Greetings Albuquerque-area beer lovers, this is E-Rock here this Monday, as I am just about every Monday, to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, music, and events served up in and around the Duke City.
The big news this week is La Cumbre’s second anniversary celebration. In addition to having food and music at their anniversary party tonight, La Cumbre is releasing three new seasonals this week. Chama River, Back Alley Draft House, Turtle Mountain, and Bad Ass Brewery are also releasing multiple seasonals this week. Back Alley Draft House now has JC’s Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Ale, and Goat Head IPA on tap. Bad Ass has the 66 Pinup Porter, Zombie IPA, and Charlie’s Old Red on tap. Bosque Brewing should be serving their new Amber Ale by the end of the week. Broken Bottle now has their new Xico Suave on tap. Chama River is serving their Centennial Pale Ale and Shadow Boxer (Black IPA). Il Vicino has a new batch of their Sasquatch Scotch. Nexus is hoping to have their Chocolate Porter on tap this week or early next week at the latest. Sandia Chile Grill should have their new batch of Hefeweizen ready in three or four days. Turtle Mountain has their Christmas Soulstice (Brown) and Imperial Baltic Porter on tap.
That is just a small sample of what is going on in and around the 505. Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of Dec. 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: No new seasonals at this time.
News: We are still anxiously awaiting Ben Miller’s newest creation to hit the taps at ABP.
Back Alley Draft House — 766-6973 (NYPD)
(Hours 5 p.m.-11 p.m. daily)
Beers: JC’s Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Ale, Goat Head IPA, Cali Girl Cherry Wheat, The Streets Saison. Sadly, The Maple’s Shade, Goat Head’s awesome imperial stout made with Belgian candi and maple syrup, has run out. There are still plenty of good beers at Back Alley, however, and remember, you can order pizza from NYPD and enjoy with a pint or two of craft beer.
Bad Ass Brewery — 918-2337
(Mon–Thurs 4 p.m.–10:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 3 p.m.–midnight, Sun 4–7 p.m.)
Beers: 66 Pinup Porter, Zombie IPA, Charlie’s Old Red, Dead Red, Midnight Imperial Stout, Torn Kilt, English Brown Smog, Belgian Mistress, Double Headed Zombie, Matts Wine Barrel Sour, Nutty Cafe, Feather Weight Ale, Desert Rose, Dragon Blood, 3 Way, Eat Your Oatmeal, Triple Chocolate Stout. The BAB staff is especially excited about the Midnight Imperial Stout. I had a flight of this stout recently. This bad boy clocks in at 10-percent ABV with 25 IBU, and it is smooth with a nice smoked flavor. It could be BAB’s tastiest offering to date. If you have never been to BAB or haven’t been there in a while, this is definitely the time to go and the Midnight Imperial Stout is the beer to have.
Events: BAB will hosting their biweekly open mic on Tuesday with sign-ups starting at 7 p.m.
Bosque Brewing Company — 750-7596
(Mon–Thurs 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri–Sat 2 p.m.–midnight)
Beers: Amber Ale, Scotia Scottish Ale, English IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Olde Bosky (Porter), Kindling (Golden), Mellow Brit (Brown), Cumulus IPA. Being Albuquerque’s newest brewery, BBC seems to brew something you’ve never tasted every week. This week BBC is releasing their first Amber Ale. As always, we urge you to grab a pint and let us know what you think. We’ll stop by and offer up our own thoughts when Stoutmeister and I interview the staff this Wednesday to see how things are developing on the north side of town.
Broken Bottle Brewery — 890-8777
(Mon–Fri 4 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)
Beers: Xico Suave, Anamole (Chocolate Red Chile Stout), Tom Selleck (Cranberry) Ale, Debacle Pumpkin Ale. Stoutmeister calls the Tom Selleck “a perfect, post-Thanksgiving dessert beer.”
News: Starting this Friday, B3 will start serving a limited menu in the taproom. The food will be provided by one of ABQ’s best new restaurants, Paco’s. They’ll have things like roasted duck quesadillas, chips & queso and much more. Also, on Feb. 10, they will host a Beer Pairing Dinner catered by Paco’s, with tickets now available at B3.
B3 has their Barley Wine coming out soon. If you haven’t tried any of B3’s seasonals recently, then you are missing out on some great craft beers. Tom Selleck Ale is on its last keg, so get it while you still can.
Events: B3 has $3 pints all day Tuesday. On Wednesday, B3 will be hosting their open mic from 8-10 p.m., with signups starting at 7:30 p.m. They will be showing football throughout the day on Sunday and they will have Monday Night Football as well.
Music: Sat — April Barreiro and The Travis Joel Trio 8-11 p.m.
Chama River Brewing Company — 342-1800
(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)
Beers: Centennial PA, Shadow Boxer (Black IPA), Porter for Pyros. According to a February 2012 post on ratebeer.com, the last batch of Porter for Pyros “pours almost black with a very lite (sic) tan head around the rim of the glass. nose of big char and smoke. smoke is ever present, but never overbearing. flavors are very char almost astringent bitterness (malt husky type) and the smoke under all of it. this is awesome and very robust. long dry char and smoke finish. I would consider this a fantastic smoked porter if you ask me.”
Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737
(Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight)
Beers: Sasquatch Scotch, Belgian Blonde, Dark Matter Pilsner, Marzen, Oatmeal Stout, London Calling ESB, Irish Red, Rhapsody (Bohemian Pilsner). Il Vicino posted this message on their Facebook page: “For all of you Baravian Bräuhaus enthusiasts, our Märzen has gone on tap today! Beautiful amber color, rich flavor and a crisp finish: perfect for this ever-fall weather we are enjoying.”
News: The Columbus IPA is on tap for Cask Wednesday and the Chocolate Oatmeal Stout will be on cask Saturday. Look for the Milk Chocolate Cherry Stout, Dark American Lager, Baltic Porter, and St. Bob’s Imperial Stout to hit taps in coming weeks. And yes, all those dark beers mean Solstice Blackout is returning, with a tentative date of Dec. 21!
Music: Tues — Next Three Miles (Folk/Americana) 6-9 p.m., Sun — Dusty Low (Roots/Rock) 3-6 p.m.
La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225
(Open every day at noon)
Beers: Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout, Potter’s PA (Belgian-style pale ale), Rauchbier, Pecos Porter, Trout (English-style) Pale Ale, Hoppy Hippie Organic Ale. According to La Cumbre’s website, the Trout Pale Ale “is everything you could want from a balanced yet well-hopped British Pale. Beginning with a rich Pale malt base we blended 2 different crystal malts and 4 British hop varieties to give an intense earthy tangerine quality. We then fermented this with yeast from our favorite London brewery. Rich, fruity, balanced, quaffable. Enjoy!” (5.5% ABV, 35 IBU)
News: La Cumbre is having their Second Anniversary Celebration tonight, featuring the Anniversary Beer Release of their Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout, the funky grooves of Aladocious, 6-9 p.m., and yummy food out front from Supper food truck.
Music: Mon — Aladocious 6-9 p.m., Wed — Chris Dracup 7-10 p.m., Sat — Dusty Low 7-10 p.m.
Marble Brewery — 243-2739
(Mon–Sat 1 p.m.–midnight, Sun 1 p.m.–10:30 p.m.)
Beers: Brown Porter, Oude Brune Sour, Imperial Stout, Dark Secret (Brown Lager), Rye Something, Pumpkin Porter, Imperial Red (9.0% ABV). According to their website, the Imperial Stout is “the dark, exotic cousin of our famous Marble Reserve Ale, this deliciously dark stout is aged one year in reserve bourbon barrels.” (11% ABV, $7/Goblet, limit 2 per customer) The Oude Brune is “a Flemish-Style sour ale aged in French wine barrels.” (8% ABV) And the Brown Porter is Tim Lambert’s State Fair Best-of-Show winner. (5% ABV, $4/Pints) Stoutmeister will have more on the Brown Porter and our recent tour of the brewery itself later this week.
Events: Check out Marble’s cask (or “real” ale) selection on tap this Friday at their downtown location. Chicharroneria Don Choche will be parked patio-side starting at 5 pm. Marble is also doing their Annual Coat Drive through December.
Nexus Brewery — 242-4100
(Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sun 11 a.m.–midnight)
Beers: Chocolate Porter, Maximus (Double) IPA, Imperial Cream Stout, Barley Wine, Equinox Spiced Brown. At 9.2-percent ABV, Nexus’ new Barley Wine packs quite a punch. But be warned, Nexus has a way of brewing high alcohol content beers that go down smoother than a pilsner. Make sure to order a hardy meal with this bad boy. Derek and Stoutmeister sampled this one recently; both labeled it “dangerous, since you don’t taste the alcohol, just the sweet.”
Events: As always, Nexus plays host to the Young, Dumb, and Full of Comedy open mic on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Sunroom. On Sunday at 4 p.m., Nexus will host I’ll Drink to That! featuring spoken word, music, and much more.
Sandia Chile Grill — 798-1970
(Mon–Sat 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–6 p.m.)
Beers: Hefeweizen, ESB, Smoked Porter, Double Pilsner (8% ABV), Amber Ale (6% ABV), Irish Red Ale (6% ABV). After a visit to Sandia Chile Grill two weeks ago, the Crew strongly recommends the ESB, Smoked Porter, and Double Pilsner. The Smoked Porter and Double Pilsner are great representatives of their respective categories, and the ESB has enough of a dry bite to delight all of you hop-heads out there.
News: At Sandia Chile Grill you can enjoy great New Mexican food with your beer such as their $10 double chicken enchilada and beer special served with beans, potatoes, chile, and a 16-ounce beer. For those who are curious about the brewing process, SCG will be brewing a new batch of their Amber Ale on Thursday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they welcome anyone who wants to observe the process. SCG’s IPA (7% ABV, 100 IBU) should be ready this month and their Milk Stout (with added malts and hints of smoked flavors) should be on tap shortly after the new year.
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: Tractoberfest, Apple Cider, Black Eye’d PA, Milk Moustachio Stout, Adebisi (black lager), Lunas De Los Muertos Imperial Stout, Pilsner #15. Beer Noir kicked off on Halloween with more beers than you can shake a stick at. A number of them are still on tap, so come get them while you still can.
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: Christmas Soulstice (Brown), Imperial Baltic Porter (7.6% ABV, 25 IBU), 3-Galloot’s Pale Ale, Collateral Damage Barley Wine, Honey Wheat, Texas Twister Brown, Milkshake Stout, Yardsale Amber, Golden Ale, Hopduster IPA, Hybrid IPA, Cabo Lager, Red Rye, Collateral Damage Barley Wine on cask. TMBC’s website has this to say about the Christmas Soulstice: “The spices will definitely put the Christmas spirit in you. Clove, cinnamon, orange peel, vanilla, ginger; wow, this beer is amazing! Cheers!” (5.25% ABV, 30 IBU, 1.052 OG)
* * * *
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
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 