Beer and Nachos: Boxing Bear
Cost: $10 Plain / $14.50 Pulled Pork
Customized: Yes BBQ Brisket and Chile
On a recent trip to the west side I finally had the opportunity to try out a new Nacho at Boxing Bear Brewery. Located on Alameda near cottonwood mall, it is quite honestly a bit out of the way. As such, I rarely get the chance to visit Boxing Bear, despite really enjoying most of their beer offerings. It’s a great location though, a vast improvement over the rather dive-y Eliot’s Bar that used to occupy the same building. The interior is well lit, open, and inviting. The interior seating is positioned on a multi-tiered floor and surrounded by a plethora of windows. The real selling point of this location lies solely within its incredible patio space. This is one of my favorite brewery patios. It has plenty of tables stretching around two of its walls allowing for areas of privacy as well as large groups to gather. Add to that the presence of trees and walls that block uninteresting views of parking lots, I can honestly say it feels very comfortable. When they first opened, they offered a modest menu consisting primarily of sandwiches. However, they have recently upgraded to a more complex menu that includes fully cooked items as well as a rotating specials menu. On the night we visited one of the specials being offered were their Nachos. As my regular readers know, Beer and Nachos are not only two of my favorite things in life, But I prefer to enjoy them in unison. I ate these nachos while consuming three different beers, getting a full spectrum of parings (and Mispairings): The New Mexikolsch, The Uppercut IPA, and the Nitro Standing 8.
According to their menu they offer Nachos in a large variety of configurations. They offer all of them in either Full orders, or Half orders for around 60% of the price. The Base Nachos (referred to here as “Plain”) are a bed of chips served with beer infused queso, pickled jalapenos, and sour cream. At an additional charge you can have it served with either Texas Chile or Ambear Ale infused Korean BBQ Pulled Pork. My drinking companions opted to actually order the nachos with both the chile and Pulled Pork, although I would normally have stuck to just the meat addition.
Full Disclosure: I had eaten sandwiches at Boxing bear around a year or two prior and was not particularly fond of them. This meant that my expectations for the Nachos were rather low. When the plate Arrived, I was admittedly a little surprised at their size. They were larger than I expected, but I still wouldn’t say they were huge. When considering the $14.50 price though, I would say these nachos were on the small side. First impressions were a mixed bag. I was happy with the quantity of sour cream in the center, and by the number of jalapenos throughout, both of which are usually skimped on Nachos. But I was disappointed by the number of chips that were dry and left uncovered by any toppings around the edge. They appeared to have been made by just dumping some toppings haphazardly in the middle of a chip pile. Presentation is only part of the battle, and the way they taste is the far more worthy judgement. So, how were they? Well, the chips were very garden variety store bought chips: Low on flavor, slightly stale, and rather boring. The Queso, despite being described as beer infused, tasted like standard gas station nacho cheese sauce. Not to say it’s a bad flavor, because I love me some processed cheese, but there was no noticeable beer flavor within it. The brisket was actually quite good. It was juicy and tender, and quite enjoyable. The BBQ sauce, on the other hand, was very much on the sticky, sweet side. I would have preferred brisket without the BBQ Sauce, or with a sauce that was spicier and less sweet. The Texas chile was standard chile fare. Tastes like any other been chile from a can. The biggest issue with these nachos is the price. At $14.50 they are incredibly overpriced. I would say that the nachos we were served would have been appropriate for around $6. For $14.50 I expect both better ingredients, larger portions, and more care into its construction. That said, I still enjoyed these nachos. They had a very cheap yet comforting feel to them, and I appreciated that Nachos were even an option. Normally I would give them a 3, because I would eat them again, but I am not willing to pay that price for them.
