We have to give Jeff Erway credit, he has always been open and honest with us about everything pertaining to La Cumbre Brewing and the craft beer industry as a whole. It was no surprise, then, that he did not hold back in our interview for the annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series on Monday afternoon….
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.
Turtle Mountain North nearly ready for its grand debut in Enchanted Hills
The penultimate New Mexico Brewers Guild Social of the year took place Tuesday night in a unique spot, as those of us in attendance got a first look (or in my case, a second look) at the forthcoming Turtle Mountain North in Enchanted Hills at the far end of Rio Rancho. Owner Nico Ortiz said…
Ex Novo Brewing manages to Corral its slice of the local craft beer market
Welcome to the start of our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series, where we go in-depth with all the local breweries to review that year that was and preview the year to come. To kick things off for the 2021-22 edition, I sat down with founder Joel Gregory, head brewer Dave Chichura, sales manager James Gregory,…
More canning woes add to a long list of new troubles for breweries nationwide
Just before Thanksgiving, craft breweries around the country received some very unwelcome news. Ball Canning, the largest producer of aluminum cans in the country, announced changes in how pre-printed cans could be ordered. Instead of being shipped one semi-truckload at a time, Ball would now require breweries to purchase five truckloads, or roughly 1 million…
Merch Guide 2021: Buying local is more important than ever ahead of holidays
Lately, all the news surrounding the craft beer industry has seemingly been bad, with woeful tales of supply chain chaos and rising prices for raw ingredients. Though the breweries in New Mexico are putting on a happy face publicly, the truth is they need our financial support more than ever. The good news is that…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Black Friday takes on a whole new meaning
Welcome to an early edition of Week Ahead, as we want to make sure everyone is aware of what beers are available well in advance of Thanksgiving, when most breweries will be closed (see below for the exceptions). Despite being a holiday week, there are plenty of beer releases coming Friday, with some fun events…
Boxing Bear reclaims the crown for its 4th NM IPA Challenge victory in 6 years
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, at least as far as IPAs go, as Boxing Bear Brewing won its fourth New Mexico IPA Challenge trophy in the past six years. A clear, West Coast-style IPA was triumphant, which was impressive considering 11 of the 16 finalists were of the hazy…
The great haze vs. clear debate will be settled at NM IPA Challenge final round
After two wildly different results from the first two rounds of the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge, everything will be decided Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 at Boxing Bear’s Firestone Taproom. Normally, we would include a ticket link, but the final round has sold out online as of Friday morning. Huzzah to that news!…
A beer about something: 3 breweries collaborate on SereniTEA Now for charity
The generous trio of Canteen Brewhouse, High and Dry Brewing, and Steel Bender Brewyard are at it again, teaming up to help a worthy local nonprofit with a collaboration beer and some special events. Agora Crisis Center, a student organization at the University of New Mexico, is the recipient, just like in 2019, the last…
The West Coast-style IPAs roar back in 2nd round of NMIPAC at Beer Creek
If the first round of the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge seemed to indicate that the first hazy champion was inevitable, the second round told a very different story. The 16 finalists competed again with a new crop of customers at Beer Creek Brewing on Highway 14 south of Santa Fe on Saturday afternoon. This…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 