Hopfest in Review: A proper farewell to festival season

There was a bittersweet feeling as the Crew left Hopfest on Saturday afternoon. It stemmed not from any disappoint in the event — it was quite the opposite, in fact — but instead it came with the realization that beer festival season in 2013 was coming to a close. Even though the year itself is…

To properly tackle Hopfest everyone needs a battle plan

Hopfest is big. There are 62 breweries serving up samples for thousands of beer lovers. In other words, it is not the place to just walk into and wander about. Nope, you need a plan, a battle plan. Luckily, the Dark Side Brew Crew is here to provide one. It’s what we do. In terms…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Preparing for Hopfest

Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and tap rooms in New Mexico. Hopfest will be taking over…

The Week Ahead in Beer: The classics are back!

Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and tap rooms in New Mexico. A lot of old favorites…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Fall is here!

Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and tap rooms in New Mexico. Fall has arrived in the…

NM Brew Fest in review: Beaten up by barley wines

The remnants of Stoutmeister and Brandon greet you all on this weekday after an enjoyable weekend at the fourth annual New Mexico Brew Fest. Sure, we ended up a little sunburned and a little hungover, but that’s what outdoor beer festivals are all about, right? With our friends Dan, Jessica, and Adam in tow, we…

The Balloon Fiesta tourist’s guide to beer in Albuquerque

It’s that time of year again, when lots of folks from outside Albuquerque and New Mexico descend upon the Duke City for the Balloon Fiesta. While a lot of us locals grumble about the increase in traffic, even we’re big softies for the Fiesta (assuming we wake up in time). Well, we are, our dogs…

Feeling festive about the lineup at Brew Fest

Beer festival season hits its highpoint in October both in New Mexico and nearby, starting with the fourth annual New Mexico Brew Fest this Saturday at the Villa Hispana on the state fairgrounds. With Valhalla (aka The Great American Beer Festival) and then Hopfest later in the month, beer drinkers will be kept awfully busy…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Back in the Saddle

Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and tap rooms in New Mexico. For those of you keeping…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Last-minute scramble

Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is Stoutmeister back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and tap rooms in New Mexico. E-Rock is about one week…