Wolf Canyon vs. Second Street
-----------------------------

Mike Hall

When there are two or more of anything, people tend to compare them. This also
applies to brewpubs, and Santa Fe has been lucky enough in recent months to
acquire three brewpubs. The newest brewpub (Blue Corn) has only been open a
week, and I haven't had the opportunity to taste its specialties. But the first
two brewpubs have been open for several months, and there has been some
discussion of their wares, with the inevitable comparisons. When I initially
tried Wolf Canyon, I really liked it and had a very pleasant experience.
Others in the club were less satisfied, and were enthusiastically promoting the
Second Street Brewpub. With eyes toward settling the debate, I decided to
apply my discerning palate to the problem at hand (or mouth, as it were).

I visited both brewpubs within a one-week period, and took copious notes. I
endeavored to give each brewpub a fair tasting, concentrating on the attributes
of each beer in turn. In short, I liked both brewpubs a lot (no surprise
there), but thought that they were geared toward very different markets. Wolf
Canyon is more of an upscale, commercially-oriented brewpub, with very clean,
well-balanced beers that might appeal to affluent Santa Feans with an interest
in the microbrewery craze. Second Street is more of a brewer's brewpub, with
very nicely done hoppy ales that might appeal to homebrewers and other cerveza
aficionados needing a hop fix. Now here are the details...

The Wolf Canyon Brewpub is located in a building that has been a nightclub and
dancehall in its past lives. Much has been done to refurbish the place in a
modern Santa Fe style. Those beautiful copper-clad tables must have cost a
pretty penny (sorry, I couldn't resist). Indeed, you can really tell that
someone has put some money into the place, and the resulting decor is very
nice. They have some sort of "frequent drinker" club with a wallfull of mugs
for prospective participants. They sell T-shirts, sweatshirts and lost of
other paraphernalia with the brewery logo. I bought a pint glass (my weakness)
for an extortionistic $6 (a common price is $3-$4).

But what about the beers? I got a flight of samplers (about 4 ozs. each) for
$5. Unfortunately, the waiter could not identify the beers (and in fact
mislabeled them), but I was able to figure out which was which fairly easily.
They were served a bit too cold, so that the aromas had a hard time making it
through. Here are my observations:

  Aspen Vista Golden Ale - a Kolsch-style pale golden beer. This was a very
  clean beer and was not fruity at all. It had an assertive, refreshing
  bitterness. This would be my recommendation for a "entry-level" beer for the
  beer neophyte.  However, I must add that this beer was not a compromise to
  the public tastes and was actually very similar to a Kolsch I had in Koln,
  Germany named Paffgen.

  Copper Mesa Amber Ale - an Altbier-style ale. This beer was very malty, with
  nice caramel flavors. It was well-balanced, more fruity than the Kolsch, but
  still very clean.

  Lobo Negro Porter - a robust porter. This beer had medium body and a strong
  roasted malt presence. It was clean, and not acidic (a common flaw in roasty
  beers). A firm hop foundation supported this very drinkable beer.

  Pinon Nut Brown Ale - a nut brown ale with added pinon nuts. This beer had a
  hoppy aroma. It was malty, and had slight tannins, presumably from the nuts.
  While authentic to the style in many respects, this was not my favorite.

  Brewer's Choices:

  Black Cherry Winter Ale - a fruit beer. This beer had a strong black cherry
  aroma and flavor. There was also a strong beer underneath, with a strong hop
  bitterness that cuts the sweetness for a clean finish. Deep and mysterious,
  this beer had an interesting combination of hops and cherries that I haven't
  seen done before. Nicely done.

  Imperial Stout - a heavy stout. This beer was full-bodied, rich and
  delicious, with lots of roasted malt. It was well-balanced, not acidic, and
  very clean. It had a creamy brown head.

Overall, these beers were all very clean, and not very fruity. They were better
balanced than the Second Street beers. Brewmaster Brad Kraus has a lot to be
proud of.

I was also very pleased with the food at Wolf Canyon. So far, I've tried the
Fish and Chips, the Carne Adovada Burrito, the Portabello Mushroom Sandwich and
a Margherita Pizza, all of which were very good. My two-year-old son loved the
cub shrimp plate, although it was fried instead of broiled and came with French
fries instead of rice, as it was listed on the menu. Some adjustments to the
menu are to be expected at a new restaurant, however. Their French fries were
excellent, and are highly recommended.

The atmosphere at the Second Street Brewpub is more like a local bar than a
restaurant. On the Saturday afternoon that I visited, it seemed like the
preferred hangout for the brewing cognoscenti. I noticed renowned Santa Fe
brewer Bob Zamites working in the kitchen (he has just this week started adding
his expertise to the brewing process there), and Laure Pomianowski showed up
with Shane and their new baby Kyle before we left. Dan Varley, a loyal Atom
Masher, was also there enjoying the wares. Brewmaster Rod Tweet was conversing
with happy patrons at an adjacent table.

The decor is well done, but on a smaller budget than Wolf Canyon. For instance,
instead of tiling the floor a pattern was painted on that resembles tiles. All
in all, though, the place has a nice homey atmosphere that you could certainly
spend some time in.

So how were the beers? I was served a flight of small samplers (maybe an ounce
or so each) at no cost. I would have liked a little more of each, but it's hard
to argue with free beer. Here are the details:

  Pale Ale - The pale ale was very fruity, with a big floral hoppiness. It had
  very good hop flavor too. There was a medium to low bitterness, and a
  lingering sweetness.

  Extra Special Bitter - This beer was floral, but less so than the pale ale.
  It was well-balanced, but on the light side in both bitterness and
  hoppiness.  This would be a good starting point for the less-experienced beer
  drinker, and a good beer for the enthusiast as well.

  Amber Ale - Unfortunately, this was not on tap when I was there.

  India Pale Ale - A very floral and hoppy beer. I liked this one so much I had
  a pint of it for desert, but apparently was so enamoured with it I forgot to
  make a lot of notes.

  Scotch Ale - This beer was very malty-sweet, almost too sweet. It had some
  fruitiness, and did remind me of ales I've had in Scotland.

  Cream Stout - This stout had a dry roasty aroma and was not acidic at all. It
  was very clean and not fruity, in both the taste and the aroma. It is one of
  the best stouts I've had recently. Bryan Bennett was right; this beer is a
  dry stout, a very good one, and should not be changed to fit the name.

You can really tell that brewer Rod Tweet is from the Pacific Northwest, where
hops are revered and worshiped. These are brewer's beers, and will appeal to
hopheads everywhere.

While we were there we tried the London Broil and the Welsh Rarebit, both of
which were good. Sandy James was right about the Welsh Rarebit being a better
appetizer than a meal, as it was rather rich. We tried to order the Hop-Cured
Salmon for an appetizer only to discover that it had been discontinued for lack
of interest. Once again, the foibles of a new restaurant.

In conclusion, I found both brewpubs to be good places to drink and sup, but
for different reasons. I would encourage all of you to patronize both of these
establishments whenever you find yourself hungry and thirsty in Santa Fe.