Red River Brewing Company & Distillery is a family-run brewpub and distillery on Main Street in Red River, New Mexico, a small ski town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains about 36 miles from Taos. It opened in 2018 as the town’s first brewery and distillery, and it still makes its beer, spirits and root beer in town at roughly 8,750 feet.
That elevation is part of the story. The brewery puts it right in its own tagline, and the Red River Ski & Summer Area’s base sits at about the same height, a short walk from Main Street. Come winter, this is a place where people step off the slopes and into a warm room with house-made beer, which is about as good a reason as any for a mountain-town brewery to exist.
A hometown brewery built by one family
Red River Brewing is owned by Michael and Sharon Calhoun. Michael, who runs the business as general manager, was born and raised in Red River, and the brewery says he had wanted to bring a brewery to his hometown since 2015. Sharon runs operations and the guest experience.
It was a family project from the ground up. A 2020 Amazon Business profile of the brewery reported that Michael’s parents donated the land and his brother designed the building. The design leans on local history: Red River began as a mining camp in 1895, drawn by gold, silver and copper, and the brewery describes its building as styled after an old mining town, with beer and dish names that nod to local legends. Today Gavin Whealy is listed as head brewer and distiller.
Recognition came quickly. In its first year, the New Mexico Restaurant Association named Red River Brewing its Brewery of the Year, according to that same profile.
What does Red River Brewing Company brew?
Red River Brewing Company brews a wide, rotating range of ales and lagers in small batches, served from 18 taps at the Main Street brewpub, plus a house-made root beer. A Discover Taos profile lists IPAs, red and blonde ales, witbier, pilsner, porter and stout among the styles, along with a kettle-soured beer called Contagion that rotates through different fruits. A kettle sour is a beer soured quickly in the brew kettle with lactic bacteria before it is boiled and fermented, which gives a clean, bright tartness.
The brewery is proud of its water. It brews with cold mountain water from the Red River and points out that, this high up the valley, it is not downstream from anyone.
Two beers made a name for the brewery early on:
- Campfire Cream Ale took first place at the 2018 Santa Fe Open Brewers Competition. A cream ale is a light, easygoing American ale, smooth and crisp, often brewed with a little corn.
- Bad Medicine, a honey double IPA, was the brewery’s first entry in the 2018 New Mexico IPA Challenge. It won its first round and finished fourth overall, as the NM Dark Side Brew Crew reported at the time. A double IPA is a stronger, more heavily hopped version of an India pale ale.
Tap lists in a small brewery change with the seasons, so check the brewery’s current menu or its Untappd listing for what is pouring this week. Beer also goes home in 32-ounce cans and 64-ounce growlers, and the root beer makes a good float for anyone in the group who is not drinking.
From one building to two: the distillery on East Main
For its first few years, beer and spirits were made under one roof. In 2023, helped by a $150,000 Local Economic Development Act grant, the company moved distilling into a renovated building at 619 E. Main Street, about half a mile east. The NM Dark Side Brew Crew reported that the new distillery brought roughly 20 times the spirits capacity, and that beer capacity about doubled once the brewery had its original space to itself. Kegs now travel statewide through a distributor.
The spirits have won their own following. The flagship is Silver King Vodka, named for the historic Silver King Mine near town, and the lineup includes rums, gin and an agave spirit called Cabresto Cañon. In September 2025, Red River Brewery & Distillery was voted Best Distillery in KRQE’s Best of the Land of Enchantment awards, Craft Spirits Magazine reported. Michael Calhoun told the magazine that altitude helps: at 8,750 feet alcohol boils at about 158 degrees Fahrenheit, so the wash is heated more gently, which he credits for a smoother spirit.
The distillery tasting room is open daily from 1 to 8 p.m., with distillery tours at 4:30 p.m. Brewery tours are by appointment.
Why a ski-town brewpub works
The 2020 profile put Red River at about 500 full-time residents and more than half a million visitors a year, and the brewpub reported days of over a thousand guests at peak times. Those visitors come for two seasons. Winter brings skiing and snowboarding a short walk from Main Street. Summer brings hiking, fishing, mountain biking, off-road driving and chairlift rides, and the town is a regular stop on the Enchanted Circle scenic loop.
A brewpub in a town like this has to work for everyone who walks in: a group fresh off the mountain, a family with kids, a couple on a road trip. Red River Brewing is set up for exactly that. The kitchen serves lunch and dinner every day, with a menu the brewery describes as New Mexico staples mixed with Texas traditions, including barbecue. There is a kids’ menu, well-behaved dogs are welcome on both patios, and on busy days you can join an online waitlist and get a text when your table is ready instead of crowding the door.
What visitors love about Red River Brewing
Read through what visitors say about the place and a few themes come up again and again. People love how roomy it is, with plenty of space for a big group after a day outside. They praise friendly, quick service, a staff that goes out of its way to help, and a flight of house beers for working through the tap list. The barbecue, especially the brisket, gets a lot of affection, and so does a bowl of green chile stew. When the weather cooperates, the patio and its mountain views win people over.
Planning a visit
- Brewery and restaurant: 217 W. Main St., Red River. Open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., per the brewery’s website.
- Distillery and tasting room: 619 E. Main St., daily 1 to 8 p.m.
- Reservations: not taken; use the online waitlist when it is busy.
- Parking: a lot behind the building off Bunker Hill Trail; large trucks and trailers may find it tight.
Hours shift around holidays, so confirm before a long drive. Mountain roads in winter call for patience, and a designated driver or a walk back to your lodging is the easy way to enjoy a flight.
Find Red River Brewing on the map
Whether you are heading up for opening week on the slopes or driving the Enchanted Circle on a fall afternoon, Red River Brewing Company & Distillery is an easy stop to plan around. You will find its address, hours and contact details on the Red River Brewery & Distillery page, and more places to eat and drink beside the brewhouse in our guide to New Mexico brewpubs. New Mexico Breweries maps them all, from the high mountains to the southern desert.
