Hello, this is E-Rock with a special Tuesday edition of my weekly blog, The Week Ahead in Beer. I took the day off from blogging yesterday in order to observe Labor Day, play music at a harvest festival, and fill up a growler of Tractor’s Mustachio Milk Stout. But I couldn’t go a whole week without bringing you the most current information on music, events, and seasonal beers served up in the Duke City and the surrounding area, so here we go.

It seems like everyone in town has something new on tap this week or at least something in the works. Back Alley has a new wheat bear named Melia (It was at Hopfest — Stoutmeister), Broken Bottle has a new Watermelon Wheat and a new Scottish Ale on tap, Chama River is introducing their new El Hefe this week, Il Vicino has a new rye bock (Rogue Bock) and a filtered hefeweisen (Crystalweisen) as well as new batches of the Exodus IPA and Galaxy IPA, La Cumbre is unleashing a new Double IPA that is sure to be a tasty beast, Marble will soon tap their new HBC Brown made with exclusively with hops from Hop Breeding Company, and Turtle Mountain has a fresh new batch of their Cabo Lager. ABQ Brew Pub and Nexus are still putting the finishing touches on their new beers which should be on tap in the near future.

That is just a taste of what is going on in and around Burque. Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of September 3.

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: TBA. Ben Miller is putting the finishing touches on a new beer that should be on tap at the Brew Pub in the near future.

Back Alley Draft House — 766-6973 (NYPD)

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

Beers: Melia, “Cali Girl” Cherry Wheat, Goathead Stout, Goathead IPA. The Melia tastes like a subtle wheat bear or a saison. The Goathead Stout is Goathead’s first new offering at Back Alley since they opened. This stout has hints of a smoky flavor and lived up to Stoutmeister’s high standards for a good stout.

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: Zombie IPA, Torn Kilt, English Brown Smog, C Squared, Naked Euphoria, Utter Insanity, Dragon Blood, Half Dressed Ale, Charlies Old Red, 3 Way IPA, Matt’s Smoked Ale, Hefe Rojo, Eat Your Oatmeal, 66 Pin Up Porter, Triple Chocolate Stout, Bitter Black. The Dragons Blood IPA is full-bodied with a malty profile and is aggressively hopped with Warrior hops (5.4% ABV, 100+ IBU).

Events: Bad Ass is continuing their Sunday evening dart tournament at 4 p.m., and they are hosting their biweekly open mic on Tuesday starting at 7 p.m.

Broken Bottle Brewery — 890-8777

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

Beers: Watermelon Wheat, Scottish Ale, “The Incident” Black IPA, Black Star 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.” Stoutmeister said the Black IPA “was a delicious entry into this popular category. It opens with a hoppy bite, but not too much of one. Like most BIPAs, the dark malts combine to mellow out the bite pretty quickly. It does not have the burly strength of a regular stout, but instead a smoothness that makes this one of the easiest-drinking, yet flavorful, IPAs that you can have.” If you were at Hopfest, “The Incident” was the black IPA you may have sampled from B.B.B.

Events: Geeks Who Drink are back at Broken Bottle this Wednesday.

News: B.B.B. will now open at 2 p.m. on Fridays so you can start your weekend early, and they will open up at 11 a.m. on Sundays starting this week so you can stake out your seat to watch the Cowboys lose every week (or watch your team win if you’re into that).

Chama River Brewing Company — 342-1800

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

Beers: El Hefe, Chama Red, Hopricot Pale Ale (6.5%), Big LaBrewski (8.9%). The Hopricot PA is brewed with apricot, peach purée and American hops. I had the Hopricot at Back Alley Draft House a couple of weeks ago. It was sweet with a hoppy bite that one normally finds in an IPA. The Big LaBrewski is a beer fit for The Dude. This bad boy has a tropical aroma with a bitter punch.

Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737

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

Beers: Rogue Bock (rye bock), Crystalweisen (filtered hefeweisen), Dark Matter (Black) Pilsner, Exodus IPA, Galaxy IPA, Sasquatch Scotch, Saison D’Gaul, Boysenberry Wheat, Irish Red. The Crystalweisen is in short supply, so get to the Canteen soon before it’s gone.

News: The Passtout (Imperial) Stout (9.2% ABV) is on tap for Cask Wednesday and either the Galaxy IPA or the Rye PA will on cask on Saturday, depending on which one is ready first.

Music: Tues — Matt Miller (Songwriter) 6-9 p.m., Sun — E. Christina Herr & Wild Frontier 3-6 p.m.

La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Double IPA, 1/2 Nelson Pale Ale, Fievre D’Abricot (apricot saison), Blanche Burque (Begian white), Pale 32 (low gravity ale). If you like high alcohol content beer to go with the high elevation, then La Cumbre’s Double IPA is for you. La Cumbre’s offerings tend to pack a punch in general, so their DIPA is sure to be a heavy hitter.

Music: Weds — Matt Miller 6-9 p.m., Sat — Todd & The Fox 7-10 p.m.

Marble Brewery — 243-2739

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

Beers: HBC Brown, India White, Double White, Imperial Red (9.0% ABV), Abbey Darkness (8.8% ABV), The Other Red (7.4% ABV). The HBC Brown will be on tap soon. For those who remember Marble’s HBC IPA series, the HBC Brown is also made with exclusively with hops from Hop Breeding Company.

Music: Weds — Sean Lucy and the Union 6-9 p.m., Thurs — Stuart Davis 8-11 p.m., Fri — Roustabout Circus Collective 8-11:30 p.m., Sat — Encuentro, Baracutanga 5-7 p.m., The Giraffe Dodgers and Brad Parsons Band 8-11 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — 242-4100

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

Beers: Imperial Cream Ale. When it comes to smooth beers, no one beats Nexus Brewery. Stoutmeister and I stopped by Nexus for an and interview and a pint of Imperial Cream Ale last week. The new batch is amazing. This award-winning beer is a must-try for any beer drinker who wants to sample the best of what Burque has to offer.

News: Stoutmeister just posted the second part of our Nexus story. Owner Ken and brewer Manuel are eagerly awaiting their newest creation, inspired by a recent tour of San Francisco area breweries, to be ready for consumption. The Brew Crew is eagerly awaiting as well. Check out the story to find out what I am talking about.

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: Sat — Of the Essense 6 p.m., Sun — Smooth Jazz, noon

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: Scotch Ale, Hang Me Out To Dry Cider, Chug Hole Double IPA, “Nut” What You Think Brown Ale, Mustachio Milk Stout. Stoutmeister and I both picked up growlers of the Mustachio Milk Stout, a Brew Crew favorite for its smoothness and delicious flavor. Get a growler of your own before it sells out.

News: Traktoberfest, Black IPA, Black Lager, and Beer Noir Month are coming soon. Yes, Stoutmeister is more than a little excited for this event.

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: Cabo Lager, PNB Brown, Yardsale Amber, Cherry Wheat, 80/80, Milkshake Stout, Hybrid IPA, Hop Duster IPA, Red Rye, Big Toe Barley Wine, Hybrid IPA on cask. The Yardsale Amber is TMBC’s semi-annual brew of all the remaining ingredients from their storage room. Shilling said of the Yardsale Amber, “The combination of various different malts and grains give the beer a bit of an English taste similar to a Newcastle, but more on the dry side.” Look for an in-depth review of the Yardsale Amber elsewhere on our blog.

News: TMBC was awarded first place for Best Beer (Milkshake Stout) and Best Brewery at the 13th annual Angel Fire Bikes, Blues & Brews festival last weekend.

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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