Happy Friday, everyone! Stoutmeister here with a roundup of all the recent beer news and notes, plus a preview of this big “it-should-be-a-national-holiday” weekend. Yeah, it’s Super Bowl time, and at least this year there are two teams involved that not everyone in the Crew utterly despises. I’m rooting for the Seahawks, personally, but that’s…
Tag: Il Vicino Brewery Canteen
2014 promises to be a beer-y good year
A new year has dawned, so in the spirit of being lazy and not moving out of this here recliner, I decided a dreaded list story was in order. And no, this is not because this here Stoutmeister is still hungover from Franz Solo’s New Year’s Eve party. While I did drink some great beer…
Il Vicino holds a steady course as 20th anniversary looms
Welcome to our ninth entry in the Look Back/Look Ahead Series for 2013-14. This series is designed to give a recap, from the breweries themselves, of 2013 while also previewing all that is to come in 2014. We have already visited La Cumbre, Bosque, Kaktus, Marble, Sandia Chile Grill, Broken Bottle, Tractor, and Nexus, so…
A rather early preview of a beer-filled weekend
Stoutmeister here, back after stops today at Santa Fe Brewing and Nexus. For the former Porter Pounder and I were there to try the Biscochito Stout as part of the 12 Beers of Christmas (not bad, but a little too many holiday spices at the front, needs more balance) and for the latter I was…
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 Notes: A festival for Cruces, Dead pints, Hopfest winners
Happy Friday everyone. Stoutmeister here with a grab-bag of beer news and notes. I would ask if you all had a fun Halloween, but it seemed strangely quiet out there. Save for a show at Sister Bar and the kids trick-or-treating, putting the great holiday on a Thursday meant a lot of folks put it…
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…
New Mexico breweries rock out to some heavy medal
All of us at the Dark Side Brew Crew and most of the craft beer drinkers we know are all aware that New Mexico has some great breweries. The breweries proved that belief, and then some, by pulling in a single-year-record eight medals at the Great American Beer Festival on Saturday morning. Dating back to…
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…
