The general belief that the smaller breweries were taking the brunt of the pandemic has not quite proven to be the case, as we have learned for this go-around of the Look Back/Look Ahead Series. Take Sidetrack Brewing, for example, where things seem to be thriving rather than struggling as they prepare for their sixth…
Author: Stoutmeister
Former sports writer in Tucson, LA, and Burque. Now I write about craft beer, which is a totally reasonable way to support my hobby of spending afternoons and evenings indulging in the finest stouts, lagers, and more.
The Week Ahead in Beer: New canned releases surge in grand January finale
There are quiet a few canned releases to close out this month, which is just fine since our beer fridges haven’t been overflowing at all lately. (Insert sarcastic and/or maniacal laughter here.) The hop-forward beers are surprisingly the dominant style being released in package this week, but in New Mexico, it’s always hoppy season. There…
Tractor Brewing plows through a blur of a year with higher hopes for 2022
The global pandemic has left no business unscathed, but for breweries with a big focus on hosting events, it was particularly rough over the past year-plus. Perhaps no brewery in New Mexico endured the ups and downs quite as much as Tractor Brewing. I sat down with marketing director Jeremy Kinter and co-owner/brewmaster David Hargis…
Marble Brewery refocuses its efforts on planning ahead amid ongoing pandemic
The bigger the brewery, the harder it can be sometimes to pivot and adjust to the constantly shifting currents of the world at large these days. For the biggest brewery in Albuquerque, it has certainly been a challenge for Marble, but with a little extra advance planning, the staff has been able to keep things…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Sometimes it is all in the name of the brew
We gotta admit, some breweries are really, really good at coming up with clever beer names. It’s gotten to the point where we think, but have not confirmed, that there is a game of one-upmanship among all the places around Albuquerque. If that is truly the case, then Steel Bender just raised the bar with…
Thirsty Eye Brewing finds efficiency is the key to survival in the pandemic
Sometimes, the smallest things can make a big difference, even for breweries. Such was the case in 2021 for Thirsty Eye Brewing, where one small improvement in the brewing process helped them endure the many ups and downs of the pandemic. I sat down with co-owner Kim Arthun, his wife and general manager Jo Sloan,…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Raise a pint or two to a great humanitarian
All of us in the Crew, Erin especially, were saddened to hear the recent news of the death of actress and animal rights activist Betty White. Well, the good folks over at Tractor have decided to honor her on what would have been her 100th birthday this coming Monday. If you head down to Wells…
Quick update on coverage during this latest COVID surge in New Mexico
As more and more breweries have been forced to shorten/alter their hours, or stay closed for a day or two (or even longer, in the case of Taos Mesa, which has gone back to takeout only), it is starting to become a bit risky to venture out again thanks to the Omicron variant of COVID-19….
Lava Rock Brewing regains its footing and now aims to open a new taproom
Back in the midst of the more restrictive days of the pandemic, a change in brewers went down on the Westside, and none of us in the Crew was able to head over and get the lowdown. I finally rectified that on the final day of 2021, catching up with Lava Rock head brewer Dan…
A decade in review: 10 years of writing about craft breweries in New Mexico
Holy hell, the Brew Crew is 10. It was around this time a decade ago that one of us wrote up the quickest of posts, simply titled Greetings, which announced our mission statement to be a collective of five writers who wanted to chronicle the growing industry of microbreweries (remember when we called them that?)…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 