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…

LagerHosen brings 25 breweries together to celebrate the style

We love lagers among all of us in the Crew, so you could imagine our excitement when we were tipped off early about the LagerHosen Festival at Ex Novo Brewing in Corrales. After biting our tongues for a couple weeks, the brewery announced it, and shortly thereafter, tickets went on sale online. They lasted a…

New Mexico breweries claim 5 awards at the 2022 World Beer Cup competition

A total of 10,542 beers were entered in 103 categories at the 2022 World Beer Cup, and five New Mexico breweries were able to bring home five awards out of that huge field on Thursday. Ponderosa Brewing (gold), Nexus Brewery (silver), Ex Novo Brewing (silver), Marble Brewery (bronze), and Second Street Brewery (silver) were the…

Steel Bender and NMDSBC team up to create Spring of Deception Maibock

After six years, the Dark Side Brew Crew and Steel Bender have finally collaborated on a seasonal beer. We woke up way too early (for me, anyway) Tuesday morning on a proper German weather day and trekked over to Los Ranchos to team up with director of brewing operations Bob Haggerty on creating the lightest…

The Week Ahead in Beer: New canned releases surge in grand January finale

There are quite a few canned releases to close out this month, which is just fine since our beer fridges haven’t been overflowing at all lately. (Insert sarcastic and/or maniacal laughter here.) The hop-forward beers are surprisingly the dominant style being released in package this week, but in New Mexico, it’s always hoppy season. There…

The Week Ahead In Beer: Did Somebody Say Imperial?

Just a few lovely imperial stouts and barleywines this week to keep us all warm and jolly through the rest of December. Second Street is turning 25(!) this week, so raise a glass or two of Skookum to that! There are a few more holiday markets this weekend, as well, so check those out in…