JUNE 17 STARTED like any other Monday for Ruidoso residents Shelby and Eddie Gutierrez. Shelby took their two daughters to day care, then headed to the couple’s Downshift Brewing Co. Riverside taproom. Eddie was just down the street at Downshift’s brewery and Hidden Tap brew pub. Then, at 9:07 a.m., the South Fork Fire started, followed by the Salt Fire at 2 p.m.

“We shut down Riverside once it became clear the fires were growing,” Shelby recalls. She took their daughters and a 94-year-old Riverside regular to their house, where other locals, including the couple’s Sysco food distributor, had already gathered. “His house had just burned down,” Shelby says. “That’s when I felt like it was going to be really bad.”

When the village evacuation order came at 7 p.m., Shelby and the girls drove to a customer’s home in Roswell, while Eddie stayed behind with their Downshift business partner, James Rupley, to help however they could. “We checked on houses, fed cats, and did whatever else was needed,” Eddie recalls. “After rain dampened the fires, we became part of the team to support all the humans here.”

Owners Eddie and Shelby Gutierrez. Photograph courtesy of Downshift Brewing Co.

Eddie and Shelby both grew up in Ruidoso. They moved back in 2021 after a decade in Houston, where both had fast-paced careers. The idea to downshift took hold after their first child was born, in April 2020. “Having a child changed our perspective on life and what we wanted, which was to start a business,” Shelby explains. They opened the Hidden Tap brew pub and installed a brewery. In 2023, they purchased the former Sacred Grounds coffeehouse—the original and much smaller location was their high school hangout—and, after a monthlong renovation, opened it as Riverside.   

The seven-barrel brewery has one full-time employee—Eddie—and two part-timers. “We have 12 mainstays and will brew about 40 brands this year,” Eddie explains. “The rest are either released seasonally or as time permits.” Riverside also features craft coffee and a full menu, while Hidden Tap focuses on gourmet pizzas and pub grub. Both locations host open mic nights, live music, and special events like a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Riverside. 

The Riverside menu includes a grain bowl with veggies and Green Goddess dressing. Photograph courtesy of Downshift Brewing Co.

The Gutierrezes were anticipating a banner season when the fires and floods came. But Riverside, which never lost power or internet service, became a hub for the community and first responders. The couple raised thousands of dollars for the Community Foundation of Lincoln County Shelter Fund, shared the recipe for their Collective Good beer with other brewers under the stipulation that proceeds be donated to the shelter fund, and started a social media campaign to push the message that “Ruidoso is still here.” That effort culminated in the third annual Ruidoso Oktoberfest, held September 28 at Riverside.

Both concede it will be years before the town fully comes back. “Ruidoso may not be exactly the same, but it’s still a fabulous place to go and a fabulous place to live,” Shelby says. “Don’t write us off.”

Read more: In Ruidoso and on Mescalero Apache land, a new menu of recreational options entices adventurous visitors year-round.

DOWNSHIFT BREWING CO.

Hidden Tap, 2408 B. Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso, 575-257-5300; Riverside, 2704 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso, 575-257-2273.