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So I read over my notes from yesterday's beer tasting. Here they are, in expanded form. They're all from New Mexico breweries, so don't know how interesting this will be to anyone else; I'm mainly posting it here so I can find it again.
Marble Brewery
From the Wood #2 -- Yuck! Had a strong, cheap booze, alcoholic bite to it. Didn't like it at all. This is the only I didn't finish even the little 1 oz sample shot of.
Double White Ale -- Liked this one a lot; citrus forward flavor; similar to Blue Moon. Got a pint of this one (though they only actually poured about a 3/4 pint due to the high alcohol content.)
India Pale Ale -- very generic IPA
Wildflower Wheat -- Made with lots of local honey, this seemed to be very popular, but I thought it too flowery.
Oatmeal Stout -- Disappointingly mediocre. Wanted a more oaty flavour and feel but didn't get it.
Amber Ale -- Unimpressive.
Brown Ale -- Liked this. Similar flavour and mouth feel as New Castle, but a little lighter. More drinkable, I thought. Not at all bad for a brown ale, considering I don't usually like them all that much.
111 Blonde -- Way too light, minor flavor, and what it did have seemed too simple on the tounge.
Marble Red -- Very generic red.
Albuquerque Sour -- Sour is right! Holy crap! Almost tastes like a tart cider or a snakebite. It needed to be served much, much colder. It might be good then, hard to say.
Chama River Brewing Company
Dr. Strangehop -- Surprisingly tasty for being so very, very hoppy. If I had to drink a hoppy beer, it would definitely be this one.
Sleeping Dog Stout -- I'd had this before at the restaurant; it's rather good. Not the best stout I had all day, but decent. Pairs well with food, especially by not being as heavy or chewy as others I've had.
Chama Red -- Mom really likes this. I've veered away from reds for the most part, but could drink this one. Light but spicy hops round out the caramel. If I remember, this was crafted as a house beer for their steakhouse, which makes sense.
Chamafest -- Very nice all around beer. Not too heavy and not too complex, especially for a fest-style brew. Easily drinkable by a wide variety people. Could easily see it winning some prizes.
Turtle Mountain Brewing Company
Independence IPA -- One of the lighter-hopped IPAs presented. Needed a bit more flavour to compensate for the lack of hops, though.
TMBC IPA -- I was surprised that they only had four beers presented and two were IPAs. Totally different from the Independece, though, this was a much more aggressive beer.
2009 Oktoberfest -- OK. Wouldn't want a full pint of it. Thought Chamafest a superior fest beer by far.
NOTE: They were going to tap into their Hoptimus Prime Imperial IPA later. I didn't go back for it.
Rio Grande Brewing Company
Outlaw Pilsner -- Interesting. Very red for a pilsner, almost a combination of the two. Just enough hop to balance the caramel. Haven't had anything like it. Very tasty.
Green Chile Beer -- Definitely chile flavoured, bit of heat at the back. Would be excellent with food, especially burgers, but not something to drink on its own.
Il Vicino
Schwartzbier -- My favourite dark beer of the day, hands down. Got a pint of this one.
Dopplebock -- Can't read my handwriting on this one, but I'm pretty sure I liked this.
Elsa's Hop Elixir -- A little too hoppy for me, but obviously very popular.
Blue Corn Brewery
Green Dream Organic Harvest Ale -- Somewhat light, but still a good all-around beer. Would have liked a little earthier flavour to it if they're going to call it a harvest ale.
40K Honey Wheat Ale -- Very honey flavoured, more so than any other honey wheat I've had. Not bad, but wouldn't want more than one. Would probably be good with moderately spicy food, but don't think it could hold up against anything really hot.
Atomic Blonde Ale -- Bleah. Might as well have been Bud Light. Totally unimaginative and uninspired.
Road Runner IPA -- Not too hoppy. Nice balance. Solid IPA.
Second Street Brewery
Cream Stout -- YUM! A nice, light, creamy stout that isn't too sweet. Chocolate flavour is more subtle than many I've had. Very drinkable. Reminded me of my homebrewed porter. My pint of it went down nice and smooth.
India Pale Ale -- Somehow comes across as lightly hopped while still retaining the bitter taste and dry finish characteristic of IPAs. Nice trick, that.
NOTE: The people working the table talked about some of their seasonal beers I'll have to check out, including a porter, imperial stout, English bitter and Scotch ale. Looks like I'll be making some treks to Santa Fe.
Santa Fe Brewing Company
Porter -- I rarely find a dark beer I don't like, so this one surprised me. It had some nice nut and chocolate flavours but I found it way too malty, even for a porter.
Yippee Imperial IPA -- Meh. I'm so burnt out on IPAs and this was just wasn't anything special.
Sierra Blanca Brewing Company
Alien Amber -- Mom likes this one a lot and buys it often. I don't particularly care for it, but it is a solid amber, if a little heavy on the tongue. No hoppy bitterness, though, which is nice.
Three Rivers Brewery
Papa Bear's Golden Honey Ale -- Very light but crisp and refreshing. Not too much honey feel on the tongue, not flowery at all. Would be good served very cold after a hot day of yardwork or something.
Mother's Milk Stout -- Nice. Made with nitrogen which makes it very airy. I think this is my first milk stout (made with lactose) and I like it. Soft and creamy, smooth with just enough sweetness. Extremely drinkable.
Double Barrel Amber -- Excellent. Great balance of caramel and hops. Strong but drinkable.
NOTE: Go to Farmington. Drink more 3 Rivers Beer. (I was most impressed by their beers than any other brewery.)
Marble Brewery
From the Wood #2 -- Yuck! Had a strong, cheap booze, alcoholic bite to it. Didn't like it at all. This is the only I didn't finish even the little 1 oz sample shot of.
Double White Ale -- Liked this one a lot; citrus forward flavor; similar to Blue Moon. Got a pint of this one (though they only actually poured about a 3/4 pint due to the high alcohol content.)
India Pale Ale -- very generic IPA
Wildflower Wheat -- Made with lots of local honey, this seemed to be very popular, but I thought it too flowery.
Oatmeal Stout -- Disappointingly mediocre. Wanted a more oaty flavour and feel but didn't get it.
Amber Ale -- Unimpressive.
Brown Ale -- Liked this. Similar flavour and mouth feel as New Castle, but a little lighter. More drinkable, I thought. Not at all bad for a brown ale, considering I don't usually like them all that much.
111 Blonde -- Way too light, minor flavor, and what it did have seemed too simple on the tounge.
Marble Red -- Very generic red.
Albuquerque Sour -- Sour is right! Holy crap! Almost tastes like a tart cider or a snakebite. It needed to be served much, much colder. It might be good then, hard to say.
Chama River Brewing Company
Dr. Strangehop -- Surprisingly tasty for being so very, very hoppy. If I had to drink a hoppy beer, it would definitely be this one.
Sleeping Dog Stout -- I'd had this before at the restaurant; it's rather good. Not the best stout I had all day, but decent. Pairs well with food, especially by not being as heavy or chewy as others I've had.
Chama Red -- Mom really likes this. I've veered away from reds for the most part, but could drink this one. Light but spicy hops round out the caramel. If I remember, this was crafted as a house beer for their steakhouse, which makes sense.
Chamafest -- Very nice all around beer. Not too heavy and not too complex, especially for a fest-style brew. Easily drinkable by a wide variety people. Could easily see it winning some prizes.
Turtle Mountain Brewing Company
Independence IPA -- One of the lighter-hopped IPAs presented. Needed a bit more flavour to compensate for the lack of hops, though.
TMBC IPA -- I was surprised that they only had four beers presented and two were IPAs. Totally different from the Independece, though, this was a much more aggressive beer.
2009 Oktoberfest -- OK. Wouldn't want a full pint of it. Thought Chamafest a superior fest beer by far.
NOTE: They were going to tap into their Hoptimus Prime Imperial IPA later. I didn't go back for it.
Rio Grande Brewing Company
Outlaw Pilsner -- Interesting. Very red for a pilsner, almost a combination of the two. Just enough hop to balance the caramel. Haven't had anything like it. Very tasty.
Green Chile Beer -- Definitely chile flavoured, bit of heat at the back. Would be excellent with food, especially burgers, but not something to drink on its own.
Il Vicino
Schwartzbier -- My favourite dark beer of the day, hands down. Got a pint of this one.
Dopplebock -- Can't read my handwriting on this one, but I'm pretty sure I liked this.
Elsa's Hop Elixir -- A little too hoppy for me, but obviously very popular.
Blue Corn Brewery
Green Dream Organic Harvest Ale -- Somewhat light, but still a good all-around beer. Would have liked a little earthier flavour to it if they're going to call it a harvest ale.
40K Honey Wheat Ale -- Very honey flavoured, more so than any other honey wheat I've had. Not bad, but wouldn't want more than one. Would probably be good with moderately spicy food, but don't think it could hold up against anything really hot.
Atomic Blonde Ale -- Bleah. Might as well have been Bud Light. Totally unimaginative and uninspired.
Road Runner IPA -- Not too hoppy. Nice balance. Solid IPA.
Second Street Brewery
Cream Stout -- YUM! A nice, light, creamy stout that isn't too sweet. Chocolate flavour is more subtle than many I've had. Very drinkable. Reminded me of my homebrewed porter. My pint of it went down nice and smooth.
India Pale Ale -- Somehow comes across as lightly hopped while still retaining the bitter taste and dry finish characteristic of IPAs. Nice trick, that.
NOTE: The people working the table talked about some of their seasonal beers I'll have to check out, including a porter, imperial stout, English bitter and Scotch ale. Looks like I'll be making some treks to Santa Fe.
Santa Fe Brewing Company
Porter -- I rarely find a dark beer I don't like, so this one surprised me. It had some nice nut and chocolate flavours but I found it way too malty, even for a porter.
Yippee Imperial IPA -- Meh. I'm so burnt out on IPAs and this was just wasn't anything special.
Sierra Blanca Brewing Company
Alien Amber -- Mom likes this one a lot and buys it often. I don't particularly care for it, but it is a solid amber, if a little heavy on the tongue. No hoppy bitterness, though, which is nice.
Three Rivers Brewery
Papa Bear's Golden Honey Ale -- Very light but crisp and refreshing. Not too much honey feel on the tongue, not flowery at all. Would be good served very cold after a hot day of yardwork or something.
Mother's Milk Stout -- Nice. Made with nitrogen which makes it very airy. I think this is my first milk stout (made with lactose) and I like it. Soft and creamy, smooth with just enough sweetness. Extremely drinkable.
Double Barrel Amber -- Excellent. Great balance of caramel and hops. Strong but drinkable.
NOTE: Go to Farmington. Drink more 3 Rivers Beer. (I was most impressed by their beers than any other brewery.)
