May 12, 2012
Locate in a strip mall off the highway. Inviting interior, with dark wood and heavy patterned walls and carpet, but with a lot of natural light(at least during lunch). Service was good as was the beer and food. I had the IPA and Golden Lager. was introduced to the 3-4 beer limit here - most places in Albuquerque "suggest" you only have three beers and then leave. Not sure how a bar survives with this strategy - maybe it’s not enforced. Not sure, but I didn’t feel the need to push the limit here.

January 8, 2012
Ambiance un peu froide mais avec un service hors pair. La sélection n’est pas la plus excitante mais tout de même varié.

November 16, 2011
Nice vibe here, spacious. Sports bar. Would never call this upscale, surprised so many ratings indicate that. Excellent service. Large bar area. A few of the beers (the IPAs in particular) are good.

October 29, 2011
Has a bit of a Western theme which makes sense given the location. A large rectangular bar, wrapped in copper, dominates the visuals. When I hear the word upscale, whatever that means, I think "overpriced and pretentious" and that fits here.They had 10 different beers on tap 6 regulars and 4 seasonals and I found most of them exceedingly mediocre. The same can be said about the food. The chili is spicy and flavorful but the fish portion of my fish and chips were bland and flavorless. The service wasn’t anything to write home about. None of the bartenders seemed to know much about beer and they have these ridiculously small 8 oz. water glasses. I also wasn’t impressed with their attempt to charge me with two entree’s. This may be among the best brewpubs by New Mexico standards but it’s exceedingly average otherwise.

August 8, 2011
The big copper bar is awesome! The bar staff is friendly although not supremely knowledgeable, the menu is small with high prices but quality food is there including Kobe meatloaf. 10 taps of all house beer, 6 regular 4 seasonals an option for a 10 ounce pour is rather nice. Cool place in a hot town

July 13, 2011
#100 place rating!! Awesome brewpub off the highway in Albuquerque. It is quite a large place with a very large, near rectangular central bar, plus plenty of tables and a small amount of outdoor seating. Staff is super attentive, filling your water glass, asking if you want more beer when you have more than a few sips left. The beer menu features 6 regulars plus 4 seasonals which appear to rotate pretty quickly. $2.50 pints on Wednesday. The food menu is impressive but expensive ($15+ entrees and even the appetizers are generally $7-9). We split 2 appetizers (the truffle blue cheese fries which were good and the chicken satays which were awesome). So the food is definitely worth it, but prepare yourself for the prices. A regular crowd, definitely not too upscale. Also watch for the free breadbasket that comes around ~6pm. Overall, an enjoyable place, great beers that rotate frequently, and great food.

July 2, 2011 [ Updated July 12, 2011 ]
As others have said, somewhat upscale for a brewpub, but still unpretentious. Though right near a freeway, a very comfortable, relaxing place. There were TV’s in viewable locations, but well blended into the decor so as not to be distracting if you don’t wish to watch (though I was there two days ago, I actually forgot there were TV’s until reading the other reviews). Bar service can actually be too attentive for my liking, routinely asking if you’re ready for another beer when you have 4 oz. left of the beer in front of you. I’d like to take my time, relax! Still though, better than ignoring you.

Beer prices are ever so slightly above average ($4.25/pint), though they do offer $2.50 pints from 4-9 on Wednesdays only. Food prices are higher, but the one time I ate I had one of the best sandwiches of my life, so I’m inclined to think they’re worth it. Also regularly offer 5-course, $45 beer dinners with some very intriguing sounding dishes...

Though there is a very holistic focus on beer, food, as well as other top shelf alcoholic offerings, the focus is indeed holistic in that the beer does not suffer and instead is typically quite good. From my experience they seem to have their brewing schedule down to a science, always having their ten taps filled with six standard offerings and four seasonals on tap. The seasonals are also typically highly varied and bound to contain some unique selections. I’m a fan, even if my rating seems low compared to the average...

January 30, 2011
Not the normal microbrewery/pub. Much more focus on the restaurant and not on the beer. Servers know nothing about the beer

November 10, 2010
Chama River Brewing CO is more of an upscale brewing company. The food is a bit on the pricey side, but the quality is top notch! On my visit I had a pint of the stout and a pint of the brown ale...both of which were delicious. I purchased a growler of the stout to go, and it ran $13. The pints were on happy hour for $2.50 which is cheap compare to the price of the food. I would estimate the average price of an entree was $13 or so. I would definitely recommend this place, and I will definitely visit the next time I am in the area!

October 20, 2010 [ Updated October 25, 2010 ]
Nice upscale (but unpretentious) brewpub with a good selection of above-average brews. Copper bar and outdoor fireplace seating is very comfy. Nice variety and quality of food. A bit pricey on some items, but not ridiculously so, given the quality.