Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2017-18

Boese Brothers finds its balance between two cities

After far too long between visits, I stopped by Boese Brothers Brewery last week to catch up with co-owner/brewer George Boese for our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series. We talked about everything from seasonal beers to upcoming collaborations, a downtown brewfest, and of course a pretty big project from last year. That big project was…

Nexus warps ahead to fresh adventures with a new brewer at the helm

Over the span of the past few months, Nexus Brewery has experienced the transition from head brewer Kaylynn McKnight, who is now with the forthcoming Toltec Brewing, to new head brewer Randy King. I sat down with Randy on a lovely spring evening over a few samples of what he had on tap, including our…

Ale Republic faces down challenges of brewing in the mountains

Back at the start of the month, before things got a wee bit crazy in the old work schedule (not to mention lots of breaking beer news), Franz Solo and I went on a two-brewery trip east of Albuquerque for our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series. We already chronicled our visit to Sierra Blanca, so…

Santa Fe Brewing goes from new packaging in 2017 to new taproom(s) in 2018

By now, we imagine that you have heard the news that Santa Fe Brewing Company is opening a third off-site taproom in downtown Santa Fe. With the announcements on social media and in the newspapers, the word has officially gotten out on the opening of their new little speakeasy. Believe me, the irony is not…

Palmer Brewery looks to build on busy first full year of operation

After a few missed attempts with other staff members, I finally sat down with head brewer and co-owner Rob Palmer for a very brief interview about the year in review for the first full year of Palmer Brewery. It is easy to see why it was difficult for us to find a time to meet…

Sierra Blanca looks to carry one golden year over into the next

Sierra Blanca Brewing put itself back on the map in 2017 and has no intention of disappearing again this year. The big/little brewery in Moriarty took home a number of medals and began to repackage and relabel many of its long-time beers. To catch up on this buzz of activity east of the Sandias for…

Kaktus does not foresee a thorny future even after loss of its taproom

For most of us residents of the Albuquerque metro area, Bernalillo has long been considered just another gas stop on the way to Santa Fe. However, if you pay close enough attention, one would quickly find that within a strange blending of commercial, residential, and industrial properties off South Hill Road is a true diamond…

The 377 heads into its 2nd full year with high hopes

As our Look Back/Look Ahead Series winds down, I would have been remiss to not stop by The 377 Brewery at Yale and Gibson. Luckily, brewer Lyna Waggoner and I found the time in our busy schedules to sit down and chat for a bit last week. The 377 opened in late 2016 “with a…

All the beers float down here at Bathtub Row

It’s time for one of the more distant breweries to report in for the Look Back/Look Ahead Series. Bathtub Row Brewing entered its third year of business and had some substantial changes in personnel, but things are still going well in Los Alamos. Before we get into the details, we want to let everyone know…

Ponderosa finds its comfort zone while awaiting completion of new taproom

It was all about the little things at Ponderosa Brewing in 2017. Whether it was doing a bit of remodeling, experimenting with new beer styles, introducing a canned beer for the first time, or just focusing on making the brewery into a true neighborhood pub, it all seems to have paid off. “2017 was really…