Stoutmeister

NM Brew Fest returned in all of its glory much to the delight of most of the Crew

We set a record Saturday afternoon: The most Crew members at a single festival. Yes, we actually got Franz Solo (and Mrs Solo) out of the house (they have an adorable small child) for the New Mexico Brew Fest at Villa Hispana. We got Luke to come down from Santa Fe. And, neither AmyO nor…

New Mexico Brew Fest returns to brighten all of our beer-loving lives

One of our longtime favorite festivals is making a comeback after a couple years off due to the COVID pandemic, and we could not be happier. The New Mexico Brew Fest, previously held every year at the state fairgrounds, will be back this Saturday afternoon at Villa Hispana. The 2019 edition was the 10th anniversary…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Fiesta times are here again and fests are taking off

In case you have not been paying attention, the Balloon Fiesta is back starting this Saturday. So watch out for increased traffic, more (than usual) distracted drivers, folks going the wrong way on one-way streets around downtown, etc. It also means some of our breweries will be more crowded than usual, so take note if…

Oktoberfest-a-palooza: Rounding up all the events statewide this weekend

With the actual Oktoberfest back up and running in Germany, it only made sense for just about everyone else to start doing their own versions of the annual beer-filled event all around the world. In New Mexico, this weekend alone will see five different Oktoberfests in five separate towns, so we figured it behooved us…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Get nostalgic with special charitable meal at Canteen

Remember all those random group dinners, oftentimes with plates of Italian food, held when you were a kid? The ones your parents dragged you to because they were designed to help a specific charity or organization, raise money for a sports team, or maybe to assist a local family in need. Well, Canteen Brewhouse remembers,…

The good folks behind High and Dry ready to open new concept in Nob Hill

After many months of construction and various delays, the owners of High and Dry Brewing get to unveil their new project to the public with a grand opening this Saturday. Public House, which comes with the tagline of “Wine for the People,” has quietly been open for about two weeks at the corner of Hermosa…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Canning classics and bringing back old favorites

As one might expect, this week is a lot lighter in terms of big events (though there are a few to check out below), so we will start with the new beers coming out in cans. Well, they are new in that they were just canned, but in a few notable examples this week, they…

The Week Ahead in Beer: The day of a thousand events is this Saturday

You might think we are joking with that headline. We can assure you that we are not. This Saturday is downright bonkers in terms of events, both at breweries and other places, with eight rather notable happenings. In other words, good luck picking one. Or two. Or maybe three, but at that point, you best…

Warren settles into his comfort zone running the show at La Reforma

A few months back, we reported that former Blue Corn (now Hidden Mountain) head brewer James Warren was coming back to New Mexico to take over the operations at La Reforma. After we let him get settled in, Warren was happy to sit down last week to go over where he’s been and how things…

New Sidetrack head brewer paid his dues at Chama River and Steel Bender

After seven years in the trenches, so to speak, Cordell Rincon is finally getting his own command. Rincon has taken the reins at Sidetrack Brewing, succeeding David Kimbell. I caught up with Rincon this week before the brewery opened for the day. “Oh, it’s great (here),” he said. “I always told myself that if I…