Boxing Bear Brewery

Boxing Bear Brewing is a hidden-gem of a pub up in the Cottonwood shopping area at the corner of Alameda and Coors and connected to Southwest Grape and Grain (our local home-brew supply store); this is definitely a great shop to check out if you're interested in learning the process and ingredients that go into small-batch, home brewing. Formerly a bar called Elliot's, Boxing Bear definitely has a very open, bright pub feeling right when you walk in. The brewery is visible through large windows, and around the corner you can find the bar wrapped around floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the awesomely large, private, and scenic patio.

Another exceptionally large flight, we broke them down into three sections; regularly offered beers, and two sets of seasonal offerings. With all the beers offered here, it was fascinating to see all the unique names of the brews, the wide variety of styles, and the flight serving trays (wooden bear paws, our favorite so far!). First up was the regular selection, the beers that should be there any time of year:

Body Czech Bohemian Pilsner

Hairymit Hefe

Ambear Ale

Paw Swipe Pale Ale

Uppercut IPA

The Body Czech Bohemian Pils was a very crisp and refreshing beer. This was a very different style pilsner than we have experienced at some of the other breweries in that it is much more full-bodied and has more wheat flavor than most pilsners.

The Hairymit Hefe was pretty weak, it didn't have enough of the unfiltered thickness or the banana flavor that you would expect from a hefeweizen. It also had an extremely perfumey, floral taste that left the beer very smooth but not a good after taste.

The Ambear was an excellent amber ale, it had all the best characteristics from the malts and the sweet caramel flavor was very easy to drink. It was crisp and smooth all at the same time, and had a really good flavor with a great finish.

The Paw Swipe Pale was very hoppy but not bitter, very close to being an IPA, but distinctly a pale ale. This was a very drinkable beer and a great start for someone looking to get into hoppy beers.

The Uppercut IPA was a very malty IPA, definitely an East Coast American style IPA. The hop taste was subtle and added an awesome flavor to the rich maltiness of the brew.

Next up was the first round of seasonals:

Bearzen

The Red Glove

Kodiak Brown

Chocolate Milk Stout

Black & Blue Sour

The Bearzen was an authentic German-style Marzen beer and was very true to style. It was a very smooth, flavorful beer that was easy to drink and not overly filling. Despite the bright, golden color of this beer, the flavor was very malty and bready.

The Red Glove was a smokey red ale that was very malt heavy and had the beautiful red color it ought to. This was a good representation of an Irish red and had great flavors, but definitely a beer for a more developed palate.

The Kodiak Brown, much like the majority of browns we've tried lately, was pretty disappointing. There wasn't much flavor to this beer and the little smokey flavor that was there seemed out of place. Not a very good beer, so good thing it's temporary.

The Chocolate Milk Stout was also pretty disappointing; although the chocolate flavor was prominent, the milkiness was very absent. This milk stout wasn't smooth enough or creamy enough to be a good example of a milk stout.

The Black & Blue Sour was named for the blackberries and blueberries used in the brewing process which gave this beer a bright pink color. This beer was not very beer-like, but definitely sour; it tasted almost like pink lemonade. The fruit flavor was very forward and tart, but still drinkable as far as sours go.

And finally the last set of seasonals:

(Unnamed) Kolsch

Applebear Cider

Standing 8 Stout

Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout

Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout

The Kolsch was similar to the pils but not nearly as much flavor and a bit more crisp and refreshing. This is definitely an easy, drinkable porch beer that would be great for a beginner's palate.

The Applebear Cider was very sour, in a good way! This cider makes your lips pucker and taste buds water. The apple flavor was very good, but you have to get passed the extreme sourness.

The Standing 8 Stout was a little disappointing, it didn't have much flavor and tasted like a smokey meat instead of the coffees and chocolates of late. This stout was somewhat watery and not creamy or full enough.

The Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout on the other hand was absolutely delicious. Somehow adding coffee to the Chocolate Milk Stout really brought out everything that had been previously missing. The milkiness and creamy flavors were very present, the coffee flavor was just right, not too much but plenty noticeable. The chocolate flavor was still prevalent and complimented everything else going on in this delicious milk stout.

The Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout was a mouthful in every sense of the word. Very consistent with the style, this Russian Imperial Stout is very high in alcohol content (10.2%) and tastes like it. The smooth, sweet stout flavor has an almost licorice taste but is overpowered by this incredibly strong imperial beer.

The layout of this brewery is nice for just about any demographic; if you have a large group there are plenty of tables to push together, if you're looking for some privacy there are tons of tables in little nooks or on the patio to really accommodate anyone. The patio is a great space to relax and enjoy a beer, but if you're looking to be in the middle of it all, the taproom is always bustling. Boxing Bear does have a menu of a variety of paninis, but they are pretty pricey for the portion size ($9 for a sandwich and chips). This brewery has something for everyone, so if you're looking for someplace new to try out, we highly recommend this one!

Megan's overall opinion: Although I was disappointed that they didn't have any Nitro offerings (they almost always have something on nitro), I was absolutely thrilled with the Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout, by far my favorite beer and exactly what I look for in a stout. My least favorite beers were the Hairymit Hefe and the Kodiak Brown, but the Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout outweighed their faults. I liked the setting a lot, it was a very comfortable venue and the variety of beer was very impressive.

Randy's overall opinion: Big props for having such a wide variety of beer styles. Not all were up to my personal palate, however I liked the variety of beers available. The Bearzen was a very easy one to drink and the Coffee Choc Milk Stout was pretty chingon. I do not like sour beers so those don't do anything for me but I'm sure there are those out there that do like that style. The patio is awesome; very spacious and outdoorsy. Overall, Boxing Bear has made its mark here in the local beer scene and continues to stand firm in position as one of NM's better breweries. 

http://www.boxingbearbrewing.com/

https://www.swgrapeandgrain.com/