cloudcroft brewing company (cloudcroft nm)

We own a piece of land in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and hope to build a cabin there one day. It’s a fabulous lot that backs up on two sides of the Lincoln National Forest with towering pine trees as far as the eye can see. Down the hill and around the corner from said property is the somewhat recently opened up Cloudcroft Brewing Company, the first brewery in town as well as the first brewery in town (and perhaps New Mexico?) to brew with rainwater. When you mount the front porch, there it proudly is: a rainwater collection tank imbedded into the floorboards (and folks after my own heart: show off your dang tank, I say!).

Like any good brewpub these days, CcBC slings up some delicious pizza from a wood-fired oven. Even better, you can order a pepperoni pizza downpoured with green chile. The beers are varied depending on your preferences and tasty, and you can sample flights. The bar also serves up other New Mexican beers if you want to wander our from the hills. The food is thoughtful: the salads are a serious pile of vegetables while the pizzas are thin with perfect crunchy-chewy crusts. We’ve only gotten the green chile pizzas because, well, why wouldn’t you?

CcBC has a stage out back (and now a larger one) to showcase local and traveling musicians, something else that is somewhat new to Cloudcroft and a welcome addition. Based on the packed crowds, long waits, and expansions, the Cloudcroft Brewing Company has been quite the hit with locals and tourists alike.

Let’s see: mountains, cool air, rainwater beer, pizza, and green chile. Could this be heaven?

July 2, 2020 update: Got take-out, and still as good as we remembered. Also tried a couple of their canned beers, something they’ve been doing since the vid hit. Damn fine!

web&where: interwebs; 1301 burro avenue, cloudcroft, new mexico; (575) 682-2337
what’s the deal? rainwater beer and greenchile pizza up in the mountains; sit down
overall: *** (food***; drink***; atmosphere***; service***; instagrammability***)
cost: $$

our scale:
–          meh [think twice]
*         OK [it’ll get the job done]
**       good [solid neighborhood joint]
***     damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
****   yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]