Juno Brewery — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Juno Brewery — Albuquerque, NM Chapter I: The Panini Prophecies - Sandwiches, Sentience & the Accidental Tango

We didn’t plan to stay long — but the air was thick with yeast and destiny.

Jason, the quiet architect behind this fermenting oasis, greeted us like a gentle cult leader. Diana, our bartender, radiated calm precision — a spirit guide with a pour spout. And the beer? That’s where the story split in two.

I started with the Juicebox Hazy IPA — bright, tropical, like a mist off a citrus waterfall. Then shifted into the New Hope IPA, a sharper profile that may or may not be a Jedi reference. Either way, it brought clarity.

Ryan, drummer of Vision Video and post-panini prophet, chose the Little Italy Panini and declared it, “Great. Great. Fantastic.” He tipped $10 on a $10 sandwich. Respect.

Then came the Bikini Panini. Its sweetness hit first — honey and warmth. A welcoming committee. Then spice — brief, rising like a wave that never quite broke. And finally, smoke. Deep, earth-rooted smoke that tied it all together: sweet, spice, sky, air, water. Amen, said Ryan.

What he didn’t know was… I added Tabasco.

This revelation broke him. A ripple passed through the table. We did not recover.

But the evening wasn’t finished. Somewhere in the back, past the fermentation tanks and beyond the bounds of reasonable expectation, a free Argentine Tango class was in full floral bloom. It looked like a scene break in a Lynch film, all swing skirts and nervous hesitations. Nobody danced yet, but the moment before movement buzzed in the air like a live wire.

Juno Brewery isn’t just a brewery. It’s an event horizon disguised as a taproom. A low-key fermenting spell where sandwich flavor arcs loop into philosophical debates about AI rights and robots’ lack of ketchup.

The brew daddy himself — Justin — appeared like a side character from a beer mythology, humble and powerful. We didn’t talk long. We...

As anyone who's been to Albuquerque in the past couple years knows, this city has got one of the best craft beer scenes in the country. It seems there is a brewery on every corner these days, and you'll hear no complaints from me.

I was skeptical about Dialogue. It's trendy. I mean really hip. I'm not a huge fan of walking into an Apple commercial, with beer. BUT!!! I'll be honest, this place has some of the best beer in town. Seriously. And the service has been great. Also, they have happy hour.

If you are still on the wicked-hoppy IPA train, this isn't the place for you. They do have one solid Belgian Citrus IPA, though, and at 7.2% ABV, it's no joke.

One the other hand, if you are tired of getting wasted on one beer, having a headache from all the hops, or are just looking for some creative, delicious brews, come to Dialogue. I loved their Session Stout, which has been replaced by the Oatmeal Stout. Equally smooth. The Dark Helmet Schwarzbier should be tried, if not for it's name alone. One half of their selection is made up entirely of sour beers. There's wine and guest beer available.

Dialogue is only a few blocks from Marble downtown. The space is clean and bright, with a great outdoor area, quickly becoming famous for it's huge steel sculptures. Dogs are welcome. A food truck is usually on the side street.

This place is great. Check them out. And bring home a crowler. You won't be...

I have a hard time rating this place. Having lived in 'frisco (deal w/ it), the area that the brewery is in reminded me of SOMA, so that was cool. The girlfriend on the other hand was a little spooked by how dark and isolated the place is late at night. We saw Alex Maryol playing acoustic blues, and he was fantastic. The outdoor sculpture patio was cool, and the staff was quick to fetch us a delicious beer.

The number one problem here is the crowd that goes there, and from the looks of things there is no way of fixing that. We felt very uncomfortable and finally left. Someone described the scene as hipster, but it is far worse than that. It looked like college students and university professors, all of whom were white, uber monied, constantly talking and not even listening to the music....in other words, obnoxious, self important, pretentious creeps, and trust me, I am being kind. No diversity whatsoever, w/ one token black guy there. My gal was the only Spanish person in the place! Hello, this is New Mexico! And this was for blues nite???? Well, if you like that sort of scene you will be in heaven. I will never go again though. It is chock a block full of the types we studiously...