A common and not so common year for Back Alley

On a recent, ice-cold December afternoon I sat down with Peter Moore, head brewer for Back Alley Draft House in downtown Albuquerque. We discussed the previous year as well as what may lie ahead in 2016. We started out by continuing a discussion we had in October at the New Mexico Brew Fest.

I told him back then how much I appreciated the fact that they brew a California Common, because I love the super refreshing style on a warm day. It’s one of my favorites and it’s not easy to find locally. It’s not on tap at Back Alley now, so I lamented about that fact. Peter said that they tried to tweak the recipe and make a honey common, but it came out really smoky and people could not recognize it as the style. Right now that experimental version is on tap as Smoky Honey, its own thing. But, good news, the highly regarded California Common will be back on tap soon! It’s currently back in the fermenter.

I asked about other new beers. “It’s very spor

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