September 2018
Truth Or Consequences Brewery
After our Las Cruces brewery sweep we were somewhat behind schedule with a big ol storm on our tail, but nonetheless it seemed churlish not to stop in the curious town of Truth Or Consequences and check out their brewery. The town changed its name to that of a popular game show, ostensibly to attract more visitors but from the little we saw it’s still a pretty small place with a strong emphasis on vintage, with a bit of a hippy atmosphere. Truth Or Consequences Brewery is located on the Main Street in the centre of town, and on a Wednesday evening it was encouragingly busy with a strong local turnout. The taproom is pretty substantial, with space for live music and a small beer garden facing the street. The decor reflected the town’s hippy ambience, with a postcard wall where customers are asked to mail the brewery cards for display from around the world, complete with address slips to take away.
Flights of six 4oz pours came to $10, with about 12 taps to choose from. Pretzels were on the house, but we were rather surprised and somewhat put out to be charged $1 per sticker, which most breweries offer as complimentary. While I wouldn’t say this prejudiced us against the beers, it did come as a timely reminder that even the hippies have their capitalist side.
Of the seven beers that we tried, quality varied quite dramatically. The Armendaris DIPA was a great big juicy, resinous winner, and the Dark Skies oatmeal stout was pleasantly rich and smokey. The dark, chewy, malty Rye Pale Ale also went down well, but the Palomas American Porter, on the other hand was somewhat oversweet. I’m always pleased to see American breweries having a go at an English Mild, and the Miner’s came to a decent enough approximation, nutty with gently sweet malt.
Perhaps our expectations were unduly high with a name like Truth Or Consequences, but we felt a little underwhelmed by both the town and the taproom. That said, it makes a quirky, convenient stop between Las Cruces and Albuquerque, and may be more lively on gig nights.
Craft Beer Amethyst 