Last year, my friends and I surprised my boyfriend’s brother Brian with a beer tour in San Diego for his 40th birthday. We knew he would love it. He is a home brewer, so he is always excited to see the intricacies of each operation as well as try all the beers. I found a…
Author: amyotravel
No fish tales, just great beer at Ballast Point in San Diego
I am back from San Diego, where it was a perfect 75 to 80 degrees all four days. What the literal hell happened here in ABQ while I was gone? I mean, it’s seriously scorching. Anyway, back to the beer talk. Last month, a team of folks from San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits…
The leading lady of La Cumbre juggles two kids and a brewery
After a grueling battle between our respective hectic schedules, Laura Erway, co-owner of La Cumbre, and I were finally able to hash out an interview for the NM Women in Brewing series. Laura now has two adorable babies to look after; I can’t even imagine how much work that must be. But her passion for…
One last ride at the Steer
Editor’s note: None of the rest of us in the Crew could make it to the Steer before it closed, but AmyO from the Bullpen was able to file one last story from the west side establishment. It will close for good at the end of business today (Friday). If anyone else has anything you…
Going nuts for hops, not slots, in Las Vegas
Finally, a new brewery near Las Vegas Boulevard! We never have a car in Las Vegas, so when we are there we have to rely on foot power to get us to our next beer. We like Banger Brewing downtown (although it’s a little overpriced), and can rely on Triple 7 in Main Street Station…
Big plans are afoot after an award-winning year at Cazuela’s
Due to communication issues between the Crew and Cazuela’s, we were not able to include a story on them last month in the Look Back/Look Ahead series. We are happy to report that communication has been reestablished and the exciting news that I learned may just make up for the wait. Let’s start with the…
Patience, young Grasshopper, the beers are starting to arrive
Rio Rancho finally has another hometown beer. If you have ever doubted the demand for craft beers in “The City of Vision,” just keep reading. The Blue Grasshopper has been serving local beers from other breweries and their own wood-fired pizza since they opened late last year through the help of a Kickstarter campaign. Now,…
Change is a brewin’ for Sandia Chile Grill in 2015
Hello and happy 2015, ABQ beer lovers! I recently spoke with Clint Coker, brewer at Sandia Chile Grill, as part of the Dark Side Brew Crew’s Look Back/Look Ahead series. For those of you that are unfamiliar, Sandia Chile Grill is a New Mexican restaurant in Del Norte Center on the corner of Wyoming and…
Czech-ing out a beer spa in Prague
I love beer so much that I could swim in it. I have, on occasion, washed my hair with beer; it makes for a good clarifying shampoo to remove product build up. So I was completely surprised and totally intrigued when I found out (after booking) that my hotel in Prague last month was attached…
USA!! USA!! Or how to appreciate American beer vs. European beer
Editor’s note: AmyO got back from Europe recently and shared some pictures and tales of her travels. She wrote this on Sunday (see below), but it was delayed until today due to work schedules and the like. We’ll have more from her trip this Thursday (hopefully). — Stoutmeister I just spent a couple of wonderful…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 