Well, that was short-lived. And no, I’m not talking about the record-breakingly short government ban on TikTok. I’m talking about my dreams of attempting Dry January, as soon as I realized that my favorite New Mexico Brewers Guild event, WinterBrew, is just around the corner.

This Friday, WinterBrew returns to the Santa Fe Farmers’ market for its 13th year on the books, and just like every WinterBrew before, with 16 local breweries and some big, barrel-aged baddies on the list, the 2025 edition is set to be another crowd pleaser, one too good to pass up.

While this event has already sold out, just as it does every year, we wanted to provide a (mostly) complete guide for those attending WinterBrew 2025!

“So many breweries, so many types of beers, breweries releasing special beers by the hour, and super-limited releases just for this event,” said New Mexico Brewers Guild executive director Ebbie Edmonston, recalling what makes this annual gathering a must-attend event.

If you’ve been to Santa Fe’s biggest, and I would argue best, brew fest before, you’ll know that the recipe for this delicious tasting event has not been tweaked too much since its first inception.

But, for those new to WinterBrew, Edmonston explained exactly what you can expect.

“Each general admission ticket gets a commemorative pint glass, 16 sample tickets, one ticket for a full pour, and it’ll gain you entry to the venue starting at 6 o’clock,” she said.

VIP tickets buy you one extra hour starting at 5 p.m., during which many of the breweries will be pouring their most rare and interesting beers.

“It’s just worth it to have that hour to try beers while easily moving about, before the crowd surges,” said Dark Side Brew Crew editor-in-chief and long-time WinterBrew veteran Stoutmeister.

For those lucky enough to snap up tickets in time, below is the full list of participating breweries and what most of them will be pouring throughout the night.

Brewery & Beer List:

Beer Creek: TBA

Bonito Valley: Billy the Kid Amber, L.G. Murphy Stout (Dry Irish), 45-70 IPA, BVB Cerveza

Bosque Brewing Co.: TBA

Brew Lab 101: Singularity Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (11% ABV, 40 IBU, limited release), Sexi NuMexi (Mexican Lager), Wicked Pissah (New England IPA), Peachy Keen Hard Cider

Flock of Moons: Anneau de Feu, Belgian Tripel; Mare Nectaris, Hazy IPA (ABV: 7.5%, IBU: 33, Limited Release); Moons of Mandalore, American Oatmeal Stout (ABV: 4.1%, IBU: 45), Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow – Sherry Cask, Sherry Cask Aged Belgian Dark Strong Ale (ABV: 10.2%, IBU: 23)

La Cumbre Brewing: Tonal Bliss Hazy IPA (6.5% ABV, we are releasing this beer at WinterBrew), other beers TBA

Nuckolls: TBA

Rio Bravo Brewing Co.: Freak Juice (Hazy IPA), Chammoy Mango Tajin Sour, Dunkachito (Imperial Dunkelweiss), Rio Bravo Especial (NM Lager), Coffee Porter

Rowley Farmhouse Ales: All night – IPA (7% ABV, 50 IBU); Releasing by the hour: VIP Hour – 2022 Frambozen Oud Bruin barrel-aged with raspberries (7.6% ABV, 6 IBU); First Hour – Mountain of Light Plum Gose (4.9% ABV, 5 IBU); Second Hour – The Best Part barrel-aged orange blossom honey ale brewed in collaboration with Superstition Meadery and Mark Dawson’s first solo brew, racking this on Saturday, also unreleased until this session; Third Hour – Second String Loser (9.6% ABV, 26 IBU), releasing at that time, Belgian Golden Strong Ale guest brewed with Jami Nordby, name not reflective of Nordby. 

Santa Fe Brewing Co.: Lustgarten – (Taste Only) Dark Lager with raspberries (5.7% ABV, 15 IBU); Lost in the Attic – Oud Bruin (6.0% ABV, 30 IBU); Slightly Social – Hazy Wheat with orange (5.6%, 15 IBU); Fake Moustache – Low ABV Pale Ale (2.9%, 15 IBU) Limited Release

Second Street Brewery: Old Spanglish Malt Liquor (7.0% ABV, 14 IBU), special WinterBrew release; 2920 IPA, Kolsch, Boneshaker (Amber Ale), Agua Fria Pilsner, Space Heater (Winter Warmer), West Coast Style Amber Lager, RBB, Superior Porter, Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale

Sidetrack Brewing Co.: RUBY MILD Mild Ale (5.1% ABV, 20 IBU), this Mild Ale boasts a rich, amber-red hue and a malty sweetness with notes of caramel and toffee. SPACE COYOTE RED IPA, Limited Release (7% ABV, 65 IBU), a bold expression of malt and hops-this hoppy red IPA is brewed with Chinook, Citra and Simcoe hops, and has a complex malty backbone. Plus MATCHING STOUTFITS and A TRIBE CALLED KOLSCH.

Steel Bender Brewyard: Pineapple Dynamite Fruited Sour (5.4% ABV, 5 IBU), Brickie American Stout (8.5% ABV, 80 IBU), Red Iron Double Red IPA, Deep Cuts DIPA

Taos Mesa Brewing Co.: Amarillo Rojo, Black Diamond Export Stout, Mesa IPA, Koenig Lager

Tractor Brewing Co.: Double Stuffed, Pastry Stout (5.2% ABV, 38 IBU), Limited Release; Midnight Cowgirl, Imperial Coffee Stout, (9.7%, ABV, 70 IBU), Limited Release; Dusklight Schwarz, New Mexico Lager, Scorpion (Hazy IPA), Blood Orange Cider

Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery: Special release of Barrel Aged Golden Sour with Apricots (7.4% ABV, 17 IBU)

With 16 sample tickets, and a lot more than 16 beers at this festival, it would be impossible (not to mention dangerous) to try everything. The beers that I would target this year are: Singularity Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow – Sherry Cask Aged Belgian Dark Strong Ale, Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Old Spanglish Malt Liquor, Space Coyote Red IPA, Midnight Cowgirl Imperial Coffee Stout, and Barrel Aged Golden Sour from Tumbleroot. And, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t going to bee-line straight to Santa Fe Brewing for a taste of Lustgarten. How I’ve missed that beer! And, anything really from Bonito Valley, as they came all the way up from Lincoln. But, of course, that is just my humble opinion. There will be something to excite every palate, including a few surprises not on the official list.

• Who: New Mexico Brewers Guild
• What: WinterBrew 2025 presented by Santa Fe County Economic Development & Tourism
• Where: Warmly nestled within the walls of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, located at 1607 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe
• When: Friday, January 24, 2025, VIP 5 p.m., general admission 6-9 p.m. Last call 8:30 p.m. and serving will cease at 9:00 p.m. on the dot. (non-negotiable)
• What else you need to know: Second Street Brewery (Railyard) will provide a few bites off of their Railyard menu and of course Restoration Pizza will be serving up some pies. The Railrunner leaves the Santa Fe station at 9, so don’t be late if you traveled north but do not plan to spend the night.
• Why you should go: Sixteen local breweries under one roof serving up some of the best of what New Mexico has to offer, with plenty of limited releases you won’t find in the taprooms.

The New Mexico Brewers Guild would like to say “thank you” to their sponsors, without whom WinterBrew would not be possible: Santa Fe County Economic Development, Santa Fe County Tourism, El Ice Plant, Nuckolls Brewing Co., and New Mexico Department of Agriculture – Taste the Tradition.

If you’re bummed out that you missed this particular event, the Guild has plenty of events coming up that you will want to check out, but here’s a couple to get your taste buds going.

“We have the Stout Invitational on March First, up at Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op,” Edmonston said. “And, I am excited to have Fete de la Funk return this year on April 19. I love sours, saisons, all those funky styles of beer, so I’m really excited for that. That will be at Flock of Moons. And, we have a new events committee this year as part of the Guild, and I’m really thankful for. They’re going to be the ones like leading the charge with planning new events and bringing back some solid staples.”

Every year, I look forward to this event, as it’s so well run, and honestly still a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll have to make Dry February a thing instead. But, a few of us in the Crew will be among the many in attendance, and we can’t wait to raise a glass with you.

To the celebration of our awesome local beer industry, and to all of us still excited about bundling up and getting together to try new beers!

Cheers!

— Luke