On a particularly warm January evening, I met up with brewer John Kofonow, general manager/co-owner Jo Sloan, and co-owner Kim Arthun at the ever-cozy Thirsty Eye Brewing at 206 Broadway Blvd. SE in the historic Huning Highland neighborhood in Albuquerque. For a random Wednesday, it was comfortably busy inside. We sat inside, though it was…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Swapping all that homebrewing gear at Bossfight
There is a Sunday afternoon gathering that might just be of interest to all current and former homebrewers. The Homebrew Equipment Swap Meet and Social will run from 2 to 5 p.m. at Bossfight Brewing, one of their last major events before the farewell party February 28. The Worthogs organized this event with the brewery,…
Bossfight Brewing prepares to go out in style with one final party
The end is nigh for Bossfight Brewing, but there is still time left to send out the only brewery-arcade in Albuquerque in style. Friday, February 28, will see one final party to close out the oft-renamed brewery at 4814 Hardware Dr NE. “This is the wave good-bye event,” said head brewer Kolton Huerta. “It’s unfortunate,…
Nexus Brewery needs all the support as freeway construction hits hard
It is the inescapable obstacle in the heart of Albuquerque, a daily delay in the commute of thousands. It is also another blow to many a local business that lie along its path. The construction zone on Interstate 25 that runs from Jefferson almost all the way to the Big I is a mess these…
The Week Ahead in Beer: For the love of the brews and sometimes people
Valentine’s Day on a Friday? We really, truly mean it when we say good luck to everyone in the restaurant industry. If your joint has been deemed romantic, you are about to get swamped. May the customers show you all a little love on the tipping front. For those not working Friday, there are a…
The mostly complete guide to Super Bowl hours and events at local breweries
As promised in The Week Ahead in Beer, here’s a separate little article on how breweries are dealing with the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon/evening. It’s little because far fewer have announced what they’re doing (if anything) than we originally thought. Whoops. Basically, if a brewery does not have TVs, it’s probably just business as…
Bathtub Row Brewing finds both success and stability
After several years of turmoil and change, from COVID to a rebuild of the entire brewhouse to turnover at the head brewer position, 2024 was a relatively quiet period for Bathtub Row Brewing in Los Alamos. I sat down with assistant general manager Rob Hipwood and head brewer Adam Auden (separately, and in that order)…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Bowling for Super fun times and good brews
You have to love the NFL, one of the richest sports leagues on the planet, and how it goes and defends its trademarks with such vigor. For instance, even small businesses like local breweries cannot advertise watch parties or specials using the words “Super Bowl,” at least without paying a fee or fine. Instead, they…
Boese Brothers make some big changes to keep pushing things forward
It was back in May when Boese Brothers Brewing closed their original location downtown, ostensibly to undergo some renovations in the taproom. It was about mid-autumn when Crew readers began to ask what was really happening, and we in turn reached out to owners/brothers George and Sam Boese. They pointed us to Gravity Bound owners/brothers…
Beer Notes: License renewals, legislature update, Stout Invitational and more
There were just enough little news items popping up on our radar to encourage a Friday edition of Beer Notes. Let us dive in, shall we? More license renewals On the one hand, we thought we would see a lot more than we have so far. On the other hand, it’s just January 31, and…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 