Stoumeister here, on the eve of a big event for the Dark Side Brew Crew. Saturday will mark the world debut of Cryptogrind’s homemade ESB. The Crew will gather at his house for food and the first tasting of his first beer. I will let him take you through the plans below, but let it be said that all of us are looking forward to this experience.

As usual, it will be a busy weekend, but we will endeavor to hit up some of our favorite breweries in addition to Saturday’s festivities.

Cryptogrind: This is already shaping up to be a most excellent weekend (already procured tickets for KISS and Motley Crue, an excellent way to start).  Saturday will bring a much anticipated tasting and BBQ shindig with the NMDSBC, where we shall finally get to try out my first homebrewed batch of frosty goodness.  Hopefully my good friend Derek will also show up with some samples of his new chocolate stout as well!  Sunday will bring some much needed biking time, and a trip to La Cumbre to taste these excellent new beers that others in the Crew have already enjoyed.

Stoutmeister: I already stopped by La Cumbre with Shilling and the Professor Emeritus (see previous entry), but Tractor’s Mustachio Milk Stout has been calling my name again, so if I have the time and energy after covering high school and college baseball tonight, I will head back there. Beyond that, I have more baseball to cover during the day Saturday and Sunday (UNM-TCU, it’s a huge series for the Mountain West title; come on out to Isotopes Park to enjoy it — 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday). I definitely plan to be at Cryptogrind’s house after Saturday’s game ends. As for Sunday, if any other Crew members feel like a trek out to Rio Rancho to try some of Turtle Mountain’s new beers, I am game after the game.

E-Rock: With music and school taking a large amount of my time these days, I still haven’t had a chance to check out the much celebrated Mustachio Milk Stout at Tractor.  I plan on rectifying this situation with my free time on Friday night and join in on the beer tasting of Cryptogrind’s first batch on Saturday with the rest of the Crew.

Shilling: Well, of course I’ll be with the Crew grilling and tasting Crypto’s hard work in a 12-ounce bottle. I also have two bombers sitting in the fridge that have been calling my name. On top of all that, I’ll be working on typing up our interview with the dudes at Broken Bottle from last week.

Franz Solo: Unfortunately, that darn illness is keeping one of our valued Crew members on the disabled list. We have our fingers crossed that he will be well again soon.

Enjoy your weekend, ABQ! Just remember to enjoy all the fine brews as responsibly as possible.

Cheers!

— The Crew