Rowley's Farmhouse Ales

 

Santa Fe is a town that I am relatively new to exploring and familiarizing myself with. But, of the few things I do know about it is that they have a great beer and food scene. But like in so many cities some of the best breweries and restaurants are off the beaten path, and not always the easiest to find. Off Cerillos Road, in a small building where the sign doesn’t even face the road lies a restaurant that not only makes delicious scratch made food, but also brews a wide variety of award-winning beers. Easy to drive by, not the easiest to find, but worth it at the end is finding Rowley’s Farmhouse Ales. 

From the outside this does not look like a restaurant at all, but instead like a farmhouse with its wooden planks, and sheet metal roof. Only a small sign in the parking lot tells you that you are in the right place. The inside is very comfortable with mostly covered patio seating, a few small tables inside, and a bar. The beer list here is long, although some of them are guest taps from all over the country. I opted to try a flight of their beers which all lend in the Farmhouse style with a great variety of traditional, Belgian style beers, and even a couple different types of sour ales. 

Of the 4 I tried all were delicious, and unique. The Sepia Effect Vienna lager was crisp, refreshing, with a great malt flavor. Mountain of Light Meyer lemon gose was a great balance of sour, salty, and the lemon flavor was fresh. The Petite Death cherry saison was a beautiful pink color with fresh cherry flavor, a subtle spice, and a great yeast flavor. But my personal favorite was the Germophile Berliner Weiss. This beer was refreshing, a great wheat flavor, and was subtly tart, and one that I ended up bringing home with me. 

Now, the beer was only half the reason I visited, and after looking over the food menu it was hard to decide on what to eat. Everything that comes out of this kitchen is scratch made, and farm to table. It is also a very diverse menu that features small plates for sharing, lighter dishes, great sandwiches, and full entrees, so there is something for everybody. I opted for the smothered crawfish po boy, and it was a flavor bomb. I wasn’t sure what to expect and when it was brought to me, I had a massive plate of crawfish etouffee with fresh produce, on fresh bread. It was delicious, flavorful, but also very light. In addition, it came with some of the best onion straws I have had. 

This is a place I would go to again without hesitation for multiple reasons. The beer was some of the most unique I have had in New Mexico and a reason to go back, but also the food is something I would go back for. It is hard to believe that such a casual place produces such high-quality food and beverages. I would highly recommend Rowley’s to anybody whether it be a date night, or just a casual get together. This is truly an off the beaten path hidden gem that I am glad I went to. The only thing now is to plan another trip so I can continue to explore their delicious menu. 

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