After 18 months of pandemic, and almost 10 years of leading this site, I need a break. So I am going to take one, at long last.

The beer scene will still move along without me, as it should, and the rest of the Crew have vowed to step up and provide some content while I am gone. Well, gone is not the right word, I will still be in Albuquerque, for the most part. Heck, you may even see me at a brewery every now and again enjoying a pint, but I will not be interviewing any staff members or busting out ye ole laptop to write about something while I am there.

One of the brewery owners told me that she believes the biggest long-term effect of this pandemic era will be on our collective mental health. I felt mine fraying of late, so I made the difficult decision to take a step back. How long? That I do not know. I have a vacation coming up to visit my extended family on the East Coast toward the end of the month. That may help, or it may not. It might be that this is the last story I will ever write on this site, but the odds are equally good that I will get bored or re-energized and feel compelled to come back in October or a later month.

A big thanks to everyone in the brewing industry in New Mexico for being such wonderful people to work with over the years. I would list them all, but then this would be one of the longest stories in Crew history, and I would inevitably be left kicking myself for leaving out a name or two.

Stay safe out there everyone. Keep supporting local, but don’t forget to take some time for a little self care, particularly when it comes to your mental health, and watch out for your friends and family members, too.

— Stoutmeister