Greetings Burque beer drinkers, this is E-Rock here to bring you another Monday installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. As always, this column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, music, and events served up in and around the Albuquerque metro area.

On Saturday, Broken Bottle Brewery will be celebrating their one-year anniversary. Festivities will include giveaways, gift cards, special Mug Club Memberships, live music (see music listing below for details), and the unveiling of the naming winner of their new Strawberry Chocolate Brown. If you haven’t been to B3, now is a great time to check out this great brewery gracing the west side.

There are several notable seasonal beer releases this week. ABQ Brew Pub is now serving home brewer Ben Miller’s newest creation, the Pecan Ale. Back Alley Draft House has a new Apricot IPA coming out in a couple of days. Bosque Brewing Company now has Valley Fog, their new California steam beer recipe, on tap. Cazuela’s is introducing their new Porter this week. Il Vicino is now serving their Saison and their new steam beer, Ghost of Steam. La Cumbre has a new batch of their powerful Barley’s Wine. Marble brought back their popular Stout Americano, made with roasted coffee beans from R. B. Winning’s Coffee. Sandia Chile Grill now has their Rattlesnake IPA on tap.

As always, I would like to give a special thanks to Sandia Chile Grill for hosting me as I created this week’s column and for supplying me with delicious fajita quesadillas, Rattlesnake IPA, and the NM Cup gold medalist Gold Rush Pilsen. The folks at Sandia Chile Grill asked me to give a special shout out to Dougie and Brady at Il Vicino and Jeff at La Cumbre for the help.

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 April 15.

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: Pecan Ale. ABP carries beers from Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande Brewing and Monk’s Brewing. Most of their beers are on tap all year long. Several times a year ABP serves up the latest creation by local brewing hero and winner of the Samuel Adams Longshot competition, Ben Miller.

Back Alley Draft House — 766-6973 (NYPD)

(Hours 4 p.m.-11 p.m. daily)

Beers: Apricot IPA, Back Alley IPA, Red, Barley Wine. A fresh new batch of the Back Alley IPA went on tap last week.

News: BADH’s “Tour Of Sour” begins on Friday, April 26 from 5-8 p.m. featuring four NEW Belgian Sour Ales on draft. More details to come!

Celebrate Dollar off Tuesdays on your favorite beers. Industry people always get a dollar off; show your server certificate or some other proof that you work in the crazy restaurant/bar industry. (Kitchen peeps TOO!)

Bosque Brewing Company — 750-7596

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun noon-8 p.m.)

Beers: Valley Fog (California Stream), Engaano Hefeweizen, Mellow Brit English Brown, Bosque’s Burning Red Rye. Bosque is taking $1 per pint purchased of Engaano and donating it to adoption agencies (see news entry below for details).

News: Bosque Brewing Co. is excited to announce their “Adopted” line of specialty ales! Periodically, they will release 7-barrel batches of seasonal ales and $1 of each pint sold will be donated to the ABBA Fund, an organization that extends zero-percent interest loans to families aspiring to adopt domestically and internationally. Their first Adopted Ale is the Engaano Hefeweizen.

BBC has several beers in the works including a new pale ale, a new steam, and a new beer that will benefit the NM Chapter of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Stay tuned for more details as we receive them.

Music: Mon — Gerald Burkhart 6-8 p.m.

Broken Bottle Brewery — 890-8777

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

Beers: Strawberry Chocolate Brown, Hoppy Birthday, Elixir (Vanilla Cream Ale), Sickle and Hammer Imperial Red, Nacho Brau. Hoppy Birthday is an extra hoppy IPA that was brewed to celebrate B3’s one year anniversary this Saturday. The Strawberry Chocolate Brown is unnamed at this time, but you can help B3 pick a name. Submit your suggestion, and if B3 picks your suggestion then you will win a FREE GROWLER FILLED! The winner will be announced at their one-year anniversary party this Saturday.

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 Thursday, B3 will host World Tavern Poker (it’s free to play and you can earn points, prizes, and a shot at the World Series of Poker). On Saturday, Broken Bottle will be celebrating their one-year anniversary. Festivities include giveaways, gift cards, special Mug Club Memberships, live music (see music listing below for details), and the unveiling of the naming winner of their new Strawberry Chocolate Brown. Drop by and help them celebrate.

Music: Fri — Kyle Martin 7-8 p.m., Sat — Waylaid 4-6 p.m, Villan 6-8 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — 994-9364

(Hours of operation are not yet posted.)

Beers: Porter (5.9% ABV), Inebriator (Doppel Bock) (8+% ABV), Chupacabra IPA (7.2% ABV), Cerveza Por Mis Cavallios Oatmeal Stout (5.5% ABV), Tomazula Brown (5.2% ABV), Tierra del Fuego Cream Ale (5.0% ABV), P.J.’s Amber, and an ESB. Cazuela’s newest beer is the Porter. Stoutmeister is still the lone Crew member to head out there. He highly recommends the Tomazula Brown and the ESB. The former is sweet and full-bodied, while the latter is dry but not bitter. Once we get through the madness of Beer Week, the Crew will head over to Cazuela’s to do a formal review and full tasting.

Chama River Brewing Company — 342-1800

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

Beers: The Big Lebrewski (Double IPA), Chama Märzen, Irish Red, Nobel Session PA. The Big Lebrewski is a sweet in taste and golden in color. The Chama Märzen is dark in color and smooth and malty in flavor. Several members of the Brew Crew enjoyed this beer at our monthly meeting yesterday. Also new to tap is Chama’s Irish Red. The Brew Crew reviewed the Irish Red as part of our mini Irish Red Challenge. You can find a review of Chama’s Irish Red here.

Farside Brew Pub — 918-2337

(Mon–Thurs 4 p.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 3 p.m.–11 p.m., Sun 4–8 p.m.)

Beers: English Brown Smog, Dragon’s Blood (India Dark Ale), C Squared (Kolsch), Sunburn Irish Red, Triple Chocolate Stout, Zombie IPA, Feather Weight Ale. FBP has revamped their Triple Chocolate Stout. FPB’s popular Dragon’s Blood is a little lighter than a black IPA, but it still has the bite of a good American style IPA. I’m told the new batch has a cleaner and crisper taste. FPB’s Sunburn Irish Red is a mellow red that sits at a cool 4.8-percent ABV and 18 IBU.

News: FBP will soon be switching to a new four-barrel system which will help double their output!

Events: FBP is now hosting $3 Pint Night every Monday and Thursday College Night (with a valid college ID) featuring a $7 Pizza and Pint Special, plus all night happy hour pints. FBP will be hosting an anniversary edition of their biweekly open mic on Tuesday with sign-ups starting at 7 p.m.

Il Vicino Brewing Canteen — 881-2737

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

Beers: Ghost of Steam, Saison, Black IPA, Raspberry Wheat, Milk Chocolate Cherry Stout, Odin’s (Imperial) Red, Cascade Pale Ale. 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 latest batch of the Milk Chocolate Cherry Stout was so good

Cask: The Motueka IPA is on tap for Cask Wednesday and the Saison, will be on cask Saturday.

Music: Tues — Prudencio Dimas w/Pawn Drive 6-9 p.m., Sun — JeeZ LaWeez(Bluegrass/Folk) 3-6 p.m.

La Cumbre Brewing — 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Barley’s Wine (10.8% ABV, 100 IBU), Gracias por Fumar (Smoked Porter), Red Red Rye, Where in the Helles Beer, Irish Red Lager, El Dorado PA. Project Dank made its debut at Cask Fest last month and took second place in open voting. This super hoppy gem clocks in at 7.6-percent ABV. La Cumbre’s website had this to say about the Barley’s Wine, “It’s not wine; trust me. What it is is an incredibly strong American ale of epic proportions. The beer pours a deep amber with a lasting off-white head. Rich, piney American hops are front and center in the aroma. Digging deeper, you’ll find rich caramel, figs, and freshly baked rum-cake? The initial sip is mouth-filling to say the least. Sweet malt is there in spades, but it’s backed up by an obscene amount of spicy hops. The beer coats the tongue with a plethora of beery complexity; hops, hops and more hops, hugely rich malt, and finally alcohol. Ahh… the alcohol. It’s well hidden, until you swallow and then the warmth creeps back up your esophogas letting you know this is no normal beer. This monster finishes with an incredibly drying and lasting bitterness that accomplishes it’s goal of balancing out all that malt.” (10.8% ABV, 100 IBU)

Cask: La Cumbre usually offers a couple beers on cask. As of the time of this post, this week’s cask beers are yet to be determined.

Food: The Rustic Food Truck parks at La Cumbre on Tuesday, and The Supper Truck parks there Thursday.

Music: Wed — Floozie 6-9 p.m., Sat — Odd Dog 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, Double White, Tripel. Marble’s website had this to say about the Tripel, “This potent, golden, Belgian-inspired ale is brewed with Sorachi Ace hops to balance the style’s intrinsic sweetness.” (9.5% ABV, $5.50/13 oz., Growler fill add $6) The Stout Americano is back for a second round. Stoutmeister and I had pints this past Saturday; it has a strong coffee flavor again but is not overpowering. It has a nice, smooth finish similar to the Oatmeal Stout.

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

News: Marble’s Double White should be back on tap some time next week.

Events: On Sunday, Marble will host Brews for Brazil. They will be donating a portion of their profits to UNM’s International Medical Delegation which will be funding medical supplies for clinics and orphanages in Brazil.

Food: The Supper Truck will be at the Downtown Pub on Wednesday from 5 p.m.-late. Chicharroneria Don Choche will be at the Downtown Pub on Thurday and Friday . The Supper Truck parks at Marble’s Downtown Pub every Saturday.

Nexus Brewery — 242-4100

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

Beers: Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Dark Strong (10.2% ABV), Imperial Red, Imperial Cream Ale, Belgian Golden (5.8% ABV), Extra Pale Ale. Nexus is premiering their second Belgian ale this month. The Oatmeal Stout is slated to make its first appearance on tap at Nexus. Belgian Dark Strongs are loaded with malts and have a sweet taste that even a stout drinker would love.

Cask: Nexus is currently featuring their Scottish Ale on cask this week.

Events: Nexus serves up Happy Hour All Day on Tuesday featuring $3 pints. Also on Tuesday, Nexus will be hosting their comedy open mic, Young Dumb and Full of Comedy, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Sun Room. They also have Ladies Night on Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. featuring $3 pints for the ladies.

Sandia Chile Grill — 798-1970

(Mon–Sat 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–6 p.m.)

Beers: Rattlesnake IPA, Amber, Red Ryder Imperial Irish Red, Nitro Milk Stout, IPA, New Mexico Gold Rush Pilsen, Irish Red Ale (6% ABV). SCG’s Red Ryder Imperial Irish Red is comparable to a Scottish ale, but it is darker in color with a sweet-to-dry flavor profile. Sitting at 7 percent ABV, the Red Ryder is a heavy hitter, so be careful or you will poke your eye out! SCG’s New Mexico Gold Rush Pilsen recently took first place at the New Mexico Cup competition. This is one crisp and tasty beer that is not to be missed. SCG’s Nitro Milk Stout is smooth with a subtle smoked finish.

News: SCG will have an extra hoppy IPA, called the Rattlesnake IPA, on tap in about a week. SCG also has a new, sweeter batch of their Nitro Milk Stout in the works as well as a new batch of their Crystalweizen.

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: Chocolate Stout, Ox Bow Scotch, Barnstorm Ale, Goat Head Hater Doppel Bock, Duchess (Imperial) Pale Ale, Tractor Hard Cider. Tractor had a post on their Facebook page that had this to say about the Goat Head Hater Doppel Bock, “a doppelbock is a German style bock (lager) that was traditionally brewed in the late fall, lagered (stored in the cellar) over the winter and served in late winter or early spring. We adhere to this tradition here at Tractor; this doppelbock was brewed in November and has been lagering until now.” The Tractor Hard Cider is sweeter than their usual cider. Stoutmeister recently called the Chocolate Stout “my new addiction.” It has a drier, more mocha-style profile than the more prolific milk chocolate-style stouts at most breweries these days.

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: Dubbel Trubbel, Cherry Wheat, Hopduster IPA, Ol’ Brown Eyes, Celtic Brown, Nitro Irish Stout, Belgian IPA, Imperial Pilsner, Steam+, Hybrid IPA, Cabo Lager, Red Rye. TMBC’s website has this to say about the Belgian IPA, “This beer is absolutely delicious. Hopped and dry-hopped with Tettnanger hops and a bunch of pale malt and the Belgian yeast came together very well.” (6.83% ABV, 50 IBU, 1.068 OG) TMBC’s website also has this to say about Dubbel Trubbel, “Here’s a perfectly brewed Belgian Dubbel to close out our Belgian series of beers. Candied sugars help bring out those oh-so-distinct flavors. Cheers!” (6.0% ABV, 20 IBU, 1.060 OG)

Cask: TMBC is currently featuring Mr. Hoover’s Steam on cask.

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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