Archives: Chama River, 5/13/06

Chama River Brewing Company
Albuquerque, NM
Sat. 5/13/06, 3:15pm
[open]

House Brews:
Class VI Golden Lager
Broken Spoke Honey Wheat
Rio Chama Amber Ale
Copper John Pale Ale
Jack Rabbit IPA
Sleeping Dog Stout
Dangerous Intentions (Double IPA)
ESB
Saison (B)
Maibock (J)

Attractive modern restaurant in Albuquerque's northern section. We returned and ate brunch on Sunday also.

Saison: (from the menu's description): "A deep golden Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Dry and spicy with notes of pepper." Light in color, clear not cloudy. Thin head. Gentle carbonation. Body is perhaps slightly light but the flavor is complex. Dry and peppery notes from the menu is correct, and the peppery tones nicely balance the Belgian candy-sweet yeastiness. A much better representative of the Belgian style than the previous evening's. Mind you, it isn't Golden Monkey, but I feel that if the brewer wanted that, he could acheive it. Very enjoyable. 8.5

Maibock: Served in a stemmed glass. Nice copper color. Minimal head that coats the glass. It doesn't have that much of an aroma. It has a very pleasant malty taste with some hops. Body could be a tad thicker, but it's not bad. I'm generally not a huge fan of this style, but this is a good representative. Interesting, but easily drinkable. Loses a bit of taste as it warms up. 8.5