Duel Brewing

Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1228 Parkway Dr
Ste D
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87507-7319
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.89
Beers:
28
Ratings:
117
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.86
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
16
pDev:
11.14%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by blindpiggie:
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Reviewed by blindpiggie from Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -13.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 2 | selection: 3.75
Vacationing in Santa Fe, needed to stop here. Great location off the main drag and beautiful interior with a lot of character. All Belgians but a nice variety of styles. I had Titian, a nice strong golden ale, Duchamp a wit that lacked the promised sour element and Oaked Grunewald a very fruity and tangy Belgian stout. The biggest problem was the bartender, a young woman in a bandana who was incredibly dismissive and unprofessional. I wasn't expecting rockstar treatment, but when she doesn't even thank you for coming in, there is a problem. Otherwise a cool place, just need to work on their staff.
Jun 05, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.98 by OKbrew89 from Oklahoma

Jul 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.09 by frasergrove from California

May 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.21 by Lawl3ss from Texas

Apr 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.36 by tfrog3030 from Texas

Jul 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by Igormatos from Texas

Dec 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Aug 17, 2015
Photo of Ron22
Rated by Ron22 from Nevada

3.4/5  rDev -11.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3
The friendly server suggested some good beer and apps. They had a really good live band playing. I would definitely go back!
May 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by DogLimbo from Colorado

Mar 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.18 by hopazoid from Minnesota

Feb 25, 2015
Photo of Brooer
Rated by Brooer from New Mexico

3.59/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Nice feel, great selection of Belgian style beers, friendly staff. Did not try the food. Live entertainment on the weekends.
Jan 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by PJSamora from New Mexico

Nov 15, 2014
Photo of Dmmflys
Reviewed by Dmmflys from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
The brewery tap room is really nice set up as more of a restaurant with a great bar tables. Had the pretzels was good the horse radish sause was spicy and good thats saying a lot cuz i dont like horse radish. They bottle some of there beer maybe 5. They also have a syrup.
Oct 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by gatheredwaters from Vermont

Oct 09, 2014
Photo of Irrenarzt
Reviewed by Irrenarzt from New Mexico

2.75/5  rDev -28.8%
Nice space, a bit on the small side. Very cozy and comfortable. Great people run the place but the beer isn't that good/clean overall, and it's really overpriced. Recently started with some guest taps, so consider these first (especially Bosque) unless you're feel adventurous. Lots of small musicians come through here, which can be good or bad, depending on what you are after. Hard to have a pleasant conversation with some local musician torturing your eardrums in the background.

I think they'll do better once they figure out that Abbey ales take forever to mature/condition and they give the beer the time it needs. They are installing taps upstairs as well which should help those looking to converse when the music is playing.

Nice spot, and they have all the right things in place, but need to get that beer dialed in.
Sep 24, 2014
Photo of ONovoMexicano
Reviewed by ONovoMexicano from New Mexico

4.21/5  rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
This brewery shows a lot of promise based on my first visit on a weekday afternoon.

I like the concept, Belgian beers only, as this right away sets the place apart from so many IPA- and hop-obsessed breweries sprouting up around the country. Add to this the decision to shun the most obvious of locations (downtown) and set up on the city's industrial south side and this place really could be on to something. And indeed they are.

The beers on tap showcased a variety of different Belgian styles from the Blonde to the IPA to the Ambree to the Dark Strong, which is exactly what a serial beer tryer like myself needs to feel whole. Anyone who knows how I drink knows that I need options and plenty of them.

I opted for a sample of each brew and received six, one of which was a the guest beer Santa Fe Brewing '88 Saison. Each sample runs $2 but arrives as a healthy pour in a mini-goblet.

Here are my thoughts (or what I remember thinking) of each beer:

- Non Fiction- Described as a pale ale, this certainly differs from our American versions and that's great, but I didn't get the hoppy aroma or complexity that either a pale ale or a Belgian provide. Still, it was light, refreshing and easy drinking.

- Titian- A golden ale, this beer showed more promise. I often tell anyone in earshot that Belgians seem to be a tough style to master because the great ones mask the high alcohol content and use strains of yeast that bring out flavor after flavor and combine all this into a great beer; lesser versions then are usually too boozy and overwhelming or lacking in complexity as far as the nose and palate are concerned. Titian is on the right track though, as it wasn't at all boozy and had strong hints of plum and fruit. I enjoyed it but wanted to discover a few more tastes and aromas than I did.

-Bad Amber Ale- This beer continued the upward trend and had a great nose to it. Fruit and a sour profile emerged to make this a lip puckerer, yet the beer remained quite sippable. And yes, I'm a sucker for sours ( thanks to Heather for refreshing my memory on this one).

- Dark Ryder- Now we're talking. This is what a great Belgian does, offering the drinker a wealth of aromas and flavors. The nose was of mild coffee, hints of chocolate, plum, and tropical fruit, which right away had me hooked. The taste continued the flavor fest, with the fruity flavors coming through most prominently. I enjoyed this and was quite convinced I'd order a snifter of it to follow, but then...

-Grunewald- This was a limited edition batch and that's just a damn shame. This beer was superb. In many ways similar to the Dark Ryder, but with a more pronounced chocolate and coffee profile and more subdued fruit profile. It was dubbed an imperial porter and so this profile made great sense, but either way, it was a tasty brew. I had to scratch the Dark Ryder order and run with this again. An all around great beer.

Overall, the beers went from decent to spectacular and I look forward to future visits.

As far as service, the one barkeep was friendly and quick. The ambiance is minimalist and accentuated by art on the high walls, a dart board to the back and a garage door that opens to a small patio; all of which were pleasant.

I did get tempted by the food options, some being German-inspired, but I didn't take the bait so I'll have to return to report on that aspect as well.

For now, just know, this looks to be a great brewery offering some truly distinct, creative and tasty beers to the state of New Mexico. How soon until they can start bottling these gems?
Sep 16, 2013
Duel Brewing in Santa Fe, NM
Brewery rating: 3.89 out of 5 with 117 ratings