IL VICINO BREWERY CANTEEN — Howdy, folks, Stoutmeister here, trying out a dateline for whenever we actually write something from the confines of one of our local breweries. It’s Black Friday, a day that sucks for far too many people; luckily there is beer and that makes things better.

Specifically, there is the Cherry Chocolate Milk Stout, on tap today only (or likely today only) at the Canteen. This wonderful concoction was brewed for the Great American Beer Festival and ended up taking home a bronze medal. The last keg of that specific batch was tapped today and will be served in 10-ounce glasses. This is not a bad thing, since it checks in at a hefty 8-percent ABV. So stop on by as soon as possible to indulge in this escape from consumer goods hell.

The beer itself offers up a mix of three flavors. There is a sweet, cherry kick at the front, a smooth chocolate taste that settles mid-palate, and a proper stout finish with coffee hints. In many ways this is the dessert you did not get on Thanksgiving.

Il Vicino is not the only brewery offering up something special today. Bosque Brewing will be putting its top two creations (in my humble opinion) on special today in the Olde Bosky porter and the new oatmeal stout. Both black beers will be $1 off on Black Friday (natch).

E-Rock and I had the opportunity to finally try the stout earlier this week. It is a prime example of its genre, offering up a slightly stronger bite than Tractor, but less than Marble. The finish is smoother than Marble. This is a beer that appears thick and burly but is actually smooth and clean, without sacrificing any of the strong roasted flavors one comes to expect from an excellent stout. If we end up in a stout battle rematch on Super Bowl Sunday, Bosque will be a serious contender for the top spot on our list.

Elsewhere around the ABQ area in the last week or so …

Back Alley: As we previewed last week, four of us (myself, E-Rock, Shilling, Cryptogrind) all trekked down to the draft house on Saturday evening to attend the special tapping of The Maple’s Shade, Goat Head’s imperial stout of extreme awesomeness. This version was different, even better than what Shilling and I had at Hopfest back in August. The maple syrup and Belgian candi syrup were more in balance with the stout flavors. There was sweetness, but not too much. The mix of sweet and roasted flavors combined to keep you from tasting the alcohol, but at 11.8 percent ABV, this one eventually left us feeling warm and fuzzy after single pints. To the best of my knowledge, it is still on tap at Back Alley, so head over before it runs out. Just don’t plan on indulging in too many other beers on tap unless you have a designated driver or live within walking distance.

Broken Bottle: First, a big thanks to all who donated canned goods at BBB, Nexus, and Tractor for our canned food drive for Roadrunner Food Bank. We pulled in 60 pounds worth of food. Great job, ABQ beer lovers! Anyway, when I went to pick up the donations at BBB, I of course stopped to try some beers. On tap now is the Tom Selleck Ale, a cranberry-infused ale that fits perfectly in this time of year. Basically, if you like cranberry, you’ll like this beer. There is very little beer taste here, mostly it’s just like a carbonated cranberry with alcohol. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. In the sneak preview category, I tasted a sample of the barley wine that is coming online soon. This is a different sort than what places like La Cumbre have brewed; I could not quite put my finger on the flavor, but it was good and made this concoction stand out. Despite checking in at over 9-percent ABV, this was another beer where the good flavor masks the alcohol. I look forward to taking another sip (or two) of this when it goes on tap.

Nexus: Derek and I hopped over here for lunch since we were both suffering from fried chicken withdrawal. Naturally, we sampled the seasonal beers on tap. The Equinox Spiced Brown Ale is a pumpkin-style fall beer, with just the right note of spices that keep the beer from being overwhelming or underwhelming. Stop by before this one runs out. Also on tap was a barley wine, with a sweet flavor that makes you forget its ABV potency. Be very careful with this beer, you could easily forget what you’re drinking. Both go great with Nexus’ popular food menu. The only bad news we received when visiting was that the ESB is no longer going to be in Nexus’ regular lineup. We did love mixing the ESB with the Scottish Ale; now we will only be able to do so on a seasonal basis (though what season the ESB will inhabit is unknown at this point). We get that ESBs aren’t nearly as popular as stouts, reds, and IPAs, but we will miss Nexus’ version, one of the only ESBs available in town year-round.

Coming soon: We have plenty of ideas for stories and/or projects for the near future. Cryptogrind and I are planning a sitdown with La Cumbre’s Jeff Erway in advance of his brewery’s second anniversary. With the second Solstice Blackout at Il Vicino scheduled for Dec. 21, we also plan to sit down with Brady, Doug, and the rest of the IV mad scientists to talk about all the wild and crazy special beers they are constantly churning out at the Canteen and what goes into the process of having so much fun while brewing so many unique beers.

And as always, if any of you out in the beer-consuming community have any ideas, suggestions, or questions for us, leave us a comment below or contact us on our Facebook page or on Twitter (@nmdarksidebc).

Until then, I have a pint of Cherry Chocolate Milk Stout to finish.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister