Firkin Brewhouse up and running despite an uncertain future

Divorce is never a pretty thing. Even in the craft beer business. A few months ago, Firkin Brewhouse went from being just another new brewery looking to make their mark to a vortex of controversy and in-fighting, the likes of which had not been seen in Albuquerque in a long time. Things have settled down,…

Meet Blue Corn Brewery’s new head brewer

Blue Corn Brewery has undergone quite a bit of change throughout the years since it opened in 1992. One thing that hasn’t changed is that this humble 7-barrel brewpub has been a springboard for many great careers in the New Mexico Brewing industry. The names Daniel Jaramillo, John Bullard, Jordy Dralle, Justin Hamilton, and James…

Canteen back on the upswing in the wake of WBC silver

Many brewers around town can brew lots of great beers, but if you ask them, there is always one particular style that is a favorite. It may not always be the best seller (e.g. IPA), but it is the one in which they take the most pride. In the case of Canteen head brewer Zach…

Woodward climbs down from the Mountain and heads for the Bosque

Tim Woodward never got into the business of brewing to become a minor celebrity. He said he realizes it comes with the territory these days considering the popularity of craft beer in New Mexico, but it still takes a little getting used to having folks, from customers to beer writers, asking him questions all the…

Local breweries bask in the glow of World Beer Cup gold

As soon as the World Beer Cup results were announced, we decided to do the impossible and get the six Albuquerque-based winning brewers to meet at the same place at the same time. It can be the hardest thing in the world to find even a sliver of free time for some of the busiest…

Mastering the art of brewing across the pond

Albuquerque native Will Brennand is just a few months shy of his masters degree. This is not a typical masters degree, or else why would we be writing about it? Will is majoring in brewing in a project at the University of Nottingham. Yes, as in Nottingham, England, U.K. A former assistant brewer at Red…

James Warren celebrates his second year at Blue Corn Brewery

Editor’s note: Ever have some serious issues with a particular website? Yeah, Luke feels your pain. After battling with WordPress for the better part of a week, we finally got everything working again for him. Thus, at last, we have his recap of a recent event a little later than planned. — S Recently, James…

Bosque goes big with future production facility

Long ago, the Crew heard rumors that Bosque Brewing was looking at moving into the old Jackalope building along Highway 550 just west of the Rio Grande in Bernalillo. Bosque managing director Gabe Jensen told us he was about 50-50 on moving into the property, but could offer up no further details. Lo and behold,…

New director spells out his vision for the NM Brewers Guild

John Gozigian is not some newcomer to the craft beer scene. The new executive director of the New Mexico Brewers Guild was there when the organization came into formation in 2011-12. As a former co-owner at Marble Brewery, John saw the initial explosion of our current craft beer scene. Now, two years after accepting a…