Fermented Winter says of his Without a Trace Imperial Stout, a draught as dark and heavy as a black hole on a winter night and one that clocks in at 12.0 ABV, or alcohol by volume. While some imperials invoke hard alcohol, Mallory’s limited release doesn’t overwhelm the senses. To create his new beer, he aged the stuff in single malt whiskey barrels from Susan’s Fine Wine and Spirits. Later, after a server delivered an open bottle of Without a Trace, SFR realized a smaller shareable version would work best. For $15 per pint-sized bottle, the imperial
What does “seasonal” even mean anyway? BY WILLIAM MELHADO w i l l i a m @ s f r e p o r t e r. c o m
Leaf & Hive Brew Lab 1208 Mercantile Road Ste. A, (505) 699-3055 leafandhive.com With stouts claiming one end of the seasonal drink spectrum, the other might just be concoctions from Leaf & Hive Brew Lab. A cousin of kombucha, Leaf & Hive’s fermented brews are made from green tea and honey, and they have a wide range of flavor
WILLIAM MELHADO
T
he nebulous term “seasonal” does a lot of heavy lifting around the holidays. Hot buttered rum, warm mulled wine, eggnog—all canon seasonal beverages. And though there’s obviously more than one season, the term inherently associates with that wintery time of year. It may as well mean “Christmas.” But as winters warm and precipitation patterns change, how does that change the definition of seasonal? That’s a question best left up to the locals who make the seasonal brews that, for a limited time, pop up in breweries and bars around town.
stout is heavy on the wallet and stomach, and is available for takeaway and tableside service. If a brew as dark as the depths of space isn’t your speed, however, Mallory also recommends his White Out Stout. “You get this really nice coffee flavored beer,” he explains, “but it looks kind of like a pale ale.”
Hidden Mountain Brewing Co. 4056 Cerrillos Road, (505) 438-1800 hiddenmountainbrewing.com On the patio of Hidden Mountain Brewing Co., a high wall obstructs the Rodeo Road traffic as chimeneas add personality to the restaurant’s otherwise nondescript décor. When it comes to the seasonal offering at the former Blue Corn Brewery, which rebranded in February, head brewer Paul Mallory takes a more creative approach to beer-making than one might expect from the homely pub’s ambiance. “It’s a big, chewy, imperial stout that has a lot of body, a lot of alcohol, a lot of that whiskey flavor from the oak barrel,” Mallory
profiles that have enabled brewer Garrett Eaton to experiment in numerous directions for this year’s seasonal drinks. “I’ll try to get mostly ingredients that are in stock or something I could get fresh,” Eaton tells SFR, adding that his holidayinspired, pine-scented The Night Beefore was made possible by in-season cranberries and mulled juniper. Inspired by Christmas, the juniper’s effervescence comes out of the gate swinging, though the cranberries linger on the palate for some time afterward. And it doesn’t stop there. For the Winter Rx brew, Eaton harvested local osha root, adding elderberry extract for a botanical tonic that feels as good as it tastes. The tartness of the elderberries balances the sweetness of the honey base, Eaton explains, and the result is something like a throat coat, yet spicy and bright—very Christmas, and a pickme-up in more ways than one. Osha root has long been used as a natural remedy for infections, and elderberries, Eaton says, are “also good for the common cold, boosting your immunity, so it’s kind of our, like, flu elixir.” If you pop by for a spell, you’ll find pastel colors pouring from Leaf & Hive’s 12 taps, all of which paint a bright picture for winter afternoons just warm enough to enjoy the patio. Somehow, Eaton and crew have created more palatable options to those put off by sugary ciders with a just-right level of sweetness, but still—if sampling more than one brew, stay organized, because the flavors, while elegant, can prove subtle if the drinker isn’t overly discerning.
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fría St., (505) 393-5135 32 Bisbee Court tumblerootbreweryanddistillery.com Each week this December, Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery has released a new
A palette of honey brews from Leaf & Hive Brew Lab to make the season bright.
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