Back before he left Thirsty Eye, head brewer John Kofonow told us that his final days would be spent working with other breweries on some new collaborations for all to enjoy. Well, two of those collabs dropped this week, and with a three-day weekend ahead, there is no time like the present to check them…
Tag: Ponderosa Brewing
Sidetrack rides to the top at the first New Mexico Craft Beer Awards
This past Friday, after the annual New Mexico Brewers Guild Technical Conference wrapped up at CNM, the attendees trekked over to nearby Flock of Moons for a special ceremony. For the first time, the Guild organized the New Mexico Craft Beer Awards, giving the local professionals and other certified judges a chance to vote and…
First round of 2025 NM IPA Challenge features a crowd at the top
Back during the preliminary round of the 2025 New Mexico IPA Challenge, a few brewers told the Crew that it would be awfully hard for any of the quality ales featured to break away from the pack. The first round of public voting Saturday proved that prediction right, as three breweries tied with 12 votes…
Trio of New Mexico breweries combine for 6 medals at western beer competition
It was a bountiful day for three local breweries at the North American Beer Awards last weekend. Yeah, we probably should have written about this a lot sooner, but with age comes forgetfulness. Anyway, thanks to those who sent reminders and were patient. Without further ado, here are the six medals, two apiece, won by…
ABQ Beer Week returns with an even more local vibe than in years past
It is almost the end of May, believe it or not, and that means we have reached the annual stretch where ABQ Beer Week returns to celebrate all things craft in Albuquerque. This year’s version is scaled back from the pre-pandemic era Beer Weeks, and rather uniquely features a local brewery at every event. No…
Award-winning Ponderosa brewer leaves to take over CNM program
Another notable local brewer is on the move these days. He will not be going far, however, and this move could very well prove beneficial to the entire local industry and its future. Antonio Fernandez, fresh off winning back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for his Italian Pilsner,…
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…
Ponderosa Brewing posts banner year even amid all the challenges of 2021
Ponderosa head brewer Antonio Fernandez is not the kind of person who looks at a pint glass as half empty. Even in a year where things felt like they were far emptier than just halfway, he and the team at the Sawmill District brewpub managed to remain upbeat and cautiously optimistic for 2022. After having…
This guide to brewery Halloween happenings filled up awfully fast
Anytime Halloween falls on a weekend, and the world is not in full COVID restrictions mode, one can expect breweries to jump on board with a whole slew of parties, costume contests, and more. Well, Halloween is this Sunday, so the weekend is as chock-full as one would expect. Here is just about every Halloween-themed…
Beer Premier brews feature classic styles, modern twists and wild experiments
As we noted back on Monday in our jumbo preview of New Mexico Brewers Guild events, the Beer Premier is back with 21 breweries debuting 20 brand-new, never-before-brewed beers. This year’s event will be held at Nexus Blue Smokehouse on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., and tickets are still available online. While there is…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 