Albuquerque Brewing is a slightly hidden, hole-in-the-wall, small brewery that is located on I-25 just before Paseo Del Norte. This brewery isn't much of a destination brewery, it's more of a stop in after work for a beer and maybe a pizza. The layout for the tap room is left over from the counter top sales office that occupied the space before them, which could have been a really neat concept had they worked with it a little better. The room is very closed off and needs to be opened up for more seating and to be able to see the entertainers that perform indoors when the weather isn't nice out. The model-home style kitchen was a perfect set up for their pizza oven but before they put that in, the kitchen area was a sort of gathering place, much like a home with a large family. They used to have kitchen cabinets behind the serving area that held their pint glasses which just further enhanced the feeling of being in someone's home, but they have since removed those. The venue from the start has felt like a work in progress construction zone, so if they can get that under control it would be a nicer place to spend some time. The patio on the other hand is expansive and a great hang-out area, especially with the live music they often have. There really is a lot to say about this brewery and we haven't even made it to the beer review!
Albuquerque Brewing Company's slogan is "True to Style," which when they first opened seemed intriguing since they had more of the English styled beers instead of the hop-headed beers that many breweries in Albuquerque tend to have. Just from looking over the menu however, it seems ABC has branched out to many different styles, so "True to Style" doesn't hold much weight anymore. We of course partook of the flight, which unfortunately seemed to have several beers missing due to blown kegs, but even so, we ended up with six beers, which was more than we've seen on tap here before. They were out of their High Plains Drafter Blonde Ale, the Dunkelweizen, their Off the Richter Red Ale, and the Handlebar Mustache Stout. Our flight included:
Duke's Pale Ale
Tilted Windmill IPA
Vienna Amber (Seasonal)
Imperial Red Ale (Seasonal)
Saison (Seasonal)
American Golden Nitro Stout (Seasonal)
The Duke's Pale was a very mild pale ale, which for English-adaptation pale is the flavor it should have. The hops were present but in no way overbearing, and the sweet, wheat flavor seemed to take over the beer giving it an almost hefeweizen taste.
The Tilted Windmill IPA was also extremely mild in the hops regional, barely resembling an IPA. It tasted very sweet, with an almost apple-like flavor to it. It was crisp and refreshing, just not quite an IPA.
The Vienna Amber was a seasonal beer that ABC should keep on tap year-round. This was an excellent English-style amber, unfiltered and full of malt character. There was a slightly smokey flavor that really added to the beer, overall an excellent amber.
The Imperial Red was another seasonal that seemed to take the place of their Off the Richter Red Ale. This red was a very brown color and had a similar smokey smell to the Vienna Amber. The taste was good, malty as an English red ale should be and not at all hoppy. This was an interesting beer, in a good way, and sneaky...you wouldn't guess it was imperial from the taste.
The Saison was pretty typical for a farmhouse ale, having that unfiltered, wheat look to it. The flavor could be compared to a soured hefeweizen, which works for this seasonal summer ale.
The American Golden Nitro Stout was rather disappointing. Being such fans of nitros and of pale stouts, this beer was disappointing in every way. The color of this "Golden" stout was a medium brown color and it smelled nutty like a brown ale as well. The nitro did make for a very creamy beer, but there wasn't much flavor at all, so again, we'd say this was more a of a nitro brown ale than a a nitro golden stout.
Megan's overall opinion: I want to like ABC, but for some reason I just can't. There are a lot of things about it I do like, such as the decor and the feeling that it's small and local, but the whole place just seems unfinished and disorganized. Their beer is good, it's just inconsistent and lacks flavor. I did really enjoy the amber, I thought that was an excellent beer, but it wasn't one to drive across town for. I really didn't like the IPA, it just didn't have any flavor to it in either direction, hops or malts. I would like to see more of the home-feel in the decor, I liked hanging out in the "kitchen" and I think the patio is great, they just need to finish the inside area and clean it up. Location could be better, but we've also seen a lot worse. The first beer we ever had at ABC was a nitro cappuccino red ale, and it was fantastic, so I hope they bring that back someday!
Randy's overall opinion: Albuquerque Brewing seems like an afterthought hobby to me. I understand the location because they are tied to the business next door, but access to it is awful. Inside is very different than your typical brewery but each time we go there, it seems like the construction isn't completed; cords draped everywhere, half finished tables, walls with patch marks.... That would all be fine if it were a work in progress but unfortunately this is the norm. no path of improvement or growth. The patio is large which is a good thing and it looks like the events are enjoyable. The beer could use some help but they are not far off. I felt just about all the beers were weaker than they should be (style-wise) and somewhat watery. A good number of beers were not available which was disappointing. The word I would use to describe Albuquerque Brewing is CONFUSING. I'm not sure on the beer style despite the logo, not sure on the look they are going for, and frankly not sure what they are trying to do. This place does have potential though!
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