Ah, vacation. It had been far too long since I had gotten to hit the road and (re)visit some out-of-state places. Arizona beckoned again, largely thanks to the World Baseball Classic taking place in Phoenix, and the Fleshgod Apocalypse/Obscura/Wolfheart stopping in Mesa. First, though, it was back to my old college town of Tucson for…
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 releases of some brewery classics abound
What is old is new again, or at least that seems to be the closest thing we have to a theme this week. La Cumbre has finally canned one of its original brews that has long been a staple on draft. Marble canned an old-school style as well. Throw in some returning monthly events at…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Marching towards the change in seasons
While some rejoice at the change in seasons from winter to spring, we always end up a little melancholy that dark beer season is coming to an end. But, then we see some of the crushable lagers and big-hopped IPAs on deck, and we feel a little better. Only a little, because damn, allergies, you…
Ex Novo brings the brewing community together for a new collaboration festival
Ex Novo Brewing will host the first stage of a new festival this Sunday at 1 p.m., one that promises to be rather unique for New Mexico. United in Beer is in partnership with the Somos Unidos Foundation, the charitable arm of New Mexico United, with whom the brewery already has a working relationship. The…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Bow & Arrow feeling lucky with 7th anniversary
Time flies, which you tend to notice every time a brewery has an anniversary party number that makes you go, “Whoa, already?” Bow & Arrow is the latest, celebrating its seventh anniversary this Saturday, and the brewery will going all out with quite a celebratory event. There will be three special beer releases (see below),…
Legislative update: Sorting through all the bills that could affect the breweries
Unless you purposely avoid the news these days, you are probably aware that there is a 60-day legislative session going on in Santa Fe at present. As in years past, there are bills moving through the system that could have a significant impact on breweries, and keeping track of everything can be a wee bit…
Lava Rock rumbles through a tough year but hopes to rebound in 2023
Just before the winter winds whipped through New Mexico earlier this week, I trekked west to Lava Rock Brewing at 2220 Unser Blvd. NW to catch up with head brewer Dan Cavin for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series. We were the first to arrive in the brewpub that day, so Cavin did not mince words…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Celebrating Mardi Gras a few days early
What was once mainly a holiday for New Orleans and surrounding areas, Mardi Gras has spilled over into the mainstream across the country. Some of our breweries didn’t feel like being left out, but let’s face it, drawing big crowds on a Tuesday can be pretty tough (though two listed below will give it a…
Stout Challenge XII: The little guy takes down the goliath of Albuquerque
OK, first off, we were really bad at taking pictures Sunday. But, we were good when it came to judging stouts in a blind taste test format. This year went fairly smoothly, though we did have a couple of illness-related absences (you were missed, Brandon and Luke!), but at least we ended up with all…
Stout Challenge XII: Unleash the fury upon our blackened souls, again
Super Bowl weekend is upon us, which means it is time for the Dark Side Brew Crew’s annual Stout Challenge. Our fingers are crossed that we will be able to return to the House of Sturm for our 12th annual blind taste test of local stouts. The last two years we held this on the…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 