Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s four breweries and one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos also joining the party. Our local breweries have always been good to us, bestowing…
NM IPA Challenge returns with a slightly adjusted opening-round format
The announcement went out on Tuesday, and hopheads across the state rejoiced, for the New Mexico IPA Challenge is returning to the land. Now 28 breweries will do battle, as all seek to remove the three-time king, John Bullard, from his iron throne. OK, fine, it is a bit of Game of Thrones there, but…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Defying the odds to finish a first year
Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s four breweries and one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos also joining the party. It has been a bumpy ride at times for the…
La Cumbre and Ska join forces to create an outstanding summer beer
There is always something a little extra special about a collaboration beer. The notion of two great breweries coming together to combine their powers for the goodness of all just warms the heart. In these extra warm days, when that collaboration beer fits perfectly into summer, it can be all the better. La Cumbre and…
Nexus Brewery expands to the West Side
Once breweries achieve some level of success, it seems the first thing they do is open another location. This was not the case for Ken Carson at Nexus. Even after the success of the food menu, national TV appearances, awards, and lines out the door, he was very cautious about his expansion plans. That patience…
The Week Ahead in Beer: One brewery (allegedly) closing does not mean the bubble has burst
Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s four breweries and one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos also joining the party. One of the weird trends I have encountered in my…
ABQ Beer Week Recaps: Beer Premier brings in sophisticated crowd
Friday night’s New Mexico Brewers Guild Beer Premier and Matanza was a unique event and it was my first time attending this festival. It turned out to be my favorite event of Beer Week. As is the case with any event, there were some bumps in the road, but overall it was fantastic. All the…
ABQ Beer Week 2016: That’s all, folks!
And so it ends. After 11 days, ABQ Beer Week 2016 comes to a close. The theme of the final day is kick back and relax, enjoy a final few tastings and pairings, and generally reflect on all the awesome that just transpired. A big thanks to the breweries, beer bars, and everyone else who…
ABQ Beer Week Recaps: Mother Road travels the Mother Road
Last summer, I stopped by Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff as they were just about to launch their product in New Mexico. I was already a fan of their Lost Highway Black IPA (8% ABV, 100 IBU), and was thrilled to find that I loved their seasonal Roadside Grove even more. Last summer’s experiment added…
ABQ Beer Week 2016: Aiming for a perfect Day Ten
The party isn’t over yet, so it’s time to gear up for one last Saturday full of events. There are two big fundraisers today, one at Tractor Wells Park and the other at Marble Westside. Throw in some more beer releases, special tappings, sampling events, and more, and you should stay plenty busy as we…