The Mash - Santa Fe Brewing

"The Mash" will be a (bi-) weekly-ish installment of breweries that peak my curiosity from around the world.
The first installment will be the "Santa Fe Brewing Co.".
(from brewery website)

The History:
They are located in nonother than Santa Fe, New Mexico. They opened the brewery in 1988 (NM's 1st microbrewery) and use custom square vats for open fermentation. The brewery now boasts a 30bbl system and a bottling line.

The name has historical beginnings as it was first used in 1877. An early advertisement of the local brew stated " Guaranteed equal to any St. Louis or Milwaukee beer!"

Famed anthropologist Adolph Bandelier noted in his journal:
April 27, 1889. Went to Mass. In the afternoon to the brewery. It was "Bock" day.
April 28, 1889. Unwell, as might be expected; could do nothing at all.

The Brewers:
Brian Lock, Ty Levis and a chap named Nick are the current brewers.

The Beers:
They make 6 beers year round and 3 beers on a seasonal basis. The beers are distictive as the cap bares the NM zia symbol found on its state flag. The beers of distinction are their "Chicken Killer Barleywine" and "State Pen Porter" (my fav.)
Year round:
Santa Fe Pale Ale
State Pen Porter
Santa Fe Nut Brown
Santa Fe Wheat
Chicken Killer Barley Wine
Fiesta I.P.A.
Seasonal:
Santa Fe Stout (available feb-may)
Freestyle Pilsner (avail. may-august)
Vizsolay Belgian (august-feb)

Anyway, if you are in the area do stop by the historic brewery and pick up some tasty beer. I recommend the Porter and Barleywine. Visit their website at www.santafebrewing.com.

Prost!

State Pen Porter saves the day!

After spending some much needed time with the family back home (albuquerque) it was time to head back to SD, which meant dealing with the airport. After hurrying to get their on time, which meant forgoing a trip to the local homebrew shop (Victors grape arbor), I gave the long dreaded good-bye's and made my way to the gate only to discover that it had been delayed 30min...damn it!!!

Me being the optimist I decided to view the cup 1/2 full, or in this case a full pint, and went to the airport bar and parused the beer list. They had a few local beers on tap and ordered the Santa Fe "State Pen Porter". The beer turned what would have been a bad experience at the airport into a memorable one.

State Pen Porter poured black with a brownish head. The aroma was roasty with some citrus hop background. The taste was raosty, smooth, with a hint of chocolate and nicely balanced with hops. It was clearly a Robust Porter and you could easily have a few pints of this delicious beer. This beer is why I love porter's! I tip my hat to the man responsible for the porter, thanks Ty.

www.santafebrewing.com

More on this brewery as soon as I can get an interview,
PROST to the Porter!