Blue Heron Brewing Company

This place is right off the road when coming from Colorado or Taos. A good pit stop if you enjoy good ambiance and nice beers.
We had a flight of brews, all of the names of brews are inspired by either the thing they saw while brewing the beer, northern NM, and quirky things. I can now say I drank a tarantula and lady bug brew :) All tasty and for $ 10 you can get 5… We decided on a growler of Scottish Ale.
The place is quite small, they do have a patio if you have kind of a bigger party. Each table has jenga on it, so while you talk you can get a bit of a challenge in.
There is just ONE restroom (not the cleanliest) so you if you need to go you are going to have wait…

What a wonderful little gem! I ran away for the weekend and unexpectedly found this cozy place and ended up staying for hours. Thanks to the best service I’ve had in ages (Hi Wendy! Miss you) we’re already planning a trip back in the spring. Highly recommended.

Not much to look at from the road but they brew very good beer and ale.
Associated with a near by Winery that we also visited.
Great place to visit for a fun afternoon. Very relaxing and and educational
We got a class for free by asking about our flight and continuing to talk to the bartender.
I love to go to Brewerys to experience the different slants on doing the same thing, making Beer and ale. Dfinitely worth a trip to visit this one.

this place is so cute. filled with locals and no one in that place is the same in any way other than the fact that they were just trying to have a good time. the beer on tap is great and you’re even able to get a huge jug to take home if you will! there’s a small inside area to sit but there wasn’t a soul inside other than the cashier/​bartender. EVERYONE was squeezed on the back patio, just comfortable enough. we will definitely be back to visit.

I’m happy to finally have a place in Espanola where I can get a decent pizza. But now a pizza is the only thing I can order from here. I called in to place an order and found out they took pretty much every other vegetarian option off the menu, the grilled cheese and portobello burger. As if that wasn’t a small selection to choose from already. What a disappointment. Wish they could replace it with other options.

Visiting my BFF in Los Alamos and stopped by this little gem on our way up to Taos. Love the Lady Bug IPA. Great service. Make sure to stop by and try it if you havent!

Great spot to have a beer and relax… Summer is the best because they have a enclosed little patio. Best customer service and to top it off wonderful beers! Great job Blue Herion

My husband is a beer snob. This is one place we have frequented for years. It is beautiful and has free WiFi!
I have learned a lot listening to dh and the workers at this place about beer and brewing. All are eager to share their knowledge and tips for brewing great beer. Very knowledgeable about hops and grains as well.
The cheese plates here are really good too. You can bring or buy a growler and have it filled and drink when you arrive at your destination. Toas does not offer much for micro-​brews so we always stop here for a fill up and head to Taos.

Why no reviews on the new espanola location? Here goes… go. Eat their grilled cheese, any of the burger specials, the portobello sandwich. I dare you not to get addicted to their fries and special ketchup. Just hope the are not out of the Ladybug IPA, which they are too often. Service is improving but can be better, owner is a bit short and could use someone fronting that is more beer customer oriented. I hope it stays, finally a place for those of us in Espanola that don’t want to always head for Taos or Santa Fe, want far better beer than the sad list at Chili’s, and will never step foot in a casino.

Decent beers but horrible customer service. I emailed them to ask some questions about possibly getting a keg and they were short, rude, and basically hostile for no reason. They seemed offended when I offered to pay to ship a keg, and then didn’t respond when I followed up to ask if I could come pick one up. If you’re thirsty on the drive through, stop by and try the scotch ale, if not, don’t bother there are plenty of good places in northern NM.

I was starting to get worried.
After some outstanding New Mexican beers in Santa Fe, we headed up to Taos and were bitterly disappointed by the local offerings. So I was a bit skeptical when a local told me to absolutely check out Blue Heron. We were headed down the mountain on the way to the airport when we spotted the sign. We’ve got time, let’s swing in for a pint!
And was I glad I did. Hands down the best beer in the area, and a worthy representative of New Mexico craft brewing. Stunning pale ale — perfectly balanced hoppiness with a solid malt backbone, and a really crisp and fresh finish — and a stunning porter that left me wanting more (so Tracee E got to drive instead!)
They’re moving and expanding, and am sure they’ll be a hit. Be sure and check ‘em out!

This place is a nice little gem on the way to or from Taos.
Right along the same strip where for many years my father and I would stop for the fresh fruit stands, this little brewery is like an oasis of sorts.
The interior is small, with seating for 10 – 15 tops, but another 10 – 15 can hang out on the back patio as well. Really though, most people seem to do what I did and simply drop in for a beer and hit the road again.
Really though, the beers here are worth staying for. They are quite good and the owner/​brewer is happy to share the story of her family’s local winery up the road and how her husband was a homebrewer and inspired her brewing. The two now occasionally brew together, but the she carries most of the weight on the brewing side.
Anyways, here’s a breakdown of what I remember of the beers:
Cascabel IPA– I enjoyed this. It had a goody hoppy, piney nose yet was smooth-​drinking and well-​balanced.
Lava Rock Pale Ale– Again, another good beer. Their was a mild bitterness and mellow hoppiness in aroma and taste. Again, very easy drinking. I would have liked this more but I felt the carbonation lacked a bit.
White Water Wheat– This I liked least, but I still found it smooth and drinkable. It had a mild sweet character and subtle wheatiness. It actually would make a good session beer and is actually perfect for the time of year. Overall, decent.
XXX Maibock– I don’t remember too many details about this, other than that I enjoyed it and could have easily ordered a pint.
Prieta Real Imperial Stout– Again, a good beer. This one had a thick, malty profile and was not overwhelmed by the alcohol. Overall, a good imperial, albeit a tame one.
So overall the beer was good and rather surprised me as I wasn’t expecting much from a roadside brewery that has yet to generate a lot of buzz. Still, I don’t think I’m alone in my appreciation as the owner told me demand has grown so much that a taproom in Espanola may be on the horizon. That would be cool and a first for Espanola.
Also, for those not into beer, their were some tasty wines from La Chiripada which is right down the road. My wife loved her Riesling.
Oh, and since I liked the beers so much, I had to buy a bomber from the five or six styles that they had available and which one can only buy at this site.
I should also add that the prices were a bit higher than other New Mexican breweries ($ 10 for a flight of five beers, $ 8.50 for my bomber) but still worth it.

Penasco porter, Scottish Ale… yum

My husband and I stopped here on our way from Taos to Santa Fe after seeing a sign for a brewery a couple miles before. This place doesn’t look like much (we almost missed it), but it is very pleasant inside and it made for a nice stop. There are a couple of tables inside where you can sit and chit chat with the customers or with the very knowledgable and laidback guy that works there. And the beer was pretty good as well!
Will recommend this place to people that are planning a trip to New Mexico.

I would not recommend this place to others for a few different reasons. First off, the beer was not anything special. We had their flight (Amber’s Folly Amber Ale, Aurora IPA, Tarantula Trek Red Ale, Adobe Brown Ale, and a stout) which the amber ale tasted as if it was made from dirty water. It was bad enough that none of us trying it took more than two drinks. The others improved but were not anything I’d rave about.
Secondly, the rest of the establishment was not very well maintained. I got bit by ants, the bathroom was swarming with flies (indoor bathroom), and some of the table umbrellas were broken. The best part of this place was the outside seating (besides the ants).
Overall, service was okay, people were friendly, beer was nothing special, and the venue needs some work.

What a great stop on the road from Taos to Santa Fe! I stopped and bought a pint of Red Tarantula to enjoy later in the evening, but would have love to stay and enjoy the live music on the beautiful patio!

Only been here once, but that is all it took to make me a believer. We rafted just across the street at new mexico river adventures and they reccommended this place for a post trip beer. 2 of us had the Scottish Ale, one had the local wine, and one another beer.
The two of us who had the Scottish Ale thought that if that was the only beer in the world, we would both be fine with it.
I got back to houston and started researching this particular style of beer to go find it where I live, and it is relatively rare.
If you are driving 68 between espanola and taos, make it a point to stop here and enjoy their hospitality and brewery creations.

YUM! And super fun! A wonderful surprise on my way through New Mexico. I highly recommend this place.

Stopped in here after a day trip to los alamos and had the flight: wheat, red ale, pale ale, IPA, and scottish ale. Scottish was delicious! IPA was a little weak for my tastes, but i like them to bite back. Nice selection of delicious brews on tap; also available in bottles and growlers to go!

On our way back from Taos and a tour of the winery’s I had the opportunity to relax and enjoy a beer.
On a suggestion we stopped at the Blue Heron on Hwy 68.
The great flavors of the beer found there will please the pallet of just about any beer drinker.
The pale ales would be very friendly to the American domestic lager drinker.
The IPA is styled along the lines of the original UK versions and not that of American hyper hopped IPAs. I highly recommend it.
Frankly their IPA was better than any I have had while in the UK.
Do not forget to get a growler or two to take home.