If your favorite brewery’s staff has a little extra kick in their step these days, it is probably because they all know that the final festival of the season is almost upon us. NM Brew Fest 6 is set for this Saturday at the State Fairgrounds from 1 to 6 p.m. (or 11:30 a.m. if…
Tag: Rio Grande/Sierra Blanca Brewing
The 2015 Balloon Fiesta tourist guide to NM craft breweries
It’s that time of year again, when lots of folks from outside Albuquerque and New Mexico descend upon the Duke City for the Balloon Fiesta. While a lot of us locals grumble about the increase in traffic, even we’re big softies for the Fiesta (assuming we wake up in time). Well, we are, our dogs…
Brace yourselves for a happy dose of serious Palate Fatigue
Hop harvest season is upon us, in case you have not noticed by all the pictures of brewers stuffing their noses in mounds of fresh-picked hops that are floating around social media these days. Of course, one could argue hop season is year-round in New Mexico, judging by IPA sales remaining steady even in the…
Mountain West Brew Fest knocks it out of the park
For all the concerns about preparation, organization, and everything else, the first edition of the Mountain West Brew Fest was a big hit over Labor Day Weekend. The four members of the Crew (myself, Brandon, Kristin, Laura) who attended on Saturday afternoon all had a blast. Just about every concern we had was laid to…
Mountain West Brew Fest: The beer lists of mystery abound!
The first Mountain West Brew Fest is almost upon us. It kicks off Saturday at noon and runs till 6, then repeats that schedule on Sunday in Bernalillo. If you have not bought your tickets yet, go here and get ’em. And remember, if you are unsure of a Premium Ticket, you can upgrade at…
Another happy Hopfest is in the books
Other than a brief period of wind that amounted to all sound and fury signifying nothing, we have to say that Saturday’s Hopfest was another excellent outing for newbies and craft beer veterans alike. A big thank you to Marne Gaston and her army of volunteers for keeping it all running smoothly, even when Mother…
The Crew’s annual Hopfest survival guide
The Albuquerque Hopfest returns this weekend, featuring 70 breweries and a whole lotta beers down at the Isleta Casino. Once again, the Crew will be in attendance, as we are veterans of this annual event. So we present our picks for what beers to try and all the other advice we can think of sharing….
Mountain West Brew Fest set to debut in a big way over Labor Day weekend
Festival season arrives on Aug. 29 with old favorite Hopfest back at Isleta Casino. While that event is one we know well, many have begun to ask the Crew about the next big one on the New Mexico calendar, the Mountain West Brew Fest. The event will replace the old Labor Day weekend wine festival…
Sierra Blanca set to make Moriarty a destination for craft beer fans
Moriarty is not known as much of a tourist attraction for people in Albuquerque and beyond. The last time any group probably flocked there were when baseball scouts showed up to watch Matt Moore pitch for the local high school (he is now in the Tampa Bay Rays rotation, for you non-seamheads out there). Of…
The VIPA Challenge shows it is going to be a battle for 2015 bragging rights
Well, that was fun! The Brew Crew was part of the 90-plus judges who took part in the inaugural VIPA Challenge on Sunday afternoon at the Sandia Casino. This preliminary round of the annual New Mexico IPA Challenge was designed to narrow what has become a crowded field of 25 IPAs down to the 14…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 