Some people will insist that Santa Fe and Taos put the state of New Mexico on the map, especially with a heady brew of chic art galleries, upscale resorts, ambitious restaurants at high and moderate price points, spas, and skiing. For years, Southern New Mexico would be widely associated with Roswell and the other-worldly happenings taking place there—real and imagined. In the past decade, however, businesses have teamed up to tap into Ruidoso’s American West history, ski slopes, outdoor adventure potential, and emerging fine arts scene to change perceptions of what this region has to offer.
While this was going on, several craft brewers opened up shop and gained attention throughout New Mexico and beyond with their own heady, flavorful craft ales, IPAs, pilsners, ambers, stouts, and seasonal creations that have been winning over die-hard beer enthusiasts, foodies, and other thirsty souls. There’s a climate of camaraderie in Ruidoso among the brewers and local restaurants, and they are working hard and collaboratively to blaze a trail in creating a bar and restaurant scene with potential to gain as much notoriety as those in Santa Fe and other northern towns. The ultimate goal appears to be to transform Ruidoso as “the best place you’ve never heard of” to the must-visit place travelers—especially beer enthusiasts, outdoorsy folks, and history buffs-- need to visit.
Eddie Gutierrez and Shelby Rist Gutierrez are two of the people working to give Ruidoso's hospitality scene a name thanks to the two establishments they've opened under the Downshift Brewing Company umbrella—The Hidden Tap and Riverside.
However, before discussing the success of the restaurants, the story behind the namesake beer portfolio needs to be told. It is a “hometown kids make good” story at its core with simple beginnings. Eddie and Shelby were friends in high school in Ruidoso, attended different universities in New Mexico, and ultimately began dating when they realized they had shared values and interests.
Once the couple married, they made the move to Houston. Eddie began working in the oil and gas industry, and Shelby pursued a career in real estate. However, after a few years of designing drill bits, Eddie decided to pursue his passion in brewing and joined the crew at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Texas’ oldest and largest brewery. His engineering background and love for the art of brewing allowed him to ascend from brewer to lead shift brewer, to brewhouse manager, to R&D manager, to Head Brewer and Production Manager over the course of eight years. And then, with a growing family, the couple decided it was time to go home—to Ruidoso—and put down a new set of roots personally and professionally.
“We realized that it became time to start our own brewery after experiencing the in’s and out’s and struggles and challenges involved in running a successful brewery,” explains Eddie. “With everything we learned, we knew that we wanted to be a part of a community that we cared about and live our lives in a place we loved. Therefore, we made the decision to move back to the beautiful mountains of New Mexico. In making the decision to move back to a small town vastly different from Houston, the concept and the name ‘Downshift Brewing Company’ was born.”
“We ‘downshifted’ by changing our perspective on what is important in life, deciding to focus on the beauty and brevity of life and celebrate the elements that make it great,” adds Shelby. “We also wanted this to be the pillar that Downshift Brewing Company was built on.”
A craft beer dive bar struggling because of the COVID situation presented the couple with an opportunity to not only set up a craft brewery, but also establish a presence in the community. While the first location regained its status as a popular gathering spot, albeit with Downshift’s personal spin, the space of another once-popular business became available early in 2023. The Gutierrez’s realized they were living a real-life example of “if you build it, they will come,” only more so as others in the community took part in the project.
“This building held a special place in our hearts, as the business within was a local institution (Sacred Grounds Coffee and Tea House) when we were in high school,” says Shelby. “Having just turned around our first location, we felt we were prepared to take on this new, much larger project. However, it took the help of all our existing employees, the employees of the business we just acquired, as well as many of our biggest supporters to get the new spot turned around and up and running.
As the two locations are approximately one quarter mile apart, there was initial concern about one location cannibalizing the other. However, by intentionally developing each locale as a different experience, customers can pick the location that strikes their fancy at any given time. The Hidden Tap is located in a basement at a location where their beers are brewed and has an “upscale dive bar feel to it” that has prompted regulars to call it the “Cheers” of Ruidoso.
On the other hand, Riverside is a big, bright, and festive spot with sprawling patios along the river, a live music room, and comfortable spaces for events and larger parties.
“Ultimately, guests make or break a business,” says Eddie. “We strive to find a balance between what we are working to create, what is true to Downshift, and what our local customers and tourists enjoy. Luckily, area residents have been truly welcoming and up to trying whatever we put out there, from new beers, to seasonal cocktails, to Chef's Special pizzas. It’s a testament to the community spirit of this village that our locals are interested in trying the newest thing we’re up to.”
While comfort food dominates the menu, the Gutierrez’s and the kitchens put their own spin on everything, especially with New Mexico-specific ingredients, seasonings, and local produce within reach. The rotating “Chef's Special” pizzas, have include Prosciutto/Shaved Asparagus/Red Onion/White Sauce/Lemon Zest pizza and Luau with House Smoked Pulled Pork/Chipotle BBQ Sauce/Pineapple/Red Onion/Bell pepper pizza.
“Our backgrounds, as well as that of our chef, afford us a unique perspective on beer, cocktails, and our menu, as well as the goals we have for all three of those areas in terms of the future of Downshift,” details Eddie. “Sampling so many flavor profiles and food/beverage experiences plays into everything we do. We try to reflect that in our menus and specials. Take our poutine, for example. One can have it the traditional (Canadian) way or put a New Mexico spin on it with hatch or green chilis and bacon. Easy Does It, our Czech Style Dark Lager, is inspired by U Fleku, which we tried when visiting the Czech Republic on our honeymoon.”
Judging by the fact that the owners and their staff are having as much fun as their customers, the Downshift mission—creating environments Eddie and Shelby themselves would enjoy—is not only being accomplished but also adding color and dimension to Ruidoso and its adjoining communities as a whole.
“We’re neighbors, our children go to school together, we grew up with the kids of our fellow business owners, we’ve known many of these people our entire lives, as well as had the pleasure of getting to know some of those people who’ve moved to Ruidoso in the time we spent away,” says Shelby of the collaborative hometown spirit everybody seems to be benefiting from. “We support one another because we are all small businesses. We’re in it together, and it’s in all of our best interests to have a thriving local economy with interesting, diverse, and vibrant small businesses. We make it a point to regularly—even with the combined responsibilities of owning a business and raising two small children—visit other businesses around town to support them as they do us.”
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