After my visit to the A-B mothership, I’ve seen some questionable beer judgment firsthand.

Now there’s the Chelada.

Billed as a refreshing mix of Bud Light and Clamato juice (clam and tomato juices), this 24 ounce can of pink fizzyness is simply gross. If you can get past the Mrs. Pauls-like aroma to get the can to your gullet, you’ll be rewarded with a salty, weak drink that passes for neither beer nor a fruit (vegetable?) juice.

I know what you’re saying –what the hell was I thinking? It’s was an impulsive $2.49 purchase at the grocery this morning, and I had to try it in the name of science.

That said, please avoid this mess of a drink. Seriously. You’ll thank me later.

I think my expression says it all — two beers that are over the top.

The lighter one is the house IPA, which has been hopped with a load of earthy hops. It’s a bit dirty for my taste, but seems to be working for them. The darker one is their Scotch Ale, a seasonal offering. All I can say is Yikes. This tastes like a really nice brown ale trapped in a bag of peat moss. Smoky? Yes. Too smoky? Double yes. Strangely enough, the peat is not at all present in the aroma, but completely dominates the last half of the swallow and leaves your palette tasting like an Irish countryside.

Unless you like beer styles with odd interpretations, best try another brewpub while in Santa Fe.

I’m in New Mexico this weekend for a “spiritual cleansing” (code for a beer run). It seems that this part of the country has a number of small breweries, and I’m going to find a few of them over the next few days.

Chama River Brewing Company is a quite nicely appointed restaurant a mere mile from my hotel. Of the six beers on tap, I tried Orion’s Ale (a winter warmer in the belgian tradition, long on maple, roast malt and yeasty funkiness) and the Jackalope IPA (a strong, grassy tasting brew that has an interesting combination of 3-C finishing hops).

Foodwise, the fondue is really tasty. The cheese was spiked with green chiles (natch) and slowly added heat (and more desire to drink beer) over time. The supplied dunking materials included chunks of a nice artisan loaf, green apple bits, and broccoli and caulifower florets. If i ordered it again, I’d skip the veggies and go straight for the bread and apples.

Tomorrow — Santa Fe for some art browsing and beer drinking. More later!

After 2 years in the bottle, my chocolate imperial stout made a Saturday happy hour appearance today.

All I can say is — Damn. The chocolate artoma is obvious and quite pleasant. The chocolate flavor is reminiscent of the dark (think 70+% cocoa content) and bitter stuff. The 8%+ alcohol content clearly makes this a winter warmer that would kick ass in an ice cream float or in a campfire-side snifter.

With colder weather and the holidays approaching, here’s hoping you surround yourself with family, good tidings (and good beer).

After 50 Euros in the Brussels airport duty free shop, you could say so.

There was a surprisingly good (if pricey) selection, including most of the Trappist abbeys. Part of my stinky bounty is pictured here. Guess you know what will be showing up at my holiday party!