Well, color me impressed, not just by the beautiful scenery in and particularly around Santa Fe, but by the prevalence of craft beer. Sure, the more Mexican-oriented restaurants had mostly, or exclusively Mexican brands, but everywhere else we went it was craft beer central.
Topping the list was the Atomic Grill on Water Street, just a block off the Plaza, with 80+ craft beer options in bottles. The full line from the really good Santa Fe Brewing Company, and Sierra Blanca (didn’t get to try any of their stuff), a ton of Colorado craft (New Belgium, Odell, Left Hand, Flying Dog, Ska, etc.), and a healthy dose from California (Stone (including some of the bombers), Mendocino, Sierra Nevada (more than just the Pale!), Anderson Valley, etc.). Very hard to choose, to say the least.
The surprises began with our first meal in Santa Fe – lunch at The Shed. We had a brief wait for a table, so I made my way to the bar. Thinking (for some reason) that I’d be limited to Negra Modelo at best, what should I spy but a Pilsner Urquell tap. Nice! Much better than expected. Then the bartender moved to take my order revealing two taps from the Santa Fe Brewing Company. Very nice! Their Pale Ale was an excellent rendition with a lovely, Three Floyds-esque juicy hop character, which did yeoman’s work washing down my Carne Adovada plate (and what turned out to be the hottest red chile of the trip – though still pleasant).
Similar scenarios were played out in restaurants throughout the city, and even in the countryside. I was again shocked (it was only our second day) when we stopped at the tiny village of Abiquiú at Bode’s General Merchandise for some sandwiches, only to spy offering from New Belgium and Flying Dog available at their deli.
It certainly did my beer-loving heart good to see craft beer be the rule, rather than the exception as it so often seems to be in St. Louis. In addition to all of the beer mentioned, Santa Fe supports four breweries/brewpubs (none of which we made it to, as we wanted to focus on local cuisine and found plenty of good beer at these places): the afore-mentioned Santa Fe Brewing Company, a branch of the Il Vicino pizza/brewpub chain, Second Street Brewery, and the Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery. So, beer lovers, don’t hesitate to put Santa Fe on your list of potential travel destinations!
Nice summary, Dave. I’m glad to hear that the craft beer scene is thriving.
I’d love to visit New Mexico. I envision lots of long, open roads that my bike and I would easily fall in love with.
Happy Anniversary, too!
Happy anniversary, Dave!
How did the kids enjoy their weekend with grandma & grandpa?
Thanks, Kathleen. The kids did great – and I left plenty of good beer, wine and whisky (the latter of which seems to have been the beverage of choice) to keep Grandma and Grandpa fortified. My bottle of Longrow looks a bit sad now – going to have to put it out of its misery soon.
Sounds really great Dave.