Danny Harmon has long been one of the most positive and upbeat people in the entire local craft brewing industry, so it should be no surprise that Harmon Lane Brewing exudes that same sense of fun and positivity. “2023 was good for Harmon Lane,” said Harmon, the co-owner and brewer. “We got to do a…
Category: Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2023-24
La Reforma and a whole lot more keep one brewer a very busy man
A full-time job as a brewer and distiller, a growing family, and the pursuit of a higher degree all at the same time is a lot for any one person. Yet it is exactly the situation that La Reforma head brewer James Warren finds himself in these days. I caught up with James for our…
JUNO expands to Edgewood while finding stability at the main brewery
There are not many new breweries or taprooms slated to open in 2024, but one long-awaited space has opened at last just to the east of Albuquerque. JUNO Brewery and Cafe opened their first off-site taproom in Edgewood earlier this month. To learn more about that and everything else going on at the main location…
Palmer Brewery just living that lager life and hoping for a strong year ahead
Among brewers and brewery owners, Rob Palmer has a rather distinctly succinct and no-fuss approach to everything from running his namesake brewery to handling interviews. He also has a, not necessarily worldly, but stately view of the New Mexico beer scene after his time as the president of the board of directors at the New…
Lizard Tail feels optimistic even after closing kitchen at main location
Kitchens can be a weird and fickle thing for breweries to maintain. At some places, the kitchen becomes the star of the show, such as Nexus. At others, they remain a constant headache. For Lizard Tail Brewing, the Industrial location’s kitchen was always more of the latter. Owner/brewmaster Dan Berry finally decided he had enough…
Shifting over some operations is running a little late for Late Shift Lager House
Hello, all. Happy spring, or what most of us call severe allergy season. It’s time for another Look Back/Look Ahead Series update. This time, I spoke with Patrick Bowling of Late Shift Lager House, the craft beer side of The Craftroom. The popular taproom is primarily the home of Sandia Hard Cider, located at 2809 Broadbent…
Bombs Away aims to drop even more lagers that core customers demand
When a brewery finds its niche, it should always embrace and expand that comfort zone. For Bombs Away Beer Company, the connection to the military has always been there, and now from a brewing perspective, that niche has been found, too. I recently caught up with co-owner/head brewer John Degnaro and assistant brewer Ryan Benefield…
Brew Lab 101 stays focused on positives amid a year of significant growth
Brew Lab 101 is not just a Rio Rancho brewery anymore. Heck, it’s not just a New Mexico brewery anymore. To explain what that means, I caught up with owner/brewmaster Scott Salvas for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series. Rather than trek across town, we met up at the Northeast Heights taproom that Brew Lab took…
Marble adapts and innovates amid the changing times in the industry
The tough times are still out there in the craft brewing industry, as we have written about plenty of times over the last few months. Even the biggest breweries in our state are not immune, but nor are they backing down in the face of those new challenges. Marble Brewery is holding fast against the…
Boese Brothers continues to make positive strides across 3 New Mexico towns
There are only a handful of New Mexico breweries that choose to operate in two different cities/towns, and fewer still that have locations in three. One of those is Boese Brothers Brewing, which still has taprooms going strong in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos. I sat down with co-owner George Boese last week at…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 