I’m out near Santa Fe hitching out for the warmer days

I first learned the true meaning of the term “Land of Enchantment” when I started trading art with photographer Mary Hockenbery, some 9 years ago, shortly after The Secret Agent and I got married. For 4.5 years after tying the knot we had were planning to spend the wedding money on a cross-country trip and when I day-dreamed about that trip Mary’s photos, especially the ones from her then-home New Mexico, were my point of reference.

When the road-trip became real in the spring of 2007, the Secret Agent and I spent about like 3 days in NM – mostly on Route 66 with a short detour to the Old Route in Santa Fe and from there up north, to Mary and Touffic’s adobe for the night. Mary’s Photos prepared me to the endless open road more than any guidebook and planted my love to the state. WordPress decided to act all cocky today, so you’ll actually have to click on the link to view Mary Hockenbery’s photohraphy, because it wouldn’t let me embed a pic here, despite Mary’s permission.

So what all this has to do with Beer? Oh, the bottles we got from Santa Fe Beer Co. via Beer of The Month Club made a good excuse to dwell over Mary’s Flickr. We drank the two a couple of weeks ago but due to the craziness that accompanied Beers 2012 Expo in Tel Aviv and then my birthday, I put the review on hold. Hailing from Santa Fe, the unusual triangular labels come as no surprise – why be conventional when there are other options?

First we sampled Nut Brown Ale – I love anything nutty in my beer (no pun intended?) and held high expectations for it. I wasn’t too impressed by the biscuit and cocoa aroma, but the taste – delicate bitterness, was nice. Also, the malty finish and smoothness were to my liking. Then we drank the State Pen Porter, which wasn’t bad either: coffee and roasted aroma and a strong bitter taste that reminded me of bittersweet chocolate and coffee. The beer was rather flat and the aftertaste was short. The beer wasn’t bad but a little one-dimensional in our opinion.

I’d like to taste more of their beer and re-taste these two; shipping doesn’t do much good to beer. Guess we must re-visit Santa Fe.

(title was borrowed from The Gun Club’s “Goodbye Johnny”)