After a quarter century of making beer, one might think that Canteen Brewhouse would take it easy this year. Taking it easy, however, has never been part of the plan at the oldest brewery in Albuquerque, so why start now? I caught up with Canteen head brewer Zach Guilmette and general manager Jamie Schwebach to…
Category: Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2019-20
Bathtub Row Brewing plans to expand up the mountain
For our Look Back/Look Ahead Series, I sat down with Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op’s head brewer, Brandon Venaglia, and the new assistant manager, Rob Hipwood, to find out what happened in 2019 and what will be new for 2020. In terms of facility improvements, Brandon mentioned that they finally purchased two new critically-needed serving vessels….
Bosque Brewing keeps growing with even more taprooms in the works
One of these years, Bosque Brewing is going to stop expanding, content to settle down with what it has already built. 2020 will not be that year, however, as I found out when I sat down with Bosque owners Gabe Jensen, Jotham Michnovicz, Jess Griego, and John Bullard for our latest Look Back/Look Ahead Series…
Red Door Brewing staff looks to catch their breath in 2020
It has been quite a year for Red Door, with taprooms and canning and brewery expansions to boot. I was fortunate enough to find some time in December to spend with head brewer Matt Meier and operations manager Ali Cattin to get all of the details. Solo: So, uh, quite a year for you guys….
Tractor Brewing ready to settle down and find balance after year of big changes
The last time we did a Look Back/Look Ahead Series interview with the staff at Tractor Brewing, the staff said not to expect any major changes in 2019. Well, that did not quite hold up, as another taproom and a new head brewer were just two of the big developments in another busy year. “It…
It’s a bit different at Differential Brewing and that is OK
Bucking trends of super hoppy IPAs or heavy, high ABV beers, the less-than-one-year-old Differential Brewing makes mostly approachable, lower-to-mid ABV styles. As it turned out, this proved to be advantageous for the unexpected crowds that may want to hang out for multiple pints. According to one of the owners, Tony Hanson, they also recently started…
Boxing Bear Brewing roars into the 20’s with new taproom almost ready to go
On a lovely Vantablack Friday in late November (bless not working retail during the holidays), we made our way down to Boxing Bear for a beloved treat in Vantablack Russian Imperial stout (and some live metal!). While we were enjoying these and some other delights from the archives, I (Franz Solo) had the chance to…
Nexus Brewery aims to fine tune its food and beer with one less taproom to worry about
It may seem like every offsite taproom is a rousing success in Albuquerque these days, but there have been missteps for many breweries along the way. Nexus Brewery was the latest to make the tough decision to close one of its locations, shuttering the Silver Taproom on the Westside at the start of the year….
Starr Brothers Brewing hits its stride as soccermania grips the Duke City
Four years ago, when Starr Brothers Brewing first opened its doors, owners Heather and John Starr talked about their love of soccer, and how they hoped to share that love with other fans of the beautiful game from around Albuquerque. Even they could not have seen 2019 coming. New Mexico United blew up in a…
Rio Bravo Brewing aims to continue its upward trend
Most of the time, all of us in the Brew Crew have to initiate contact with the individual breweries for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series. That was not the case with Rio Bravo Brewing, however, as director of brewing operations Austin Giorgetta invited me over to chat about all things RBB last week. The big…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 