Back when we sent out requests for interview times for our annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series, a few breweries turned us down this year, mainly due to the simple exhaustion of talking about the pandemic and its wide-ranging effects over and over again. A few other breweries just asked us to wait a while until…
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Boxing Bear hops to it with latest artist collaboration series release
A few months back, when the pandemic was still dragging along, Boxing Bear released a different take on a collaboration beer. Rather than loop in another brewery to make something tasty, the brewery staff instead joined forces with local artist Rashan Jones of High Desert Flameworks to create Just Jonesin’ Peach Cobbler Ale. That was…
Local breweries remain cautious but hopeful in terms of bringing back on-site events
Slowly but surely, things are starting to look normal out at the breweries again, but there is still one thing missing. Go to the event section on just about any brewery’s Facebook page, and it is still mostly blank. While the mask requirements have been lifted by the Centers for Disease Control and most state…
Turquoise Trail Brewing comes back strong after a rocky year
Turquoise Trail Brewing had been open a mere seven months before the now infamous shutdown of 2020, and owner Sean Lawson entered a time which he described as a “big ol’ shitshow.” In the brewery’s short history, Sean leased the building space on Central and Elizabeth back in August 2018, and was carrying it month…
Art on the Rio brings local creatives back to the breweries
The pandemic shutdown and subsequent restrictions not only limited our craft breweries around the Albuquerque metro area, it also took a bite out of the many other creatives who utilized the taprooms for events and other showcases. Well, Carlos Contreras is not the type to sit back and just wait for everything to blow over…
Jubilation and Sister join the Modern Times party on Cinco de Mayo
For the first time in what seems like forever, a major out-of-state craft brewery has launched a new distribution deal in New Mexico, and two Albuquerque craft institutions are jumping on board with special events this Wednesday. After Rowley Farmhouse Ales threw a party for Santa Fe on Tuesday, the Cinco de Mayo fun will…
Red Door closes its original location but will not be calling it a career
Breweries can still surprise us from time to time. Take Red Door Brewing, which suddenly dropped the news late last week that it will be closing its original brewery and taproom on Candelaria this Saturday. Wait, what? Once we got over the initial surprise, I hustled to round up the command staff of owner Matt…
Metal and beer come together with new collaboration between Red Mesa and High and Dry Brewing
As all of us in the Dark Side Brew Crew can attest, a love of metal and a love of craft beer can be quite the harmonious intersection. Those were two of the main things that brought us together before we launched this site in 2012 (our name has never been a Star Wars reference,…
Steel Bender finds much-needed positivity in its latest charity brew
Anyone following Steel Bender on social media probably saw some teasing images of a new canned specialty beer last week. At the start of this week, the beer was unveiled as Shine On Saison, made with passion fruit, and brewed in collaboration with Whole Foods Markets and the Agora Crisis Center. “It’s been this enthusiastic,…
Kaktus Brewing announces plans to reopen this week
One year ago, when COVID-19 first threatened to become a full blown pandemic in the U.S., breweries throughout New Mexico took various approaches as to how they would handle the newly mandated restrictions. After much reflection, choices were made on the next steps that would be best for the business, and for the community. For…
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