Let us close out August on a high note, shall we?

Bow & Arrow is one of three breweries nominated for Brewery of the Year in Vinepair’s Next Wave Awards. The brewery explained things in a post on social media:

“Launched in 2021, @vinepair Next Wave Awards honor those in the spirits, wine, and beer industries who are pushing boundaries and driving the industry toward a brighter, more equitable, and sustainable future. Being recognized among this incredible group of innovators is a true honor, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to contribute to the industry’s growth.”

Human Robot Brewery in Philadelphia and Sacred Profane Brewery in Biddeford, Maine, are the other two finalists.

Oh, and it turns out that Averie Swanson of Keeping Together, the forthcoming brewery in Santa Fe, has been named one of three finalists for Brewer of the Year in that same competition. She will square off against Derek Gallanosa of GOAL Brewing and Sam Zermeño of Brujos Brewing.

Congrats to B&A and Averie on being nominated and good luck!

Moving forward

More good news for a couple breweries, Brekki Brekki/Catalina Craft Works and Jemez Mountain Brewhouse.

The former finally received their small brewer license from the state, as we spotted on the Regulation and Licensing Department’s site. That long-awaited grand opening date for Brekki Brekki should be just around the corner, so keep an eye on their social media for the announcement.

As for Jemez Mountain, when we last visited they just making delicious pizza in Jemez Springs, with the brewery still to be assembled. Well, it has been finished, and with the helping of a couple of brewing brothers from Burque (check their social media), the first in-house pale ale has been brewed.

We imagine that by the end of September, we will be enjoying a pint and a pizza slice or two up in the mountains.

Festival updates

A bit of disappointing, but still understandable news, as the New Mexico Brew Fest is taking 2024 off with an eye on coming back in 2025.

After 13 years at the Expo New Mexico State Fairgrounds, this popular fall event will be moving to an undisclosed location next year. Here is what they had to say on social media:

Hello NM beer fanatics,
The New Mexico Brew Fest is working hard on reimagining your favorite beer fest with a new location for … 2025. While we are working on exciting changes we have made the decision to skip this year’s event in order to ‘pour’ all of our energy into developing a bigger and better festival to be launched in October of 2025.
As New Mexico’s oldest craft beer festival, we truly hate to break tradition and skip a year, but once you see what we have planned, we think you will understand.
Stay tuned for more information as it develops, including how to participate as a brewery, distillery, vendor, sponsor, or volunteer. In the meantime, raise your glass to the past 13 festivals and keep drinking cerveza hecho en Nuevo Mexico!

We have always called NMBF one of our favorite annual festivals, and meant it, but we understand that changes had to be made. We will miss our annual day out at Villa Hispana in the October sun and look forward to the festival’s return next year.

Oh, and while that is disappointing news, do take note that ULLR Fest will be back at Pajarito Mountain above Los Alamos on September 21, and Ruidoso Oktoberfest is set for September 28. We definitely encourage folks to attend both, especially if you have never been before. Red River’s Oktobefest will also be back October 11-13, so there is still plenty of festing fun to be had this autumn. Are we missing any upcoming festivals? See our contact info below.

Sample tray

• While we have not received any new updates on Beer Creek’s planned taproom within the Santa Fe city limits, we have heard that another brewery in the City Different is opening a taproom in or near downtown. Until we receive a more formal confirmation, however, we won’t reveal which brewery.
• While the photos on social media sure make it look like Vision City is almost ready to open any day now in the old Boxing Bear at Alameda and Corrales, there is no official opening date set. We also did not spot an active license on the state website, and they will need that to get the doors open (here is hoping it takes far less time than it did for poor Brekki Brekki).
• Turquoise Trail has their first house beer, Run Away with a Blonde, on tap at their new location in Moriarty. One or more of us will make our way out there sooner than later. We also need to check out the JUNO taproom in Edgewood.
• Speaking of brewing, it has been a hot minute since the Crew did a collaboration with a local brewery. The good news is that the recipe is written and the brew date is set for us to team up with Flock of Moons next month. Brewer/co-owner Jeff Tomlinson struck gold with the name — Dark Side of the Moons. Stay tuned for more on this one.
• Progress is slow but steady on a couple of bigger projects. Turtle Mountain reported that moving the brewery equipment from the original location to the suite next to the North Taproom is moving along. The hope, said owner Nico Ortiz, is to move the tanks by October, and have it all up and running by the end of the year.
• Late Shift Lager House’s new facility on 12th Street is further behind, with opening day still a long ways off. In the meantime, you can still enjoy their beers at The Craftroom. Just watch out for the I-25 construction.

That is all for now. If you have any additional news to share, please DM us on social media or send it to nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister