Sierra Blanca




 

Years ago, when I first visited Albuquerque, I was looking for some local craft beer to bring back home to Colorado and the packaging of a certain beer caught my eye. The beer was Alien Amber which turned out to be a very delicious and refreshing beer. After moving down to New Mexico, I enjoyed the fact that I could once again enjoy this beer, but more importantly visit the brewery that makes it. After some recon and planning the drive to Moriarty was made, and I finally got to visit Sierra Blanca Brewing for the first time. 

Driving up the brewery the space is very large, and the front of the building says “Brewery” in large red letters. But walk in, follow the path to the back and you will find a mural and van painted to reflect the alien branding perfectly. Continue following the path and you will find yourself in a massive outdoor space that will make you not want to leave. There are swings sit in, a fountain, and games for all including cornhole, tetherball, bocce ball, and giant connect four. In addition, there is a shaded area, and enough seating that the largest of crowds can gather to enjoy the award-winning beers poured here. The tap list here is very expansive featuring beers for fans of all styles. 

While Alien Amber and Alien IPA are available throughout the state there are additional Alien offerings that must be tried. The Alien Wheat is a refreshing wheat beer with a great citrus flavor from the addition of various orange peels. The Alien stouts are both very good. The traditional stout is 8 percent and is a rich beer. The Vanilla stout is sweet, with a great vanilla flavor. In the non-Alien category is a multiple award-winning Cherry Wheat that is refreshing, balanced, and delicious anytime of day. Other beers to round out their menu include a traditional lager, green chile lager, a pale ale, brown ale, and other offerings. The styles here are endless, and beer lovers of all styles will have no issue finding a beer to enjoy a pint of. 

Even for the people who are not huge fans of beer, they have you covered here. For fans of Michelada there are two options, the Sancho and Cowboy. One made with the green chile lager, the other with the traditional lager. Also, there are 2 different hard iced teas to enjoy. Sierra Blanca also makes their own sodas under the Route 66 Soda brand, so there are bottles of classic and unique sodas to enjoy there or take home as well. 

So, the question as always is would I go back? The answer is a resounding yes. The beer was all great, the environment was relaxing, service very friendly, and the options of what to enjoy are very abundant. While it is a bit of a drive to get to Moriarty it was well worth it to see one of the original craft breweries of New Mexico in person. It was also fun to try some of my favorite beers at the source they are made. Also, the fact that they make beers exclusive to the taproom will be enough to get me to visit again. While Moriarty can be a little bit of a drive, I found it totally worthwhile to visit Sierra Blanca Brewing. 

To see pics of my adventures follow my Instagram @the_nm_tx or tag me using #thenmtx
To support my adventures check out www.patreon.com/thenmtx

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