Assets Grille & Brewing Company

An early leader in the struggle to bring craft-brewed beer to the state of New Mexico, Assets is centrally located in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights. The upscale restaurant features five or six of their own beers and a full bar. Happy hour on food runs 3 to 6pm but on beer it's 11:30am to 6pm. During that time you'll find 2oz tasters for $0.50, 10oz-$2.25, 14oz-3.00, 16oz-3.50, 22oz-$4.50. Prices of the last three represent $1.00 off normal. For the seriously thirsty, state law allows off-sale transactions which include 1/2 gallon jugs for $11.00 ($6.00 for refills), 1 gallon flexi-cubes for $15.00 ($10.00 for refills), 5 gallon kegs for $45.00, and 15 1/2 gallon kegs for $99.00.

The standard beers rotate with the brewmaster's special and the fruit beer varying by season. The winter offering for Brewmaster's Special was a Scottish Ale. Filtered as all of the beers, it had a clear dark amber color, a medium body, smooth malty flavor with a hint of peated/smoky character, and finished with a clean aftertaste. The Road Runner Ale was a light amber with a medium body, nice mellow hop flavor (Fuggles), and a hoppy aftertaste. The Rio Grande Copper Ale was a reddish/copper color with a hop aroma and flavor (Northern Brewer), and a pleasant hop aftertaste. The Pablo Porter was opaque, medium-bodied, and gave a light hop flavor and very dry finish.

Although smoking is still allowed, Assets offers one of the more sophisticated and enjoyable happy hours in the city. Inside you'll find a long copper and wood bar seating a dozen, another dozen tables and booths and a dining area with another 20 tables augmented by a dozen outdoor tables in the warmer months. The adjacent brewery is visible from one end of the building and planned expansion should allow for bottle product to be available shortly. A couple of TVs dot the inner landscape but they're not too obnoxious and there is no Country and Western music.

Update - New in 1998 are three more draughts: Shiner Bock, Honey Brown Lager, and Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Update - Popular in 2004 is Pablo's Porter with its rich chocolaty flavor, even dry/sweet malty flavor and dry finish. A special cask-conditioned version of the amber-colored IPA offers a big citrusy aroma bursting through the lasting fine white head. The fruity hop flavor dominates appropriately the rich malty sweetness. Some nights feature live quitar music in the raised lounge area in front of the pizza oven counter.

Reviewed by Tom Ciccateri - February, 1996, February 1998 & May 2004

(505)889-6400 Ratio 50/50 Women/Men M - Su 11:30 - 02:00 N/A

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