There are quite a few Oktoberfest celebrations coming up this season in New Mexico, so we decided to round ’em all up to help you best plan out your weekends for the rest of this month and part of October. From Red River to Ruidoso, from Carlsbad to Angel Fire, and of course Albuquerque and…
Tag: Downshift Brewing
Santa Fe Beer & Food Festival offers up wide variety of tasty brews
We mentioned in The Week Ahead in Beer that this Saturday and Sunday is the Santa Fe Beer & Food Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Now, as we tend to do any time there is a festival, we went ahead and got as many of the beer lists as we could for the…
Boxing Bear edges Downshift in closest IPA Challenge vote in many years
Back before the final round of the 2025 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge, the Crew got all sentimental because it was going to be held at Canteen, the site of the first NMIPAC that we attended as a Crew back in 2012. Well, lo and behold, it was actually the 2016 NMIPAC that was…
Playing the waiting game or a preview of what stories are on deck for summer
Last week was quiet. Like, ridiculously quiet, as far as beer stories go. We have entered into a bit of a news lull, it appears, as breweries prep for the summer rush that they know/hope is coming. Everyone could use a great a summer, and most that we have spoken to recently are optimistic after…
Downshift doubles down for Ruidoso with Collective Good and Oktoberfest
Every town, particularly those affected by natural disasters, needs a champion or two. Ruidoso has an entire brewery dedicated to its recovery after wildfires and subsequent flooding hammered the town over the course of this summer. Downshift Brewing is far from done, however, as that process continues for their surrounding community. We caught up with…
Statewide Oktoberfest Guide: Every event celebrating the best season
There are a baker’s dozen Oktoberfest celebrations still to go this season in New Mexico, so we decided to round ’em all up to help you best plan out your weekends for the rest of this month and much of October. From Red River to Ruidoso, from Carlsbad to Bernalillo, from Rio Rancho to Moriarty,…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Downshift determined to revive Ruidoso
The good folks at Downshift Brewing, and everyone else down in Ruidoso, have been through the summer of hell, to put it mildly. No sooner had they started to recover from the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, which combined to destroy 1,500 structures in town, but then came the monsoon rains and flash floods…
Great New Mexico Beer Festival returns with 22 breweries in attendance
While some of us are on vacation, those still in Albuquerque and parts beyond can converge upon Balloon Fiesta Park for the Great New Mexico Beer Festival this Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. This outdoor fest was previously held in 2022. This time around there will be 22 breweries in attendance, most notably including…
Downshift Brewing shifts into expansion mode in its home base of Ruidoso
Downshift Brewing was born out of an idea to downshift in life, to change the perspective and lifestyle of its owners from big-city chaos to small-town tranquility. Sometimes, though, an opportunity presents itself that cannot be missed, and a little brewing operation suddenly ended up getting bigger overnight. To learn more about this sudden growth…
Beer Notes: Downshift expands again, Flock of Moons inches closer to opening
It’s been a minute or two since we emptied the notebook, so let’s get right to it. Downshift Brewing sent us a press release last week about opening a third offsite location. Currently, the brewery has its main location in Ruidoso, a beer garden north of town in Alto, and the Outpost 1706 taproom in…