The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is back in town starting this Saturday and running through the following weekend. This is the biggest annual tourism draw in Albuquerque, and while we realize this means the restaurants will be packed and the roads will be clogged, we recognize the massive economic impact it provides to the metro…
Downshift makes good use of new brewery facility to increase production
Space is something every brewery wants and needs. Space, though, gets filled quickly as a brewery grows, bringing a whole new set of challenges. Downshift Brewing, for instance, had certainly outgrown their space in the back of the Hidden Tap in the heart of Ruidoso. Just gazing upon it back during our first visit in…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Go ahead and pick an Oktoberfest, we’ll wait
Tis the season for fests. So many fests. A fest here, a fest there. You thought there were a lot last weekend? Surely you can’t be serious, and we’re not calling you Shirley. This weekend alone there’s an Oktoberfest at Rio Bravo on Saturday and another at Canteen on Sunday. That covers Albuquerque. There is…
Lost Hiker Brewing changes owners but keeps the same vibes in Ruidoso
During our trip to Ruidoso Oktoberfest last Saturday, the Crew made sure to carve out some time on Friday to chat with the owners of the two breweries in town to see how things have been going. In the case of Lost Hiker Brewing, that meant meeting the new owner, Steven Swangstu, and his family…
Downshift does Oktoberfest just right for Ruidoso and everyone else
After having gone to the original Oktoberfest in Munich last year, one might think any festival of that type in New Mexico could not possibly live up to that experience for the Crew. Well, yeah, nothing comes close to that event in sheer size, but that does not mean the Crew cannot be impressed. And,…
Oktoberfest in the mountains called and the Crew answered
After missing out last year, albeit for a very good reason, the Dark Side Brew Crew is descending upon Ruidoso for their epic Oktoberfest celebration at Downshift Brewing Riverside on Saturday. Oh, that reason was because we were at the OG Oktoberfest in Munich last year, but you’ve already heard us gloat about that plenty…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Giving summer one proper hoppy farewell
Yeah, we know, it’s been slow on the news front again. Throw in my constantly changing schedule at the paying job, and we’ve neglected this site a bit. We’ll try to pick things up a bit soon. In the meantime, one beer we’ve been waiting for a while now is finally arriving on tap, and…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Oktoberfests and fundraisers fill up the weekend
Great googily moogily, this week is way more packed than we could have imagined, and it’s not just due to the Oktoberfes-a-palooza that’s breaking out this weekend. We’ll have all of those events listed below, and you can always check our statewide guide to all the Oktoberfest celebrations. We’re still updating that one as more…
Breweries running into backlash for using generative AI in social media posts
It was in the afternoon Tuesday when the Facebook algorithm fired a brewery’s post up to the top of our feed, which is usually part for the course when we are using that social media site as the Brew Crew instead of any of us as individuals. The surprising thing about that post was that…
Statewide Oktoberfest Guide 2026: So many fests and so little time
There are a slew of Oktoberfest celebrations coming up this season in New Mexico, so we decided to round ’em all up to help you best plan out your weekends for the rest of this month and part of October. From Red River to Ruidoso, from Carlsbad to Angel Fire, and of course Albuquerque and…
