Well, not really free as in you don’t have to pay for them, but two new variations on the popular Scottish genre were on the loose on Sunday.

Two Fools had a peat-smoked version of Il Vicino’s excellent Sasquatch Scotch on tap for the nice, low price of $3.75, while Nexus unleashed the burly Beam Me Up Scottish Ale, an imperial version (11-percent ABV) of their regular wee heavy. As someone of Scottish descent, I can say both were truly worthy of my crazy, kilt-wearing kinsmen. The IV version was what I would imagine if the super-peat-smoked Scottish at Broken Bottle were to mix with the regular Sasquatch. It offered up a nice balance between the smoked flavor and the standard sweetness that comes with most Scottish ales. It starts strong, but eventually smooths out and becomes a solid, easy-drinking beer. Hopefully Il Vicino adds it to their rotation of specialty beers at the Canteen.

E-Rock also enjoyed a pint at Two Fools and had this to say: “The smoked flavor is what really struck me about this beer. It had great flavor and was a little dry yet still very drinkable.”

As for the Beam Me Up, since I was the guy with the car keys I could only take a quick sip. It struck me as sweet, but with an obvious punch of strong alcohol. E-Rock and the Professor Emeritus both enjoyed their 12-ounce pours, and I will let E-Rock go further into describing this powerful elixir.

“I could definitely taste the high alcohol content of Beam Me Up Scottish, but it wasn’t overpowering. It was sweet and smooth. It would make for a great dessert beer following a hardy meal from Nexus’ kitchen.” (The Professor, a man of few words but a great appetite for beer, also referred to this as a “dessert beer.” Great minds think alike.)

By the time we made it to Nexus the one-year anniversary BBQ had ended, but there was still live music on the patio and a good-sized crowd in the post-eclipse hour. It looks like another local brewery is going strong and should have plenty more anniversaries to come.

E-Rock will check in later today with his full weekly listing of new beers and events at all our local breweries as most of the ABQ Beer Week events will be taking place at other locations besides the breweries themselves.

Until then, enjoy yourselves out there!

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Monday’s Beer Week events

• Like beer? Like cheese, too? Then you are in luck as Marble brings back its beer & cheese pairings from 4 to 7 p.m. at the brewery downtown. The cost is $15 and get your reservations in quickly as this was one of the most heavily attended events last year.
• Local legend Ben Miller, who won the Sam Adams longshot competition a few years back, will unveil his new Belgian Dark Strong at ABQ Brew Pub in uptown. The beer will go on tap at noon, while Miller himself will stop by to talk to the masses around 5 p.m.
• Two Fools will tap the Widmer Brothers’ Brrrrbon ’11, a 9.4-percent ABV beast, at 5 p.m. If you love bourbon barrel aged beers, drop by to check this one out.
• O’Niell’s Nob Hill will play host to the first of its tasting events, this one brought to us by the good folks from Colorado’s Odell Brewing, from 5 to 7 p.m. The lineup is 90 Shilling Ale, Myrcenary Double IPA, St. Lupilin Extra Pale Ale, Cutthroat Porter and 5 Barrel Pale Ale.