WinterBrew 2026 brings 18 breweries and winter warmers to Santa Fe

WinterBrew 2026 arrives at just the right time for New Mexico beer lovers, filling a typically slow winter calendar with a four-hour tasting event at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. The New Mexico Brewers Guild’s long-running winter showcase pairs rarer taps and seasonal big beers with fundraising for the guild, and organizers expect roughly 1,000 attendees over the evening.

The 21+ event runs 5-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 at 1607 Paseo de Peralta. Ticket tiers include $45 VIP (entry at 5 p.m.), $35 general admission (entry at 6 p.m.), $25 late admission (entry at 7 p.m.), and $10 designated driver admission, plus fees; tickets are available at nmbeer.org/events-calendar. Entry of any tier comes with a 16-sample ticket, a full-pour ticket and a commemorative 2026 WinterBrew glass designed by Second Street Brewery’s Mariah Cameron Scee. Coat check will be available, and two ticket buyers who purchased by Jan. 9 will be entered in a raffle to win a necklace that allows them to skip lines at each brewery.

“We purposely have this event during one of the slowest quarters of the year because we’re not trying to compete with any of the events that the breweries might be putting on themselves,” Ebbie Edmonston, NMBG executive director, said. “So this is really just a way to get people to come out, maybe try beer from some breweries that you haven’t been to before. And yeah, it’s still winter. The holidays might be, quote unquote, ‘over,’ but there’s still reasons to get out and do stuff. So we’re just trying to kind of fill the slow calendar season with something to do.”

Organizers expanded the event footprint by moving food trucks to a heated outdoor patio, allowing the festival to grow from 16 to 18 breweries while keeping taps inside the market. “… We love the venue so much, but it just gets really congested. So we are trying to figure out a way to help ease that congestion. We figured by moving the food outside and offering a little bit more space, hopefully, people would kind of spread out,” Edmonston said.

Participating breweries include Bathtub Row Brewing Co-Op, Beer Creek Brewing Co., Brew Lab 101, Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., Canteen Brewhouse, Flock of Moons Brewing Co., La Cumbre Brewing Co., Nuckolls Brewing Co., Red River Brewing Co., Rio Bravo Brewing Co., Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Second Street Brewery, Steel Bender Brewyard, Thirsty Eye Brewing Co., Tractor Brewing Co., Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, and Turtle Mountain Brewing Co.

“So there’s always going to be like a winter warmer, porters and stouts and barley wines,” Edmonston said. Rare beers are tapped during the VIP hour at 5 p.m., so grab a VIP ticket if you want first access to limited pours.

The takeaway? Buy early, consider VIP if you want the rare stuff, bring a designated driver option if needed, and dress for a mix of heated patio and indoor tasting. WinterBrew is the perfect antidote to cabin fever, use it to explore breweries you haven’t visited and trade tasting notes with folks who know their stouts from their barrel-aged beauties. Our two cents? Pace the samples, save room for a full pour of something bold, and come ready to meet brewers who brought their best winter beers.