Having moved to Santa Fe from Los Alamos a few years ago, I don’t get back to Bathtub Row Brewing (AKA “the Tub”) nearly as often as I would like. We recently decided to kill a few birds, so to speak, and meet friends there and conduct our Look Back/Look Ahead interview. It was a lovely Saturday…
Category: Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2023-24
Sidetrack maintains a nice routine even amid industry-wide tumult
There is nothing wrong with having a perfectly normal year in beer. After all, nothing has been very normal since 2020, so Sidetrack Brewing will definitely embrace a year of things just being, well, routine. I caught up with co-owners Dan Herr and Anne O’Neill, plus head brewer Cordell Rincon, to go over all of…
Thirsty Eye hits some milestones even before a milestone anniversary
If it still seems like time makes no sense anymore, then consider the fact that Thirsty Eye Brewing will celebrate its fifth anniversary in June. Wait, what? It seems like the funky little pub opened just the other day on Broadway in East Downtown. But, it’s true, Thirsty Eye officially opened back on June 14,…
Rowley Farmhouse Ales endures hellish year only to emerge optimistic for 2024
For some, 2023 was a cozy fireplace in a mountainside cottage, full of warmth, bright beginnings, hope, and good cheer. For others, it was an absolute dumpster fire of a year. For Rowley Farmhouse Ales, though they may have lost their supply trailer to a devastating fire back in May, they were determined not let…
Sobremesa opens a new event space in anticipation of a busy 2024
Back when Sobremesa opened amid the chaos of 2020, a significant portion of the building remained unused. Various ideas were discussed among the owners as to what do with the northern half of the building, with anything and everything being considered. Quietly, in 2023, the final vision of what to do with that space came…
Rio Bravo hones in on what works and sees some considerable growth
Just as there is in life, there is a desire for balance at a brewery. Whether it is simply knowing how many events are too many, or focusing on a few beers instead of trying to brew every style imaginable, success can often come down to finding that balance between ambition and practicality. For Rio…
The director’s chair: Edmonston reflects on her 1st year with NM Brewers Guild
To kick off the 2024 portion of the current run of Look Back/Look Ahead Series articles, I managed to catch up with New Mexico Brewers Guild executive director Ebbie Edmonston over the phone before things start to get a bit crazy for her up in Santa Fe. After all, she has a key board of…
Canteen overcomes a challenging year and rolls toward its 30th anniversary
It was not just one of those years over at Canteen Brewhouse. It was, perhaps, the most fraught and difficult year of the 29-year existence of what was once Il Vicino Brewing. Back in the summer, the glycol chiller went down, and it left the brewery with a seven-week stretch of not actually brewing. With…
Sunday Service Motor Company revs up after successful first year
The first year of any business, breweries included, tends to be more of a learning process than anything else. That has certainly been the case for Sunday Service Motor Company, the unique brewery/coffee shop located at 2701 Fourth St. NW, just a block north of Menaul. I caught up with co-owner Kevin Anderson recently for…
Quarter Celtic finds some stability before preparing to get a little mead-ieval
The brewpubs of the New Mexico craft brewing scene have certainly endured a lot since the pandemic lockdown of 2020-21. Many are still searching for the new normal, while a few lucky ones have managed to regain a measure of staffing stability. Quarter Celtic Brewpub is one of those lucky ones, as I learned while…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 