WinterBrew 2014: The best brews of the fest

Another WinterBrew is in the books, and once again it was a successful event at the Santa Fe Farmers Market on Friday. The Brewers Guild sold out of tickets well in advance, and other than a few people accidentally dropping their sample glasses, it was a great crowd. While I personally missed that pizza joint…

WinterBrew 2014: Big beers set to rule the day in Santa Fe

There will be 16 breweries serving up their finest at WinterBrew on Friday at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. The event kicks off at 4 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m., and if you have not purchased ticket(s) yet, you are out of luck, because they announced way back on Tuesday that it was sold…

T-minus one week till WinterBrew

It has to be said: It does not feel like winter out there. Hopefully that does not end up jinxing us all to a week of wind, snow, and ice, but this has been one mild winter. Nonetheless, in keeping with the spirit of what should be the season, the New Mexico Brewers Guild will…

New breweries begin to materialize across ABQ

The great Albuquerque brewery boom seemed to sputter out in 2012 and 2013, as only Bosque Brewing opened in the former year and no new breweries appeared in the city limits in the latter year. In fact, only three breweries — Little Toad Creek near Silver City, Kaktus Brewing in Bernalillo, and Duel Brewing in…

Membership has its benefits at New Mexico breweries

It was around this time last year when a fan of the Brew Crew told us that we should write up a post about all the brewery memberships/mug clubs around town. To us that sounded like a great idea and then, well, something happened. We got busy and 2012 sprinted to such a sudden end…

Stout (Day) philosophy: What makes a great dark beer

Howdy, all. It’s Stoutmeister. My personal holiday that I totally came up with is upon us. Yes, Friday is International Stout Day. Wait, you mean I don’t get credit for that? Oh. Well, can I get a free pint of stout? Please? Pretty please? Anyway, it really is International Stout Day, so get on out…

Beer Battle: The greatest pumpkin ale of them all is …

Way back in the spring the Brew Crew staged a mini-beer battle between the four varieties of Irish Red that were on tap around town. Here in the fall, pumpkin beers have become the predominant seasonal of the moment, even rising above Oktoberfest-style beers. A few years back I, Stoutmeister, wanted nothing to do with…

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…