November 2011 Bosmopolitan
It’s a Small World After All!
By Lisa and Phil McDermott
It was the 8th of October, 2011 and we had just attended one of the most fun & interesting things we have ever been to: The world renowned Albuquerque, New Mexico “Hot Air Balloon Festival”.
We had just left the “Night Glow”and found ourselves thirsty and in need of a good brew, so we headed for the “La Cumbre Brewing Company” which translated means “New Mexican beers at their peak”.
When we arrived the bar was full-up, but a very friendly regular named “Ed” was a gentleman & gave up his seat for us. This provided us with a front row view of a huge chalkboard which listed all the beers they had to offer. Just then the bartender swept by to take our order. She was a little perplexing at first glance…so we both had to take another look…. or two. She was rapidly tapping & serving beers to all the patrons and with all things….about a 9 month old baby boy swaddled around her waist & she didn’t miss a beat! We had never seen anything like it so we were very impressed! Anyway, after conversing with her we came to discover her name was “Laura” and she was the brewer’s wife & part owner of La Cumbre.
She proudly & happily gave us samples of just about everything they offered which consisted of their year round brews: Cerro Blanco (5% American-style wheat); South Peak Pilsner (5.2%); Pyramid Rock Pale Ale (5.8%); Elevated IPA (7.2%); Malpais Stout (made with 7 different malts 7%). Both their IPA & Stout won Gold Medals at the GABF! They were extremely delicious!!! They also had some seasonal brews on tap such as: “Witch’s Tit” Pumpkin Ale; Notty Pale Ale; and Pecos Porter, along with some additional guest taps. There wasn’t a bad beer in the bunch!
Anyway, this is when things got kind of interesting. After Laura had been missing for a while, she came back & informed us that she had been telling her husband “Jeff Erway” (the brewer/owner) about us & the fact that we were from Cincinnati, Ohio.
For some reason this piqued his interest & he wanted to meet us. So he came out & offered to give us a personal tour of his brewing system. Ahh!……here comes the “It’s A Small World” part of the story: It turns out that Jeff Erway purchased all his brewing apparatus from our own defunct “Barrelhouse Brewing Company”…… had it dissembled & then shipped to New Mexico.
And since Phil & I attended the last ever brewing session at the Barrelhouse we were familiar with the set-up….so for us it was like seeing an old friend again! 
What a small world it truly is! Who would have thought it would end up in Alburquerque, NM of all places & that we would end up there too?!?!!
Anyhow, on a more technical note, Phil asked Jeff how the old Barrelhouse system was working out for him. Jeff said it was very flexible by the fact that the brew kettle could also be used as a mash tun because of its rotating stirring arms. The mash could then be pumped over to the lauter tun for sparging. He also said it was the perfect system for doing a decoction mash which he couldn’t wait to make after getting the equipment. When asked about any issues he had with the system, Jeff said the only issue he had to deal with was replacing a broken solenoid valve on the burner. Jeff also said he has kept in touch with Rick Debar for advice on how to best utilize the system for making various beer styles. La Cumbre has a lot of ambitious plans for the future including utilizing a canning system they recently purchased in order to become one of the first breweries in the State to distribute canned beer. They also want to experiment with open fermentation using multiple stainless vats they just acquired.
And with the addition of some new fermenting tanks they hope to have 8 beers on tap year round. Not bad for a brewery that has only been open for 10 months!
So if you ever find yourselves in Alburquerque, NM….please stop in and say “Hi” to Laura & Jeff at La Cumbre Brewery & give a reflective toast to the memory of our beloved Barrelhouse too!
Cheers to all!
Lisa & Phil
Web Site: www.lacumbrebrewing.com
Have you recently toured a brewery, been to a new favorite beer bar, or have some other beer related news you’d like to share with the club? Let us know and we’ll include it in the newsletter.
