NM #34--Amtrak to Albuquerque, Part 7: The Pubs!

PAGE SEVEN:  PUBS AND BREWPUBS (For Jennifer) (10 Photos)

          The world of beer in America has changed so dramatically in the last ten years that a decent craft ale is available in almost any pub, even in a dive bar.  If it's not on tap, there is usually a bottle of the stuff lying around waiting to be opened by someone who appreciates it.  There are dozens of beer styles now, most worth drinking, and they are as different from one another as can be.  No one can truly say any more that they "don't like beer."  It's like saying you don't like food.  Sample trays are the best way to become initiated, and to find the beer that best suits your taste.  There are some really strong tasting ones, and there are some really mild tasting ones, and everything in between.  Craft brewers add things like dark chocolate and coffee to beer, as well as herbs, spices, ginger and just about everything else, including hops and malts.  It is so much fun visiting a new brewery, because one never knows what awaits.  And of course it is even more fun returning to a favourite brewery to have that one beer that makes the whole journey special.  Even Amtrak is on board with craft beer!  Here is the beer adventure portion of our trip, in chronological order.  Not all pubs have photos.  Sorry, but I get too focused on the beer and sometimes forget to take photos.

JUNCTION BAR, Chicago:  (link to their FB page) Located in Union Station, Chicago, and it was open Easter Sunday!  Lots of craft beer on draft and in bottles.  Deb was off her meds and her liver had gone back to normal.  She was able to enjoy alcohol on this journey!  For her first beer since her prohibition she chose well--Bells Two-Hearted Ale.  I had a Deschutes "Chainbreaker White IPA," which was the special of the day.  Delicious!  We split a second pint of it.  A good place to hang out between trains, though we found a more interesting pub outside the station and down the street (see last entry on this page).  No food here at the station pub, but you can bring food back from the food court to eat at the tables (which is what we did).

This is the upstairs observation lounge on the Southwest Chief.  There are tables at the back to 
eat, play cards, or keep the kids busy.  Downstairs is the snack car, where food and beverages purchased there can be consumed up here.  As we left Santa Fe (Lamy Station) heading south for our final stop in Albuquerque we bought two bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, enjoying good beer and great views!  Bring your own beer?  It can be consumed in your sleeper room only.  So we had a wee party in our cabin on the way home (see below)!

MARBLE BREWERY,  ALBUQUERQUE:  Our favourite hangout when in town, we hit here first, after getting our rental car.  The brewery is downtown.  Their IPA is the best there is.  They have food trucks outside, different ones each night.  They open a cask every Friday (we missed out, as we left Friday at noon).  This time we met Crown, a golden labrador retriever with special talents.  I got to pat him!  On his talented head!  Arriving here Monday evening, we found out that Crown would be appearing on David Letterman the following Tuesday, on the segment "Stupid Pet Tricks."  Sure enough, after staying up way too late to see him, Crown appeared on the New York based tv show and did his #1 trick, balancing a full beer glass on his head.  Well done, Crown!  Hope we meet up again!  There is a picture of Crown in the pub at the very bottom of Page One.

Another great dive bar of New Mexico, Los Ojos sits in downtown Jemez Springs.  We popped in here after Hike #1, not expecting much.  It was very dark inside (almost a necessity as it is so bright outside in the southwest), and found that it had a great bar, along with tables and chairs and some wonderful booths.  A tiny stage could probably have held three saloon dancers at any one time, or perhaps a fiddler or two.  Not only was there a decent selection of craft beer on tap,
but they had vegan green chile!!  Double score!!  We both tried O'Dell's, Deb with Elephant IPA and me with their Brown Ale.  Very unpretentious place, and not scary at all.  Beer was pretty good, too.

LA CUMBRE BREWING CO., Albuquerque:  Our first of two new (for us) brewpubs in Albuquerque.  Again there was no food, but a food truck was parked outside and serving out Italian food.  We did not come for the food.  The place was packed, and we were hard put to find a table.  We snagged a hi-top with chairs by chance, as we were standing near it when the people left.  And the place had table service!  We tried 6 beer (see below) and took home a bottle of a 7th.

 Beer board at La Cumbre.  Compare with our samples, below.

We shared a sample of six.  Kaylynn's Last Stand (front, light ale), Pogue Mahone (front, dark),
Kettle Bell, Elevated IPA (top), Malpais Stout (back right), Father Nelson (far left).  Favourites
were Elevated IPA, Malpais Stout, and Father Nelson.  We drank in order of increasing alcohol.

We left with a 22oz bottle of this Russian Stout, which would become
 part of our afternoon train party.  How is that for a bottle label?

Indoors and outdoors at Kelly's Brewpub.  It is located in Nob Hill, the funkiest area in Albuquerque.  Tractor Brewing is right around the corner (see below).  For another photo looking back from across the street, go to Page 3, very bottom.

TRACTOR BREWING CO., Albuquerque: (getplowed.com).  Our second new brewpub.  It focusses on beer, but there are food trucks parked outside.  One had vegan Korean food, but we gave it a miss as we weren't hungry.  However, we were thirsty (after Hike #3, and the ride back down the Sandia Tram).

 Tractor Brewing Company, another new one for us.  I had a pint of their
Oatmeal Stout and Deb had Farmer's Almanac IPA.  Hers was better.
There was a big red tractor parked out front, and a two-window shelf
collection of miniature tractors inside.  The place was jammed, and
we had to wait to get seats at the bar.

 Sandia Peak.  One pint goes a long way at over 10,000'.  Deb's had Kona Nut Brown, from the brewery in Maui!  We were scheduled to visit this pub on our Hawaai trip, which got abruptly cancelled last spring when Deb first became ill.  I had Alchemy Pale Ale, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The bar has incredible views, especially at night.  Food is expensive and not very good.  Have a craft beer or glass of wine instead.  Even the hummous is bad!

 Got this at Wal-Greens for $6.75.  Score!  22 oz each!  We had the Hazelnut Dark in
our hotel room, along with some Jim Beam dark.  Good times!  The Hazelnut
was very, very nutty.  The etched glass made it home and is now a flower vase!

Southwest Chief In-Room Party:  We departed Albuquerque for Chicago at 12:15 on Friday, on time.  The tracks go right past Marble Brewing Co.  We had two cold cans of their IPA with us, and as the train pulled out of the station we popped them open!  We toasted Marble itself about a minute later (photo, P. 6, top right).  Afterwards, we enjoyed the Gnarly Oak Winter Bock, and then the Chocolate Stout (wrapped in newspaper to keep them nicely chilled, and both quite fabulous).  Then we opened the bottle of La Cumbre Russian Imperial Stout (all during a long, lazy afternoon).  Heaven is a luxury train journey with good ale!  Lastly, we enjoyed our unimited supply of free Amtrak coffee with some of our Jim Beam Dark poured in.  It was the smallest room imaginable to hold a party, but it was memorable and loads of fun!

ELEPHANT AND CASTLE, Chicago:  Part of a chain, but a pretty good atmosphere and very reminiscent of some London pubs.  Full range of Fullers, and a few from Meantime.  No cask ales.  Short walk from Union Station in one direction, and the Art Institute in the other.  No beer listings on their website, but they have a lot.  I had Resolution Anti-Hero IPA (average, quite good), and Deb changed gears with a glass of Merlot.  Excellent order of hummous.  We walked here while waiting for our 6 pm train back to Detroit.

THE END