An Opportunity to Taste Some Local Artisan Beer in San Miguel de Allende

On Sunday March 21, 2010 our friend and craft brewer Mark Taylor will be serving a few of his ales at the Burrito Bistro on Correo #45 at the 2nd annual Artisan Ale and Food Paring event. Mark will introduce three very distinctive beers, an Imperial IPA, a Honey Red Ale made with honey form the Tuesday market and a Weizenbock, a strong German style wheat beer.

Is there a better way to spend the first day of spring?

The event is limited to 60 people. Seating times are 2:00, 4:30 and 7:00 pm. The cost is $250 pesos per person. There is only enough beer for 60, so you must reserve your spot. You can reserve at 415-154-8956 or email at elburritobistro@yahoo.com.mx

Looking for a Place for Drinks in San Miguel de Allende? Go to Drinks!

Drinks is a new boutique bar located on Correo 17, up the street from the Jardin in San Miguel de Allende. The bar has an excellent selection of international beer, wine and bubbly.

We especially like the beer selection, as good quality beer is hard to find in San Miguel de Allende. Apart from the beer at El Gozo on Zacateros 85, you'll find nothing but the usual Mexican national brands, the ones that require a squeeze of lime or spicy tomato to mask their skunkiness. You know the ones.

The interior decor at Drinks is modern, which seems to be very popular these days with some of the newer establishments. Everything is painted white, and the back wall becomes the focal point with its colorful selection of alcoholic beverages.

Recently, we attended the Drinks Grand Opening Celebration hosted by the owners Katharine and Jose Antonio. They did an excellent job at transforming their cozy modern bar into a grand space for the event, complete with trapeze artists hanging from the ceiling!

Katharine and Jose Antonio, Owners of Drinks in San Miguel de Allende

From Antigua Capilla Bed and Breakfast, walk down to the Jardin, and look for Correo Street. You can’t miss it. Then, when you’ve had your fill, take a taxi back to the inn. Navigating the cobblestone streets after consuming a few drinks can be tricky!

Grand Opening Celebration at Drinks in San Miguel de Allende

By the way, Jose Antonio also owns San Miguel Rent a Car on Codo 9, Local 2. If you need a car, he’s your man. Just remember to drop off your car first before heading to Drinks!

Mark Taylor - San Miguel de Allende Craft Brewer

Mark Taylor is a craft brewer that spends his winters in San Miguel de Allende with his wife Susan. He has a very interesting blog chronicling his personal brewing adventures and other beer related topics. In a recent post, Mark discusses his attempt to make malted barley, a key ingredient in beer making, from barley he found at a San Miguel de Allende feed store.

We first met Mark when Francisco attended his 5-week home brewing course at Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, California. This winter, to Francisco’s delight, Mark and his wife Susan moved in three doors down from us. Mark recently came over to hang out as he and Francisco brewed the first batch of “local brew” ever made at Antigua Capilla Bed and Breakfast, a very dark wheat beer from ingredients brought down from the States. With some luck and a little patience, the beer will be ready to drink just in time for Christmas. Our guests will most certainly have the opportunity to taste it!

Mark is a maverick when it comes to home brewing. He breaks many rules of “traditional” home brewing in his quest to produce quality beer in the shortest amount of time. For example, Mark will often bottle his beer in 3-liter plastic screw-top soda bottles commonly found in Mexico so as to not bother with the puny 12 oz glass bottles.

We have sampled several of Mark’s craft beers, including an American Pale Ale and a Dry Stout, and they are excellent. Mark will be going into production mode in the coming weeks and should have several varieties to sample in early 2010.