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Launch party: Steel Bender Brewyard offers 'Balloons & Brews'
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Balloons & Brews is the ideal event to escape the crowds or enjoy a morning beer or coffee and watch the hot air balloons float by in a rural setting.
It is one of Steel Bender Brewyard鈥檚 most anticipated events. Patrons can watch as the hot air balloons take flight and float by the brewery鈥檚 patio in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 13.
Launch party: Steel Bender Brewyard offers 'Balloons & Brews'
鈥淚t鈥檚 our fifth year doing it because we didn鈥檛 do it during the (pandemic) shut down and we didn鈥檛 do it in 2021, but every year since we鈥檝e opened,鈥� said Shelby Chant, marketing director and co-owner of Steel Bender Brewyard. 鈥�... It鈥檚 beer, beermosas, bloody beers, mimosas, basically anything you can enjoy at seven in the morning for breakfast beers.鈥�
Patrons will be able to enjoy new releases including the brewery鈥檚 barrel-aged beer, Ale Witch, which will be released on Friday, Oct. 4. On Saturday, Oct. 5, Steel Bender will release its Honey Oak Blue Bullet Stout on nitro. On Thursday, Oct. 10, the brewery will release Vampyre Boost Imperial Lager, a collaboration beer with Flix Brewhouse made with beet concentrate.
Steel Bender will be offering its popular housemade breakfast burritos and will be adding a new option.
鈥淲e鈥檙e adding one more style this year, we鈥檒l have a vegetarian option and then two meat options and those seem to be a real hit,鈥� Chant said. 鈥淎nd then, we鈥檙e working with a new bakery this year, so we鈥檙e getting all of our pastries, we鈥檙e getting empanadas and Danish from Sergio鈥檚. We tasted them and they鈥檙e fantastic.鈥�
Balloons & Brews will begin at 7 a.m. and food and drink service will stop at 10 a.m. to allow the brewery to prepare for afternoon service. It will resume food and alcohol sales at 11 a.m. Outside food and drink will not be permitted.
Chant said Balloons & Brews is a community event that the brewery wanted to hold since its inception.
鈥淭he second we decided to put a brewery on this piece of land, it was, OK, we鈥檙e going to do something for Balloon Fiesta because it鈥檚 a great (event) for people who don鈥檛 want to go to (Balloon Fiesta Park),鈥� Chant said. 鈥淎nyone who鈥檚 not experienced being on the ground with those balloons is missing out. But, whether it鈥檚 tourists who want to do something different in the area, or it鈥檚 locals who want to do something different, or they want to get away from the crowds a little bit, it鈥檚 integral to who we are now, and we will always be doing this as long as we鈥檙e here. There will always be Balloons & Brews.鈥�
Plata Coffee will be offering samples and serving its coffee during the event. The business will be moving to a space in the Steel Bender lot at the end of the month.
鈥淲e鈥檝e basically put in four buildings that are just north of us, literally right across the driveway to us,鈥� Chant said. 鈥淭he whole piece of land is Chant Associates. It鈥檚 our family development property. We have four spaces in there total, and three of those spaces are now leased out ... Plata is moving over here, so it鈥檚 going to be really cool to have. They鈥檙e going to be great neighbors to have and we are really excited about that.鈥�
