Stoutmeister here, hoping you’re all having a wonderful Friday afternoon. Hey, cool temperatures never hurt anyone, right? (also, the Isotopes are on the road, so I welcome the rain)

We are less than 24 hours from ABQ Hopfest opening its doors to the Crew and many other beer lovers at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Luckily for us, we received a full packet of info that included the (lengthy) list of breweries that will be present to showcase their wares at the event.

Now, I do not have the info on what beers each of these breweries are bringing to the event. We would all love to see some rare styles and seasonal brews that we can’t purchase at Kelly’s or Quarters or even Jubilation, much less find on tap at any of the many bars across town that choose to give us something other than the ubiquitous macro-brews and standard imports.

So think of this as a “maybe” list of beers that could be available Saturday. Regardless, there are a lot of breweries on tap from around the world, around America and of course many from right here in New Mexico.

Of the NM breweries, I am looking forward to sampling the beers from Taos Ale House. E-Rock and I really enjoyed our visit there back in April, but sadly E-Rock had a musical commitment in Denver that will keep him from catching up with the TAH gang. If they bring anything along that compares to the Nitro Patty Stout, we will all be blessed.

The other NM breweries include regional favorites such as Santa Fe, Rio Grande/Sierra Blanca, and Tractor, plus ABQ-based ones such as Il Vicino, Kelly’s Brewpub, and Marble. Relative newcomers Back Alley and Broken Bottle will be on hand and definitely worth trying if you have not been there yet. Plus, the as-yet-unopened Boar’s Nest will be on hand to showcase what they will soon be selling when their brewery/tap room opens (hopefully later this year).

Click here for a full map of the brewery booths.

So let’s break down the rest of the breweries on hand, starting with the “international sector.”

Artisanal Imports: The beer distributing company is bringing in three of the European breweries it represents, La Trappe (Netherlands), St. Feuillien (Belgium), and Sunner (Germany). Figure on a good supply of Dubbel/Tripel/Saison from the first two, while Sunner has an award-winning Kolsch that seems perfect for late summer.

Bockor: Another Belgian brewery, they brew up a large variety of styles, including some fruit-infused beers, but also a blond, witbier, pilsner, and a sour. Man, E-Rock is really going to hate missing this festival.

Bruvado: A Mexican beer company, they have a lager that they often package with hard liquor. Sounds like the kind of thing you would usually find at a Lobo Village-style party rather than a beer festival.

Guinness: Seriously, if you do not know what they make, you need to get out more.

Sir Perry: A British cider company, for those who need a break from beer. I am not one of those people, so enjoy.

And now the (vast) list of American companies.

Abita: The popular Louisiana brewery has plenty of styles you can find at stores around ABQ. My personal favorites are the amber and Turbodog.

Big Sky: Montana has quickly become a state overflowing with craft beer and this Missoula-based brand is the biggest of the bunch. It does not appear that the delicious Scottish ale they had at 2010’s Hopfest is currently in production, but that still leaves Moose Drool (brown ale) and Slow Elk (oatmeal stout). There are two porter varieties, Cowboy Coffee and Bobo’s Robust, that I would love to sample.

Blue Moon: The popular Colorado brewery figures to bring its stable of Belgian-inspired beers. Not my scene, but for those who like ’em cloudy, head on over.

Boston Brewing: My comment for Guinness pretty much can be repeated here. If they bring any unique styles besides Boston Lager and Octoberfest, it might be worth checking out.

Breckenridge: Another Colorado mainstay, the Vanilla Porter has plenty of fans nationwide. I would kill for samples of 72 Imperial (a chocolate cream stout) and their Extra ESB.

BridgePort: One of the many big breweries in Oregon, I was plowed over by Kingpin, a double red ale that is triple-hopped. Yowza. If you like hoppy reds, this one is a beast. I would love to try Dark Rain, a black pale ale.

Coronado: The San Diego metro area is overflowing with breweries that have followed Stone’s lead (sadly, no Stone booth at Hopfest). Blue Bridge Coffee Stout and Stupid Stout, an imperial, top my list of beers to try.

Crispin: A Minnesota-based cider company. Again, if you’re into non-beers at a beer festival, go get ’em.

Deschutes: Oregon makes ’em big and bold and beautiful. Two of the finest dark beers on the planet are the Black Butte Porter and the Obsidian Stout.

Durango Brewing: Please, please, please have the Dark Lager. It’s good in bottles; it’s brilliant on tap, as E-Rock and I found out when we were in Durango earlier this summer.

Goose Island: Sure, you can go to Wrigley Field and join the sheep with Old Style. Or you can be like this little beer snob and snag a pint of red ale, thus annoying some of baseball’s most annoying fans (sorry, Shilling, it’s true). The red does not seem to be in production right now, but Honker’s Ale (ESB) and Nut Brown Ale are worth checking out.

Green Flash: Another San Diego brewery, they were at Blues & Brews in May and unleashed the utterly brilliant Double Stout Black Ale. They have a slew of Belgian and IPA styles on tap out on the coast right now, so hopefully they bring some for those of you who love them hops.

Leinenkugel: A fairly well-known Wisconsin brewery that sports plenty of those fruit-infused beers that some folks just love to pieces. I will hope for the Creamy Dark, Russian Imperial Stout, Wee Heavy Scotch Ale and maybe even their Oktoberfest to be on hand.

Kona: The biggest microbrewery in Hawaii sells their wares around town, such as their popular Longboard Lager and Fire Rock Pale Ale. They’re better fresh instead of out of the bottle, but since most of us cannot afford frequent trips to the islands, this will have to do. Hopefully their fall seasonal, Pipeline Porter, will be along for this festival.

Left Hand: The masters of dark brewing from Longmont, Colo., will be on hand, probably with crowd favorites like the Milk Stout (please oh please be on nitro), the Sawtooth Ale (an ESB), Polestar Pilsner, 400 Pound Monkey (English-style IPA), and so on. I will cross my fingers for some of their darker, burlier seasonal styles to be present.

Lost Coast: What a coincidence, I just had a Downtown Brown the other night at dinner at Chez Bob (best French restaurant in the NE Heights). The Northern California brewery has some other solid styles, but the one I hope is there is the Eight-Ball Stout.

Mad River: Another NorCal brewery with some serious kick, the Steelhead series (Extra Pale Ale, Double IPA, Extra Sout) are all worth sampling. The Double Dread Imperial Red sounds wonderfully brutal, as well.

New Belgium: The super-sized Colorado brewery that introduced many of us to craft brewing through Fat Tire should have a fair number of samples on tap. If anybody sees something they have never seen before, jump on it.

Odell: Yup, another Colorado brewery, this just happens to be Shilling’s favorite. What, you thought he picked up the nickname from something other than 90 Shilling? Cutthroat Porter is also worth checking out if it is on hand.

Oskar Blues: Cryptogrind’s favorite in Colorado, the infamous cans will almost certainly end up hanging around everybody’s necks before long. From Old Chub (Scottish) to Ten Fidy (imperial stout) and G’Knight (imperial red), there should be plenty to go around.

Pyramid: They have a massive tap room right across the street from Safeco Field in Seattle, offering up plenty of varieties of hefeweizen and the like. There is also Thunderhead IPA for those who avoid wheat beers.

Redhook: Another Washington brewery, you have probably sampled their ESB at some point in your life. See what else is on tap.

Shock Top: Anheuser-Busch technically owns this Missouri-based rival of Blue Moon for Belgian/wheat style beers.

Sierra Nevada: OK, if New Belgium was not your introductory micro-brew a decade ago, odds are it was this NorCal staple’s Pale Ale. The porter and stout are pretty solid, but if Bigfoot, their brutal barleywine, is available make sure to snag a sample.

Silverton: The little Colorado brewery that could continues to plow ahead with its flagship Bear-Ass Brown. Hopefully they will bring some different varieties such as the Ice Pick Ale and Red Mountain Ale.

Ska: Durango’s top brewery has pretty good distribution in the ABQ area. Ten Pin Porter and Steel Toe Stout top their list of regular brews. Look out for the Special ESB and the Nefarious Tin Pin Porter, an imperial.

Spoetzl: If you not had a Shiner Bock or other Shiner beers, clearly you never cross into Texas. Which could be a good thing, or not. Sample and decide for yourself.

Squatters: They make ’em bold in Utah, particularly the overwhelming Hop Rising, a double IPA that is not for the meek. For those who like some beer with their hops, Captain Bastard’s Oatmeal Stout sounds too good to pass up.

Wasatch: Another big, tough Utah brewery, you have probably smirked at the Polygamy Porter that they sell at Sunflower Market and other local places. If The Devastator, a burly double bock, is available, snag a sample, but be forewarned, you will not be the same afterward.

Widmer Bros.: The kings of the American hefeweizen are the sponsoring brewery of Hopfest, so stop by and give them a big ol’ hug of thanks. Or if they’re hug-phobic, just grab a sample. Hopefully they bring the Pitch Black IPA and Killer Devil Brown Ale along in addition to their wheat beers. They are bringing along their sister company, Omission, which makes gluten-free lagers and pale ales.

Woodchuck: More cider.

Ziegenbock: Anheuser-Busch’s answer to Shiner Bock. Sample and compare.

Well, that’s all of them. Clearly there will be more beer than most of us could possibly hope to sample. Shilling and I will be there for when the doors open to those with Extra Hoppy Tickets (2 p.m.). General admission tickets get you in at 3 p.m.

Hopefully everybody will have designated drivers to get them to and from the event. Personally, we are taking the Rail Runner, which will be at the Journal Center stop at 12:01 p.m. and runs down to the Isleta stop. Hey, if you live in the Northeast Heights or elsewhere north of I-40, it should be a lot easier to get a friend or family member to drop you off and pick you up from the RR stop than shuttle you all the way to the Hard Rock.

If you happen to see us and actually recognize us from our pictures on the blog, stop by and say hello. We will be around. Dressed in black, of course.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister