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…
The Week Ahead in Beer: The calm before the fest storm
Warning, it’s kind of a slow week out there. Oh, sure, there’s still some low-key fun to be had at breweries (including some monthly favorites), and plenty of new brews to enjoy, but it still feels like this is the weekend that the craft beer industry takes a deep breath. Why? Because starting next weekend,…
FMV Brewing taps their first in-house ale
Sometimes, the algorithm is still good. True, not that often anymore, but last week social media managed to alert us to the fact that FMV Brewing quietly tapped their first beer. The brewery has been open for a while now at 2500 Yale Blvd SE (pro tip: if you are driving south on Yale, do…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Celebrate Labor Day with some new collaboration brews
Back before he left Thirsty Eye, head brewer John Kofonow told us that his final days would be spent working with other breweries on some new collaborations for all to enjoy. Well, two of those collabs dropped this week, and with a three-day weekend ahead, there is no time like the present to check them…
After 10 years Rowley Farmhouse Ales enters a new chapter
By now, you’ve probably already heard from one source or another that Rowley Farmhouse Ales is moving. It’s true, by early next spring, they will be closing the doors at their current space and turning the key on a new one, bringing a close to what has been a great, long run. It’s been 10…
