La Cumbre (the peak) is one of Albuquerque's most established and popular breweries. Although we frequent this brewery, it had been a long time since we ordered a flight here which really opened us up to some new and old favorites. Typically we go and ask or a sample of the latest seasonal or we just know which one we want and always stick with that one, but ordering a flight really helped us understand how our palates have changed over the years. This flight was one of the largest we've seen; you don't have to get every beer they have on tap when you order, but of course we did:
Slice of Hefen Hefeweizen
Beer American Pilsner
Pyramid Rock Amber
Elevated India Pale Ale
Project Dank American IPA
Malpais Stout
Red Ryeot Red Ale
Mind Phoq Coffee Pale Ale (Seasonal)
Cascade Hop Back IPA (Seasonal)
Not Even Brown (Seasonal)
VMO #2 Marzen Oktoberfest (Seasonal)
Guest Special: Arrogant Bastard IPA
The Slice of Hefen is a traditional German Hefeweizen which means it's a lighter-colored, semi-unfiltered wheat beer. Consistent to style, this hefe has notes of banana in both the smell and taste and is a great beer for someone who is just starting their palate. Another great thing about this beer is if you really like it, they can and distribute it, so you can find it a few stores around town.
The Beer is great, yes all of their beer is, but the one called Beer is exactly what you would expect and it's great! It smells like what you would think beer smells like, it tastes like what you imagine beer to taste like and it's very refreshing on a warm afternoon on the patio. Definitely one of our favorites and a go-to beer if all else fails, but it won't at La Cumbre.
The Pyramid Rock Amber is a more malty flavored beer, indicated by the slightly darker color and the sweeter aroma. This beer is very smooth and easy to drink and really tastes the way an amber ought to taste.
The Elevated IPA has won several awards over the years and is arguably one the best in the state if not the country. Many claim, as we did before re-trying it this weekend, that this is an outrageously hoppy American-style IPA that is a little difficult to handle if you aren't used to that sort of thing. But after trying it in this flight, our opinion, and more likely our palates, have changed dramatically; this IPA, though it is still very hoppy, it is also very smooth and quite delicious! This beer is also canned and widely distributed.
The Project Dank, as denoted in the name, is La Cumbre's ever-changing project beer. It makes it difficult for us to review because we could tell you one thing this time and in a few months it could be totally different, and that's a good thing! It's really neat for a brewery to have a beer that they can play with and have fun being creative with, it's how they improve! The overall style of this beer is an American IPA, so it's very hoppy, more so than Elevated, and like many of La Cumbre's beers, the ABV (alcohol by volume) is on the higher end.
The Malpais Stout is a very good coffee stout. This creamy, smooth, coffee-flavored beer is very dark in color and probably one of the best in town. This is another beer La Cumbre cans and distributes but tends to be a little harder to find.
The Red Ryeot is another perfectly named beer as it is both red in color and rye-flavored. This American-style (hoppy) red is very flavorful and quite strong. This is definitely a beer for a developed palate, but once you're there, it's awesome!
The Mind Phoq, also accurately named, is an unexpected beer, but very welcomed. This is a pale ale flavored with coffee; looks like a golden pale ale, tastes like a coffee stout! Really messes with your head, but sends your taste buds on ride. This beer is really fun to drink and even more fun to order if pronounced correctly. This beer is seasonal, so it on't be around forever, but hopefully it will be back often.
The Cascade Hop Back, also seasonal, was named for the type of hops used in the brewing process. Cascade hops are a very flavorful, citrus and almost juniper flavored hop that really comes out in this bold IPA. When reading these chalk boards, you may notice each beer has the IBUs (international bittering unit) listed; this typically indicates how hoppy a beer is. For this particular beer, that is not at all the case! Showing only 34 IBUs, while the amber has 55 IBUs, this beer is out of this world hoppy!
The Not Even Brown was pretty average, especially in comparison to the rest of the menu. A maltier beer with the darker brown color, seemed almost bitter for it's style. Still a likable, easy to drink beer, just not one that really stood out from the crowd.
The VMO#2 has been around before, but has surely gone through some changes. This beer is categorized as a German-style Marzen which is commonly served at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. This was a very unique beer in the line up and have a very bold, floral taste to it. Slightly hoppy and a little more wheaty than malty, this beer seemed very true to style with just a hint of La Cumbre flare.
Also on tap was a beer not brewed by La Cumbre, but by a very well-known brewery; Stone! Arrogant Bastard is one of the most popular IPAs in the country and it was really great to have the opportunity to try it out here in Albuquerque (instead of San Diego, CA, but we will also make that trip someday for sure!). Of course you can buy it in the store, but a bottle is really no comparison for on draft.
This visit we were able to partake in the brewery tour, which we highly recommend if you're interested in learning about the behind the scenes action and the overall brewing process. Most breweries you can see the tanks through windows, but to be able to walk through the whole process and see and smell how your beer is made is a very worthwhile experience.
Megan's overall opinion: Really great brewery, definitely an Albuquerque staple! The serving room has many tributes to other awesome breweries around the world, a lot of great artwork from their distributions, and usually has very talented local bands. The patio is new and was definitely needed as the interior is really cramped and awkwardly laid out. Being such a popular location, they really need to expand or open a taproom in another part of town. The beer is awesome! My favorite would have to be The Mind Phoq.
Randy's overall opinion:
Being that this place is one that put ABQ on the map for the beer scene, there is a certain respect that comes with this brewery. Known for being a pretty hoppy place, it's nice to find a beer or two that cater to the other people who aren't "hop heads." It does seem like they need to step it up a little as the other local breweries are expanding like crazy and this one isn't progressing quite as much. However, the quality is what made this place what it is. Favorites are the VMO#2, Beer, and Pyramid Rock Amber.
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