Greetings craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock here to bring you another Monday installment of the Week Ahead in Beer. This column is designed to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, music, and events served up in and around the Albuquerque metro area.

I must admit, I’m really excited about a lot of beers hitting taps this week. First off, BEER, one of my personal favorites, is making a return to La Cumbre this week. Also, Nexus is introducing their first cask beer this week starting with their always tasty Scotch Ale. In addition to the big news that got my attention, there are a whole lot of other great beers being introduced at breweries and tap rooms around town. Back Alley Draft House is introducing the Back Alley Porter and Goat Head Java Stout this week. Chama River now has their Cascade Pale Ale and Big Head Imperial Ale on tap. Farside Brew Pub has new batches of English Brown Smog, Belgian Mistress, and Charlie’s Old Red on tap. Il Vicino Canteen is introducing The Donker (Belgian Strong Dark) and Odin’s Imperial Red to taps this week. Marble has a Saison and a hybrid oatmeal and imperial stout called Stout Americano made with roasted coffee beans from R. B. Winnings Coffee. Tractor Brewing Company now has a Scramble Tap which is a tap connected to a pony keg of rotating beers, so there’s always something new. Turtle Mountain is now serving their TMBC IPA. This is a great week to fill up some growlers for a Super Bowl party!

That is just a small sample 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 Jan. 28.

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: Light Color Belgian Ale. Ben Miller, a past grand prize winner of the Sam Adams Long Shot American Homebrew Contest, is bringing his home-brewing ninja skills back to APB with his new Light Color Belgian Ale. Quantities are limited, and he only brews for ABP a few times a year. So grab a pint or two while you can.

Back Alley Draft House — 766-6973 (NYPD)

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

Beers: Goat Head Java Stout, Back Alley Porter, Goat Head Barley Wine, Belgian White, Goat Head Imperial Red, Goat Head Raspberry Blonde. Several members of the Brew Crew had a chance to sample Goat Head’s Barley Wine and Java Stout at our one year anniversary party at BADH on Saturday. Both beers had bold tastes that we have come to expect from Goat Head. If you are a fan of Marble beers, then you need to sample some of Goat Head’s beers, which have plenty of hops in the Imperial Red. The Java Stout compares favorably with Santa Fe’s version. If you love some coffee flavor, this beer packs a ton of it.

Music: Thurs — Underground Etiquette Thursdays, 8 p.m.

Bosque Brewing Company — 750-7596

(Mon–Thurs 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri–Sat 2 p.m.–midnight)

Beers: Boss PA, Scotia Scotch, California Commons, Ember IPA, Brewer’s Boot Amber Ale, Bitter Brit English IPA, Olde Bosky (Porter), Kindling (Golden), Mellow Brit (Brown), Cumulus IPA. California Commons is a Steam Beer, which is one of the few beer styles created in the United States. Stoutmeister joked “it’s so smooth it stole three of my future girlfriends.” According to BBC’s website, Kindling is “a smooth and crisp Golden Ale. Very drinkable.” Bitter Brit is “an English IPA, with subtle citrus notes.” Mellow Brit is “an English Brown with hints of honey.” And Olde Bosky is “a robust porter with roasted and coffee undertones.”

News: BBC’s Imperial Stout will be hitting taps in about two weeks.

Broken Bottle Brewery — 890-8777

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

Beers: End of Days Tripel, Cracked Cork BarleyWine, Anamole (Chocolate Red Chile Stout), Debacle Pumpkin Ale. According to B3’s website, their Cracked Cork BarleyWine is “a nice, slightly sweet barley wine fermented with raisins. Has a great caramel flavor and at 10% (ABV) it’s sure to put some hair on your chest!”

News: B3’s long awaited Glugg Porter is ready to make it to taps and is only waiting for room. That means you should go to Broken Bottle and drink up. It’s your civic duty! Also, B3 is now serving a limited menu in the taproom. The food is provided by one of ABQ’s best new restaurants, Paco’s. They 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.

Events: B3 has $3 beers every Tuesday from open to close. On Wednesday, B3 will be hosting their open mic from 8-10 p.m., with signups starting at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, B3 will have $1 off of pints for those who are watch the Super Bowl at the brewery and $1 off of growler refills for those watching the game at home or at a party.

Chama River Brewing Company — 342-1800

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

Beers: Big Head Imperial Ale, Cascade PA, Simcoe PA, Serenity Milk Stout. The Cascade and Simcoe Pale Ales take up where the Centennial and Chinook Pale Ales left off. For those who don’t know, Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, and Chinook are hops varieties with different flavor profiles. Chama River often brews pale ales based on a single hop variety. Simcoe hops are best know for adding especially bitter aromas and flavors to pale ales, and Cascade hops are medium strength and add citrus and floral notes to an ale.

Farside Brew Pub — 918-2337

(Mon–Thurs 4 p.m.–10:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 3 p.m.–midnight, Sun 4–7 p.m.)

Beers: English Brown Smog, Belgian Mistress, Charlie’s Old Red, Dead Red, Feather Weight Ale, Dragon’s Blood, Dark IPA, Matt’s Wine Barrel Sour, Desert Rose. Matt’s Wine Barrel Sour is a tasty concoction that adds hints of apple to give this sour beer a unique flavor that reminds me of the sour puckers candy that I used to eat when I was younger.

News: FBP has a new food menu including pizzas, salads, and subs.

Events: FBP will be showing the new season of The Walking Dead starting on Feb. 10.

Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737

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

Beers: The Donker (Belgian Strong Dark), Odin’s Imperial Red, London Calling ESB, Irish Red, Groping Gnome Belgian IPA, Saint Bob’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, Sasquatch Scotch, Marzen, Dark American Lager, Baltic Porter. Odin’s Imperial Red is a beer fit for the Norse god, made with five pounds of Simcoe hops per barrel. (10.25% ABV, 100+ IBU) The Donker was brewed with dark candy sugar. (10% ABV, 23 IBU) Clocking in at 65 IBU and 7.2-percent ABV, the Groping Gnome Belgian IPA is a light, yet hoppy, offering that is sure to become a classic.

News: The Wet Mountain IPA with summit and Amarillo hops is on tap for Cask Wednesday and the Oaked Irish will be on cask Saturday.

Music: Tues — Joe Daddy & Hoodoo Jeff (Blues) 6-9 p.m., Sun — Keith Sanchez (Songwriter) 3-6 p.m.

La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: BEER, Full Nelson (Double IPA), Whirlpool Pale Ale, Noche de Paz, Potter’s PA (Belgian-style pale ale), Hot Shots Rauch (Rauchbier). La Cumbre’s website had this to say about BEER, “This is by far the lightest beer that we have made, or ever will make. Utilizing 100% North American ingredients, including 25% corn, it is ‘lite,’ but it actually has flavor compared with what 95% of Americans are used to. Delicate hop nuances, and subtle esters, followed by a bone-dry finish, this is a great BEER to start the night off with.” (5.2 ABV, 25 IBU) LC’s website also described the Full Nelson Pale Ale, “If our Elevated IPA is on the hoppy side of the aisle for you, stay away. If you drink that beer and think to yourself in Homer Simpson’s voice, ‘That’s kinda hoppy… I guess …’ prepare to meet your match. This beer is gonna put the beat down. Will you tap out before you finish the pint?” (8.7% ABV, IBU: A lot!)

Music: Wed — Floozie 6-9 p.m., Sat — The Stu McKaskie Trio 7-10 p.m.

Marble Brewery — 243-2739

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

Beers: Stout Americano (6.2% ABV), Saison (6.5% ABV), Abbey Darkness (8.8% ABV), Imperial Stout (10% ABV). The Stout Americano is a hybrid between an Oatmeal Stout and an Imperial Stout that was brewed with roasted coffee beans provided by R. B. Winnings Coffee (located across the street from UNM on Central). According to Marble’s website, the Imperial Stout was “aged for a full year in oak bourbon barrels, this high gravity stout is a quintessential winter warmer.” (10% ABV, $7.00/Goblet, limit 2 per customer)

Events: Friday, February 1st, 5:30 pm Downtown Pub

This Friday (and every first Friday of the month) Marble will treat anyone who wishes to attend to a free brewery tour. Learn all about Marble Brewery’s history and their brewing techniques, philosophy, ingredients, and packaging process.

Check out Marble’s cask (a.k.a. “real” ale) selection on tap every Friday at the Downtown Pub.

The Supper Truck parks at Marble’s Downtown Pub every Saturday.

Nexus Brewery — 242-4100

(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: Tractor Hard Cider, Man Der Damm Lager, Adebisi (black lager). Man Der Damm Lager is group-effort brew dedicated to the late Javier Garcia. The Tractor Hard Cider is sweeter than their usual cider.

News: Tractor now has a Scramble Tap which is a tap connected to a pony keg of rotating beers. This allows Tractor to cycle through many different seasonals that they have stored, so there’s always something new on tap.

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: TMBC IPA, Triple Play PA, Oatmeal IPA, American Wheat, Celtic Brown, Ironman (Black IPA), Hoptimus Prime (Double IPA), 3-Galloot’s Pale Ale, Collateral Damage Barley Wine, Hybrid IPA, Cabo Lager, Red Rye, Collateral Damage Barley Wine on cask. TMBC’s web site has this to say about the Celtic Brown, “We are gearing up for St. Patties Day with this delicious Celtic Brown. The chocolate, melanoidin, carapils and victory malts are perfect accomplices to the chinook hops.” (5.5% ABV, 25 IBU, 1.054 OG) Stoutmeister, Shilling, Franz Solo, and Brandon all visited Turtle recently and gave positive reviews to the Celtic Brown and the Ironman.

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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