Greetings beer lovers! My name is E-Rock, and I’m here this Monday, as I am every Monday, to tell you what seasonal beers, musical acts, and other assorted events can be found this week at breweries in and around The Duke City.

The big news this week is that Broken Bottle and Turtle Mountain Breweries will be represented in the Beer Garden at the Westside Summerfest at Cottonwood Mall this coming Saturday, Aug. 18. In other news, ABQ Brew Pub is bringing back Rick’s Scottish Ale, Broken Bottle is tapping their first Black IPA, Chama River is serving up Liquid Schwartz, the Il Vicino Canteen has a new Saison, Marble is bringing back the Abbey Darkness, and Turtle Mountain is releasing a new Cherry Wheat on Tuesday.

That is just a taste of what is going on in and around the Duke City. Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of August 13.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number (all are area code 505, for out-of-state readers) and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week. And for those breweries that play host to musicians, I made sure to list who’s on the week’s set list.

ABQ Brew Pub — 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Rick’s Scottish Ale, Ben Miller’s Pomegranate Wheat. The Scottish Ale is back on tap at ABP (we’re guessing Stoutmeister will be all over it this week, though hopefully he’ll leave the kilt and bagpipes at home). Ben Miller’s newest creation is an exotic mixture of cranberry, pomegranate, and prickly pear.

Back Alley Draft House — 766-6973 (NYPD)

(Hours 5 p.m.-11 p.m. daily)

Beers: Cherry Wheat, “The Streets” Saison, Goathead Pale Ale, Goathead IPA. “The Streets” Saison is a sweet Belgian style beer with a touch of hops, and Stoutmeister says the Goathead Pale Ale has a “nice bite with a smooth finish.” Either beer is great to beat the summer heat.

Bad Ass Brewery — 918-2337

(Mon–Thurs 4 p.m.–10:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 3 p.m.–midnight, Sun noon–8 p.m.)

Beers: Naked Euphoria, Utter Insanity, Torn Kilt, Half Dressed Ale, Charlies Old Red, 3-Way IPA, Matts Smoked Ale, C-Squared, Hefe Rojo, Irish Sunburn, English Brown Smog, 66 Pin Up Porter, Bitter Black. Naked Euphoria (Barley Wine), coming in at 13% ABV, is now on tap. This bad boy is $6 for a half pint and is limited to two per person.

Events: Bad Ass is continuing its Sunday evening dart tournament at 4 p.m.

Broken Bottle Brewery — 890-8777

(Mon–Fri 4 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Black IPA, Black Star Stout, Fat Willy’s Smoke Stout. The Black Star Stout is brewed with star anise and is described as having “dark, roasty flavors of the stout mixed with a nice shot of licoricey goodness. It’s not overpowering, but a nice complementary flavor.”

Events: Geeks Who Drink are back at Broken Bottle this Wednesday, and B.B.B. will have their weekly Breaking Bad viewing party on Sunday at 8 p.m. with a star from the show possibly popping up in the audience. The viewing party is very popular, so arrive early for the good seats!

News: B.B.B. is going to be at the Beer Garden for the the Westside Summerfest on Aug. 18 at Cottonwood Mall and at Hopfest at the Hard Rock Casino on Aug. 25. Also, Broken Bottle is launching their own Fantasy Football League. Visit their Facebook page for more info.

Chama River Brewing Company — 342-1800

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Liquid Schwartz (5.4% ABV), Hopricot Pale Ale (6.5%), Big Labrewski (8.9%), Nobel Session. The Big Labrewski is a beer fit for The Dude. This bad boy has a tropical aroma with a bitter punch. The Hopricot PA is brewed with apricot, peach purée and American hops.

Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737

(Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight)

Beers: Saison, Raspbery Wheat, Irish Red, Belgian Wit, Galaxy IPA, Cascade PA, Rye PA, Motueka IPA. Once again, we have a Saison on tap at the Canteen. Get it while you can!

News: The Aztec Stout is on tap for Cask Wednesday and the Oaked Black IPA is on cask on Saturday.

Music: Tues — Next Three Miles (Songwriter) 6-9 p.m., Sun — Dusty Low (Rock/Folk) 3-6 p.m.

La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Gracias Por Fumar (Smoked Porter), Blanche Burque (Begian White), No, You’re a Dort! (Dortmunder ale), Pale 32 (low gravity ale), Miles from Cologne (Kolsch). Gracias Por Fumar, Spanish for “thank you for smoking” mixes British pale malts with the traditional Rauch Malt of Bamberg, Germany, and chocolate and black patent malts to create a palate of smoke, chocolate, caramel, and burnt toast. Stoutmeister and I both tried and enjoyed this variation on the standard smoked porter. (30 IBU, 7.4% ABV)

Music: Weds — Chris Dracup 7-10 p.m., Sat — Odd Dog 7-10 p.m.

Marble Brewery — 243-2739

(Mon–Sat 1 p.m.–midnight, Sun 1 p.m.–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: Abbey Darkness (8.8% ABV), The Other Red (7.4% ABV). The Other Red is something of a red and brown hybrid. This red has a little more malts and a little less hops than your standard Marble Red.

Music: Weds — Kyle Martin 5-6:30 p.m., Three String Bale 7-10 p.m., Thurs — Zoltan Orkestar 8-11 p.m., Fri — Alex Maryol 8-11 p.m., Sat — The Rio Grande Family Band 5-7 p.m., Saltine Ramblers 8-11 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — 242-4100

(Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sun 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Brown Ale, Imperial Cream Ale. When it comes to smooth beers, no one beats Nexus Brewery. The Brown and Imperial Cream Ales are perfect examples. Stoutmeister highly recommends the Brown: “It’s a little sweet and definitely full-bodied, with a crisp finish. It rivals Il Vicino’s Slow Down Brown as the best of its genre on tap in town.”

News: Due to increasing demands for their regular beers, Nexus has not had enough tank space to experiment with new seasonals for several weeks. This will soon change when their new tanks arrive in the near future. Expect more delicious new beer from Nexus in two or three weeks!

Events: Nexus plays host to the Young, Dumb, and Full of Comedy open mic on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Sunroom.

Music: Thurs — Shirlette Weathersby 6 p.m., Sat — The Casualz 5:30 p.m., Sun — Smooth Jazz 12 p.m.

Tractor Brewing Company — 433-5654 (Nob Hill Tap Room)

(The tap room opens most days around 3 p.m. and stays open as late as 2 a.m.; it opens earlier on weekends)

Beers: Dry Cider, Chug Hole Double IPA, Otter IPA, “Nut” What You Think Brown Ale, Pilsner, Mustachio Milk Stout. The Otter IPA is made from unfiltered British otter malts. Stoutmeister visited Tractor last week and tried the “Nut” What You Think Brown Ale. He had this to say: “It is another unique offering from Tractor. Much like the holiday favorite, Turkey Drool, this beer wallops you with a dozen different flavors in every sip. Try it and let us know what you think!”

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.)

Beers: Cherry Wheat, 80/80, Milkshake Stout, Challenge IPA (100 IBU), Rye IPA (over 100 IBU, 6.8% ABV), Nit Wit (Witbeir), Hybrid IPA, Hop Duster IPA, Red Rye, Big Toe Barley Wine, 2009 Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barley Wine, 80/80 IPA (9.1% ABV) on cask. The Cherry Wheat goes on tap on Tuesday. Be the first person on your block to try it!

News: TMBC is going to be at the Grill-N-Chill at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market on Thursday from 4-9 p.m. and at the Beer Garden for the the Westside Summerfest on Saturday at Cottonwood Mall. Also, look for TMBC’s End of Summer Smoke Out on Wednesday, Aug. 29, where you can find smoked pulled pork and beer brats straight off the grill.

* * * *

That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.

Cheers!

— E-Rock