Stoutmeister

Firkin Brewhouse inches ever closer to finally opening

To say that it has been a struggle to get open for Firkin Brewhouse might count as the biggest understatement of 2016 (to date). The beer is nearly ready, the building is nearly ready, and yet they have dealt with one roadblock after another from the City of Albuquerque, which prides itself on being business…

Kaktus kicks it up a notch with a new taproom and more

My latest story for our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series took me to two different towns. That is what happens when Kaktus Brewing moves out of just their cozy space in Bernalillo and opens a taproom in Nob Hill. That alone was the big move of 2015 for Kaktus, but it was far from the…

Boese Brothers blaze through first year and now settle into their second

Boese Brothers Brewery burst onto the local brewing scene in 2015, offering up a swanky downtown location, some out-of-the-ordinary beers, and a general sense of fun. That they did this all downtown, a former craft beer desert, has helped inspire a renaissance of sorts in that region. Since they opened at Gold and 6th Street,…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Wake up with some epic coffee stouts

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s four breweries and a pair of newcomers, one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos, also joining the party. To prove that winter is not…

Duel Brewing set for soft opening of ABQ taproom this week

Before the ugly, grueling Steelers-Broncos game kicked off Sunday, some of us in the Crew — myself, E-Rock, AmyO — headed downtown to check out the new Duel Brewing taproom. Much to our surprise, we were told the taproom would have a soft opening this Tuesday at 5 p.m. Before anyone heads over, here is…

Fear not Santa Fe for you get your own Victory at Sea Day

Distance is the enemy of the beer lover. Often times great beer is tapped too far from where you live, forcing you to stay at home and bitterly wonder what might have been. Many in Santa Fe probably found themselves in this situation when they saw Victory at Sea Day will be happening down here…

The guide to what will be poured at WinterBrew

Well, the good news is WinterBrew is as popular as ever. The bad news is that means 800 tickets disappeared in the blink of an eye and the event is completely sold out. So for the lucky 800 of you who are going, we did our best to compile the list of what the 17…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Leaner but not meaner for the new year

Chama River changes brewers but aims to remain among the best

The brewers may change, but the quality beer remains the same over at Chama River Brewing. At least, that has been the case throughout the history of the popular brewpub. From Ted Rice to Jeff Erway to Justin Hamilton to Zach Guilmette, Chama has served as a finishing school for many a great brewer to…

New/old brewer has Canteen set for canning and new taproom in 2016

Let the great brewer shuffle of 2016 be official. Zach Guilmette has left Chama River and returned to Canteen as head brewer. Andrew Krosche has left Ponderosa to take over at Chama. Bob Hagerty, formerly of the La Cumbre staff, has taken over Ponderosa. Each one officially took over his new position Jan. 1. So,…