It’s not an easy thing to turn your passion into a career that spans several states, partially through a pandemic, but Rowley Farmhouse Ales’ new head brewer has done just that. On a nice, reasonably un-windy Wednesday, I sat down with the entire RFA brew crew, including brewmaster John Rowley, cellarman Roger Pacheco, new to…
Category: Interviews
La Reforma hires a familiar face as 2022 head brewer shuffle gets underway
After a relatively static period during the height of the pandemic, a new shuffle of head brewers is underway in New Mexico. “There was very little mobility during the pandemic,” said La Reforma co-owner John Gozigian, who has just hired a new head brewer/distiller. “Now that things are getting back to normal, for a long…
Second Street’s Mariah Cameron Scee paints a picture of what it’s like to be a woman in the craft beer industry
If you’re a fan of craft beer in New Mexico, there’s a good chance you’ve met Mariah Cameron Scee at a beer event, or even at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe where she works as director of art and branding. At the very least, you’ve definitely sipped on a delicious craft beer out of…
ReSource Brewing taps into the new Brave Noise collaboration
One of the biggest news stories in the craft beer world in 2021 came about after brewer Brienne Allan went on Instagram and asked, “Have you ever experienced sexism in the beer industry?” The fallout was far-reaching across the industry, and still continues to this day. Yet, like many big stories of the moment, for…
New Brewers Guild executive director stoked to return to her home state
If the new executive director of the New Mexico Brewers Guild looks familiar to anyone, it would probably to the former loyal customers of one of our state’s classic brewpubs, Chama River, that is sadly no more. That alone is the first sign that a lot has changed since Tess Vidalis left New Mexico, and…
New Mexico Brewers Guild executive director moves on to her next chapter
The first time I met Leah Black was when she was slinging beers at the long-gone Hallenbrick Brewing, where she was gutting through the process of pouring brews despite a broken wrist suffered recently on the ski slopes of Northern New Mexico. Then, months later, there she was, sans air cast, doing the same at…
Supply chain issues hitting local breweries in unique and painful ways
Stop us if you have heard this before, but the global supply chain is a mess right now. As one might expect, this is having an effect on breweries throughout New Mexico, just like all the other businesses around the world. Over the last few weeks, via email and in-person interviews, we found a handful…
Tractor brings back a scaled-down but still fun Stranger Things Carnival
One of the more popular seasonal events at Tractor Wells Park will return this Saturday, albeit pared down from its pre-pandemic excess. The Stranger Things Drag Queen Bingo and Carnival will 6 to 11 p.m., instead of the old 5 to 1 a.m. timeframe. The arcade portion of the old carnival is gone as well,…
Bow & Arrow gets to have a little experimental fun on its pilot system
Even amid a tight production schedule, it is always nice for brewers to take a short break and indulge their inner mad scientists when creating something new and different. The brewers at Bow & Arrow Brewing have had that chance over the last couple months, as they have been able to take full advantage of…
Red Door Celebrates 7 Years
Hey, we made it to Friday, and it looks to be a fun weekend out there on the beer front to boot! Franz Solo here, with Red Door’s 7th anniversary celebration commencing on Saturday at 2 p.m., I talked to operations manager Ali Cattin about what they have planned for the occasion. Solo: So you’ve…