Greetings brewers, beer drinkers, and beer blog aficionados. For those who don’t know, my name is E-Rock and I am here this Monday, as I am nearly every Monday, to fill you in on the most current information on music, events, and seasonal beers served up in Albuquerque metro area breweries and tap rooms.

Septemberfest celebrations are still a few weeks away and few local breweries have anything new this week. A few notable exceptions include Il Vicino, which has a new India Pale Lager and has brought back their heaving-hitting Passtout (Imperial) Stout, La Cumbre, which has released this season’s first Dunkelweisen in the form of the Dunkle Hefe, and Turtle Mountain with their new Dark Knight Maduro Stout and Hophead Red. Nexus plans on putting their new Watermelon Wheat on tap starting this Friday and Bad Ass Brewery will have the newly renamed Belgian Mistress (Dark Belgian) on tap sometime this week.

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 September 10.

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. Still no word on when Ben Miller’s new creation will be on tap at the Brew Pub. My hope is that APB will usher in the new season with a new Oktoberfest.

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: Belgian Mistress, 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 Belgian Mistress is actually BAB’s dark Belgian that was originally named the European Whore. Needless to say, BAB went with Belgian Mistress because it’s a bit more classy.

Events: Bad Ass has ended their Sunday evening dart tournament, but in its place BAB has a new NFL Sunday special. Anyone wearing an NFL jersey on Sunday gets their pints at the $3 happy hour price. So root for your favorite team and drink for less.

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: Due to its overwhelming popularity, BBB has decided to put “The Incident” Black IPA on tap full time. In related news, they are retiring Rosemary’s Baby, so drop by and grab a pint or growler while you still can.

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. The Big LaBrewski is a double IPA. At 8.9% ABV, this is a beer that could @#$% with the Jesus. (If you didn’t get that reference, you should grab a growler of the Big LaBrewski and watch “The Big Lebowski” as soon as possible.)

Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737

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

Beers: India Pale Lager, Passtout (Imperial) Stout (9.2% ABV), Crystalweisen (filtered hefeweisen), Dark Matter (Black) Pilsner, Galaxy IPA, Sasquatch Scotch, Saison D’Gaul, Boysenberry Wheat, Irish Red. The India Pale Lager is a lager version of IV’s Wet Mountain IPA. The IPL is a little hoppier than Wet Mountain, with a cleaner taste and a similar malty profile.

News: Rogue Bock (rye bock) is on tap for Cask Wednesday and the Chocolate Brown will be on cask on Saturday.

Music: Tues — Knife City (Honky Tonk) 6-9 p.m., Sun — The Peacemakers (Acoustic Rock) 3-6 p.m.

La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Dunkle Hefe, Acclimated (double IPA), 1/2 Nelson Pale Ale, Fievre D’Abricot (apricot saison), Blanche Burque (Begian white), Pale 32 (low gravity ale). According to La Cumbre’s website, the Blanche Burque is “perfumey, with a balance of citrus, bubblegum, light clove and herbs, this traditional Belgian-style Wit is as close as you’ll come to Leuven without a passport. Though light in color, the body is milkshake-like from the judicious use of unmalted wheat and oats. The finish is liquid-silk; absolutely no apparent bitterness to speak of.” I personally found the Blanche Burque to be a light and drinkable wit. At 4.8% ABV you could easily sit back on a porch and a drink a couple of pints while enjoying Burque’s slow transition from summer to autumn.

Music: Weds — The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band 6-9 p.m., Sat — The Fabulous Martini Tones 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.

News: Tickets are on sale now for Marble’s annual Septemberfest on Saturday, Sept. 22, from noon to 6. Stop by the brewery or buy tickets online at nmbeer.org.

Music: Weds — Nora Kostelnik, Amy Boudin, Floozy, Hyperland, Blame it on Rebekkah, Vertigo Venus 5-11 p.m., Thurs — ABQ Sound System, Pawnshop Posterboys, Mondo Vibrations 7-11 p.m., Fri — Three String Bale 8-11 p.m., Sat — Jade Masque 8-11 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — 242-4100

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

Beers: Watermelon Wheat, Imperial Cream Ale. Now that Nexus’ new tanks are fully operational, they have the freedom to release new seasonals. Their first batch, a Watermelon Wheat, is expected to go on tap on Friday. The Brew Crew recently sampled Broken Bottle’s Watermelon Wheat and we are eagerly awaiting an opportunity to compare BBB’s Watermelon Wheat with the new one at Nexus. From our discussions with BBB and with Ken and Manuel, the owner and head brewer at Nexus, I have reason to believe that these two beers that bare the same name are quite different in brewing process and flavor profile.

News: Stoutmeister just posted the second part of our Nexus story.

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 — Good Green 6 p.m., Sat — The Casualz 5:30 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. The Mustachio Milk Stout’s run is over (for now). We were sad. Then Stoutmeister tried the new version of the Scotch Ale. “Delicious, super-smooth batch. I will be getting a growler of this very soon,” he said.

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: Dark Knight Maduro Stout, Hophead Red, Cabo Lager, PNB Brown, Yardsale Amber, Cherry Wheat, 80/80, Red Rye, Big Toe Barley Wine, Hybrid IPA on cask. The Dark Knight Maduro Stout was brewed to coincide with Santa Ana Star Center’s production of Batman Live which will be running from October 17-21. Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming collaborative events between TMBC and Santa Ana Star Center.

News: TMBC will be the only local brewery participating in Rio Rancho’s Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Hanes Park.

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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