On the recommendation of Stoutmeister, who managed to grab a taste of this one before me, I was struck with love at first pint by the glory of Boxing Bear’s Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout. We begin with a roasted, sweet aroma, and a hint of hops. A mighty roar smashes mid-palate with toasty malty goodness,…
The Week Ahead in Beer: A big blast of barleywine at Blue Corn
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 a pair of newcomers, one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos, also joining the party. Winter showed up again Tuesday, reminding…
Another craft beer find — “Way up North” edition
The Brew Crew recently received word that there is Yet Another New Brewery out there. We take for granted that there will be a new one every week in Albuquerque (and are very happy about it), but this one is about a stone’s throw from being in the middle of nowhere. If you’re going to Ojo Caliente’s…
Quarter Celtic shines at their soft opening
All of us in the Crew get some variation of the question, “Why do all of this without getting paid?” on a pretty frequent basis. Well, mostly it is because we just love craft beer and supporting our local scene. But, let’s face it, there are certain fringe benefits. One of these was the fact…
Bow & Arrow hits the mark with their initial beer lineup
While I was away in Arizona, Bow & Arrow Brewing threw open their doors and welcomed the thirsty masses up here in Albuquerque. They became the fourth new brewery to open since the start of 2016, joining an increasingly crowded scene. Once I got caught up on everything (mostly sleep), I trekked over to Bow…
How to run a better fest courtesy of our neighbors in Arizona
After returning from my weekend beer sojourn to Phoenix, I struggled to come up with some sort of follow-up post. Some sort of review involving a slew of beers that cannot be acquired in New Mexico seemed pointless, so I almost let the memories of the Arizona Strong Beer Festival fade away. Then it occurred…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Ponderosa throws a party for their new brewer
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 a pair of newcomers, one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos, also joining the party. Bob Hagerty took over the head…
Pi Brewing expands their circle of influence
As part of our annual Look Back/Look Ahead series, I chatted with owners Greg and Nicole Villareal of Pi Brewing/Nicky V’s restaurant on Coors north of Paseo (Nicole = Nicky V) to find out what’s happening with the brewing side of their business. In 2015, they restructured and opened up their back room for music….
Bathtub Row set to host the first Stout Invitational
Greetings, beer lovers! Things are afoot at Bathtub Row Brewing in Los Alamos. First and foremost, the ‘Tub is hosting a Stout Invitational event on February 20. Sure, it’s starting to feel a bit spring-ish out there, but it is still technically winter, and it’s a fine time to be enjoying some black beers. Here’s…
Second Street broadened their base a bit in 2015, but there’s big expansion on the horizon for 2016
It’s no secret that Second Street is the second largest production brewery in Santa Fe. And, certainly, they’ve made quite a name for themselves on the local scene with their great food, great service, great music, and ‘always great beer, never a cover,’ to borrow a phrase. They have two locations that are well-known to…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 