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TRIP

4 A Green Chile Adventure

54 Following the Turquoise Trail

56 New Mexico’s Wine Countries

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Brewpub Crawl

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WHY GO Whether you’re craving a cold Green Chile Beer on the banks of the Rio Grande, or a strong barley wine with a side of bluegrass in a cozy Santa Fe bar, beer aficionados on a mission for the perfect microbrew can plan an entire holiday around New Mexico’s fantastic brewpubs.

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TIME

5 days

DISTANCE

415 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

May – Oct

START

Taos, NM

END

Silver City, NM

ALSO GOOD FOR

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Northern New Mexico is the state’s brew mecca. Start your microbrew crawl in Taos. It only takes a heartbeat to fall head over heels in love with this tiny and isolated town. Let your senses absorb sage and piñon in the air, the sweeping mesas cresting at the pointy, often snow-white tip of Taos Mountain and you’re in for a delightful experience.

It’s definitely an acquired taste and we admit Taos’s signature Green Chile Beer – infused with roasted green chiles during the brewing process – isn’t for everyone, but try at least one or two of these unique beers at Eske’s Brew Pub, a crowded Taos institution. Although the Alley Cantina doesn’t brew its own beer, it still has a decent selection of bottled beers. The coolest thing about the Cantina isn’t the beverage selection, however; it’s the location in the oldest building in Taos. Built in the 1500s by forward-thinking Native capitalists as the Taos Pueblo Trading Post, nowadays you can catch live music ranging from Zydeco to rock and jazz seven days a week. Bed down at the Laughing Horse Inn, which has funky rooms, a hot tub under the stars and a hippie-commune atmosphere. Prepare your body for another day of beer tasting with breakfast at Sustaining Cultures. It’s a New Agey outpost where you order a “wheatgrass hopper” with a side of at-your-table tarot-card reading.

Whether you choose to take the high road or the low road, it’s a gorgeous drive to historic Santa Fe. Founded in 1609, it is America’s oldest capital and the home of New Mexico’s oldest microbrewery: the Santa Fe Brewing Company. Officially incorporated in 1892 – although it had been experimenting with brewing since miners arrived in the late 1870s – the Santa Fe Brewing Co shut its doors just four years later when the market dried up. It took a hundred years, but the brewing company reopened in 1988 – it didn’t really expand until today’s co-owner Brian Lock and his two partners took over the brewery in 1997. Beer geeks will love the tasting and touring side of the brewery, where they have eight beers on tap, all made on premises, plus a guest beer or two. The Santa Fe Pale Ale, which is bottled and sold in restaurants and shops around the Southwest, is the most well-known beer served. It has a fulfilling flavor with a crisp-hoppy bite. But also make sure to sample the house favorite, the Nut Brown Ale. Another interesting selection includes the Imperial Porter, which is a virtual Black Forest of dark, malty goodness.

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ASK A LOCAL

“I really like the different seasonal brews, each one in the proper time of year, a pilsner in summertime, a porter in winter, a bock in spring. Our Nut Brown is a “sessions” beer – this means you can easily down more than one – but our 20th Anniversary beers are really exciting!”

Brian Lock, owner, Santa Fe Brewing Company

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The Second Street Brewery, in the city’s revitalized Railyard District, is another popular brewpub in Santa Fe. Second Street serves handcrafted English-style beers created on site. Try the Cream Stout and grab a bite to eat here, then stay for the live music. Sleep at the Spanish hacienda–style La Fonda, which has a very unique folk-art character.

Just an hour south of Santa Fe, Albuquerque is worlds apart. This working- class city has a real grittiness about its sprawling adobe subdivisions and rocky mesa tops. It’s the kind of place requiring