Traveling along Interstate-25 through New Mexico? Want to take a bit of a detour to sample some great food and brews? Then here are some stops to make while traveling to through Santa Fe.
Our afternoon started from the south. Our first stop was the Santa Fe Brewing Co. You can see their brewery from the interstate (Between exits 276A and 278A). They host a variety of beers including the Santa Fe Pale Ale, the Happy Camper IPA, and the State Pen Porter. Their brews come in bottles, cans and growlers. On Saturdays, small batches are featured. There is a music venue across the parking lot from the Tasting room, so you need to check out the calendar.
We stopped for lunch at the Blue Corn Café & Brewery. They have two locations, one near the old town and the one on Cerrillos. Both are excellent. (Parking is a challenge for the one in Old Town, but it is a great place to sample beers and the food of New Mexico.) Their menu features a number of brew pub items with a New Mexico flair as well as your traditional New Mexico favorites. You can choose either red or green sauce (or both) and won’t go wrong. The brewery is the home of the Atomic Blonde Lager, the Road Runner IPA, the End of the Trail Brown Ale and the Gold Medal Oatmeal Stout. We were there during the Bike and Brew Festival, and got to try their Velo IPA which featured a blend of hops. It was a wonderful change of pace. And, they have a nice root beer as well.
Duel brewing is a bit different. It features Belgian-style beers in a bit of a different atmosphere. There are a number of different waffle offerings on the menu – from the waffle Cristo to waffle desserts. The beers are definitely in the Belgian style, from a Witbier to the Imperial Porter. The Stille of the Nite is one to try. It is a non-carbonated sour dark ale. Our take was that it was more of a port or dark sherry rather than a beer. Challenges what we normally think a beer should be.
Our day ended with a stop at the Second Street Brewery. (There are two locations in Santa Fe and the location where we stopped was the one on Second Street.) Their normal tap offerings include a Kolsch, an IPA, the Tres Equis Lager, a Brown Ale and a Cream Stout. As we were there during Bike and Brew, they were featuring a Boneshaker Ale.
It would be hard to go wrong with any of these selections. So, whether you are planning on staying in Santa Fe, or just passing through. Be sure to stop and enjoy the hospitality!
Mash, Malt and Musts 