Ex Novo aims to help further downtown revitalization with huge new taproom

Unless you have boycotted social media entirely, and we would understand why, it was probably impossible to miss the big announcement Thursday that Ex Novo Brewing will be opening a new taproom downtown. This new spot will take over the former Firestone garage on the northwest corner of the intersection of Central and Seventh Street,…

Four New Mexico breweries claim medals at Great American Beer Festival

For a good long while, it appeared that 2022 would see New Mexico breweries bring home the fewest medals since Chama River was the lone medalist in 2010. As the category numbers dwindled down, three different breweries picked up medals to bring the state’s total to four. Rowley Farmhouse Ales took gold in the Belgian…

Balloon Fiesta celebrations land at multiple local breweries and taprooms

As any Albuquerque resident knows, the first week of October belongs to the Balloon Fiesta. The morning skyline is dotted with those familiar (and some not-so-familiar) floating shapes, balloon-themed merchandise dominates the shelves of every corner store and coffee shop in town, and the tourists, well, they are everywhere. Whether you choose to take part…

Launch party for Hoppy Grandma scholarship will maintain her legacy

One of the more heartwarming stories to come out of local social media in years was the Hoppy Grandma account on Instagram. It was run by Carmen McClelland, who featured the adventures of her grandmother, Carmen Duran, as the two hopped around the breweries of the Albuquerque metro area. Sadly, Duran died in November, but…