This Friday and Saturday, Hidden Mountain, the brewery formerly known as Blue Corn, is celebrating its grand opening at their South Side (and only) location at long last, and they’re pulling out all the stops.

Slightly delayed by COVID restrictions, the Hidden Mountain team wanted to wait for the most opportune moment to throw a party worthy of their grand rejuvenation. After all, they didn’t just rebrand and change their name; they became a completely new concept with a whole new menu, a new attitude, and a ton of fresh ideas.

Who’d have thought the pandemic would turn out to be a great time to reinvent oneself? Okay, so more than a few of us.

Well, Blue Corn, I mean Hidden Mountain — many pardons! — will kick off the festivities with a bonafide ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. on Friday, and continue on with cask ale tapping at 4:30, and a prize raffle at 6.

On Saturday, Hidden Mountain will begin with a cask tapping at 2 p.m., live music by Santana cover band “Smooth” will start at 3, and you’ll get one more chance to win prizes with a raffle at 6.

Hutton Broadcasting will also be transmitting live from Hidden Mountain on Friday from 4 to 6 and Saturday from noon to 2.

There will be a fun and special menu on both days, featuring pulled pork tacos on Friday, and (insert best Foghorn Leghorn voice) I say, now I say, alligator (!) tacos on Saturday. The kids menu will be free both days, so no need to hassle with a babysitter.

And, for us beer geeks, we asked brewmaster Paul Mallory to give us a few extra details on the two new beers they’ll be releasing this weekend.

“We brewed our Summer Rye IPA (6.3% ABV, 50 IBU) with Azacca and Citra hops for tons of tropical fruit aroma and flavor,” Mallory said. “Look for a spicy rye character to compliment the hoppy goodness.

“The Tangerine Wheat Ale (5.5% ABV, 10 IBU) is our ode to summer! We brewed this American wheat with malted white wheat and tangerine puree to add a slight tartness and a refreshing twist. Cheers to summer!”

As for those mystery casks, Mallory was happy to unveil a few details.

“On Friday, the cask will be a special version of the wheat beer, but with a different fruit. And on Saturday, the cask will be a Mocha Brown,” he said.

With everything on the menu for both days, Hidden Mountain aims to emerge from the proverbial shadows and reveal itself as one of the pinnacle places for food and beer at this elevation.

July 23 and 24. 4056 Cerrillos Rd (on the corner of Cerrillos and Rodeo). No cover. Kids encouraged!

To celebrating again and plenty more good times to come, cheers!

— Luke

For more #CraftBeer info and more @nmdarksidebc news, follow me on Twitter @SantaFeCraftBro.