brewing, we headed to Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery (Southside location). Blue Corn is a brewery restaurant with two location in Santa Fe. For dinner, I had enchiladas smothered in red and green chili sauce and was pretty happy with my selection. I tasted eight beers here including Atomic Blonde (5/10), Atalaya Amber (5/10), Road Runner IPA (6/10), End of the Trail Brown (4/10), Gold Medal Oatmeal Stout (5/10), JB's Log Splitter (7/10), Golden Strong Ale (6/10), Imperial Porter Reserve (6/10). All of the beers were decent with the JB's Log Splitter Heller Bock being my favorite, which unfortunately is a limited release only available at one of the brewpubs on random occasions.

Beers: 6/10  |  Atmosphere: 7/10  | Restrooms: B-

Best Beer: JB's Log Splitter Heller Bock  |  Worth Visiting? Maybe

Stop #3: Second Street Brewery

Refreshed after dinner, our next stop was Second Street Brewery, located near the old Santa Fe train station. This place was a bit hard to find and was full of hipsters. I tried seven beers that were mostly mediocre: Kolsch (3/10), IPA (4/10), Tres Equis Lager (4/10), Rail Runner Pale Ale (4/10), Pajarito Pale Ale (5/10), Alternator Doppel Alt (5/10), Barley Wine (7/10). The Barley Wine was the standout beer, which was a very limited release and only available at the brewpub.

Beers: 4/10  |  Atmosphere: 4/10  |  Restrooms: B

Best Beer: Barley Wine  |  Worth Visiting? No

Stop #4: Marble Brewery

Marble Brewing

The final stop of the evening was also the most anticipated: Marble Brewing. Marble was started in Albuquerque, but now has a tasting room in a mall in Old Town Santa Fe. It's a little tricky finding the place, as it is at the end of a hall at the top of an indoor mall. If I remember correctly, tasters were available though they were somewhat large. Marble distributes beer to Colorado and I have been impressed with many of their offerings, particularly their Imperial Stout, which is aged in Bourbon barrels. I savored the five beers that I tasted: 111 Pilsner (6/10), Amber Ale (6/10), Red Ale (7/10), Imperial Stout (9/10), Brewer's Cut Volume I (6/10). The Imperial Stout was hands down the winner of the tasting and I ended up picking up four bottles to bring home. It may see some limited distribution to Colorado (I've never seen it here), but your best bet is to pick some up at one of the Marble locations or trade for it. The atmosphere was about as good as you could expect from an indoor mall. The restrooms were difficult to locate down a dark hallway on the other side of the mall.

Beers: 8/10  |  Atmosphere: 6/10  |  Restrooms: D+

Best Beer: Imperial Stout  |  Worth Visiting? YES!