Crab and Pilsner Festival returns to Second Street Rufina this weekend

Back by popular demand! This Saturday and Sunday (June 15 and 16), Second Street Brewery — Rufina’s annual Crab and Pilsner Festival returns to Santa Fe for a second round, and we’ve never been more excited to get crabs again. Last year, hundreds of Santa Feans and visitors showed up hungry and thirsty for the…

Icebox Brewing brings a new vibe to an old Las Cruces building

Icebox Brewing might just be the most modern, and yet the most historic brewery in Las Cruces. While the brewery has only been open since January, the building it occupies has been around for more than 50 years. General manager and co-founder Brian Weidauer said that the former home of Sierra Ice and Water at…

Nexus Brewery set to reopen after Saturday night shooting

The Crew were scattered about Saturday night when we all started to see tweets and other messages indicating that some sort of police incident occurred at Nexus Brewery’s original location along the Interstate 25 frontage road north of Montgomery. After a day-plus of news reporting, we have now learned that an off-duty FBI agent shot…

Beer Notes: Taproom boom, more awards and one big party

Now that I am back at work (yay, money), the beer news is starting to pile up, so let us get to a few pertinent items. First, though, in a moment of self-promotion, I will be giving a free talk about the history of brewing in Albuquerque this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Special…

The Week Ahead in Beer: A Prideful weekend awaits after a brisk ArtWalk

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Truth or Consequences also joining the party. The weekend kicks off…

Las Cruces craft brewing scene keeps it local even as it rapidly expands

Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico, but for years, its craft beer scene was far behind Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and even some smaller towns. There was High Desert Brewing, which had followed in the footsteps of O’Ryan’s Tavern (closed in 2000), and the Pecan Grill was contract brewing with Sierra Blanca,…

Senator Heinrich takes time to discuss the big issues with NM Brewers Guild

Senator Martin Heinrich was in Albuquerque last week, and representatives of the New Mexico Brewers Guild were able to set up a meeting with him to talk all things craft beer in regards to the federal government. Tractor Brewing co-owner/president Skye Devore spearheaded the event, which was held inside the brewery at Wells Park. The…

Second Alarm Brewhouse springs to life in Jemez Mountains

Jemez Springs is a lovely little town in the Jemez Mountains. Despite living in Los Alamos, which is a little less than an hour drive away, I hadn’t visited the place in several years. Sure, you can get to Albuquerque by going “the back way” (coming out on Route 550), but it takes a little…

ABQ Beer Week: Day Eleven puts a wrap on the whole darned thing

Well, this is it. Eleven days of fun have come down to one final day’s worth of events. The final slate includes a sold-out golf tournament, a breakfast special, a brunch, an anniversary party, a celebration of casks, a unique charity drive, and one final sensory experience to close it all out. Thanks for being…