The ninth day of ABQ Beer Week is almost the finale. Only Blues & Brews remains after this, but as far as finales go, that one is pretty epic.

This day, however, is the one the Brew Crew has been looking forward to the most. After all, it has our very own event, the Dark Ages, capping off a jam-packed night. That preview gets its own separate post that will follow this.

Also, a big thanks to everyone that joined us, the ABQ Craft Beer Drinkers Group, and the Babes in Brewland down at Marble on Thursday night. We enjoyed talking about beer and drinking beer while we talked.

Here are the events for Friday besides Dark Ages.

What: Lips of Faith Pairings. Where: Geckos on Academy and in Nob Hill. When: all day. Cost: No cover charge. Details: This is the final night where you can get New Belgium Lips of Faith series beers paired up with Geckos’ tapas dishes. Why you should go: As our own Derek reviewed the other day, this is a great combo of tasty food and beer. Plus, it’s the last night, so if you have not gone yet, this is your last chance.

What: Broken Bottle Event. Where: Broken Bottle Brewery. When: 4 p.m. to midnight. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The guys at BBB will be releasing a new seasonal while the touring bad You Knew Me When (check them out here) will be playing. Why you should go: If you don’t want to leave the west side tonight, here is the Beer Week event for you. Let us know what the new seasonal is, we are intrigued.

What: Beer & Cheese Pairing. Where: Whole Foods on Carlisle. When: 4 to 6:30 p.m. Cost: Unknown. Details: If you missed the Beer & Cheese event at Marble earlier this week, you can make up for it by heading over to the store that employs more ABQ-area musicians than any other. Grab some cheese that will be paired up with beers from Odell. Why you should go: Support local music! Well, maybe you do by attending this, maybe you don’t, but go enjoy some tasty food and beer.

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: Imbibe in Nob Hill. When: 4 to 7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Lagunitas will bring two of its beers, Lagunitas Sucks imperial IPA and the wholly unique Wilco Tango Foxtrot, to tap. Why you should go: The WTF (see what they did there?) is a beer that almost defies classification. It looks like a brown ale, but has elements of pilsners, IPAs, and other beers all mixed in. Thankfully, it all comes together well.

What: Beer Sampling. Where: Jubilation on Carlisle and Lomas. When: 4 to 7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Left Hand will be bringing some tasty beers for you to try. This being Jubilation and all, we are fairly certain that you can then buy what you like afterward. Why you should go: Left Hand rules. Jubilation rules. What a combination of domination.

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: Billy’s Longbar on San Mateo north of Montgomery. When: 5 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Are you still sad that you missed Goose Island’s Bourbon County Coffee Stout at Two Fools last Friday? Well, here is your opportunity for redemption as this massive (14.2-percent ABV) elixir will be back on tap for one night only. Why you should go: This might be the single best out-of-town release any of the Crew have sampled this week. If you did not have any at Two Fools, go get some tonight.

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: O’Niell’s in Nob Hill. When: 5 to 7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: If you can’t make it over to Jubilation, Left Hand will be on hand here as well. Why you should go: If you want to have some dinner with your Left Hand, this is probably the better option. Just be warned, Brandon and I might be there, which could lead to us arguing over hockey. Oh, wait, no we won’t, since only my team (the Penguins) made the playoffs.

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: O’Niell’s on Juan Tabo. When: 5 to 7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: For those up in the Heights, Stone Brewing will have some of its beers for you to sample. Why you should go: Shouldn’t saying Stone be enough reason? Do you need more?

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: Sister Bar downtown. When: 5 to 7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Both La Cumbre and Oskar Blues will bring their beers to tap. Elevated IPA, our local heavyweight, will be joined by G’Knight Imperial Red and Old Chub Scottish Ale. Why you should go: Support local first, but then enjoy two of the better brews to come out of Colorado. And considering how many beers come out of Colorado, that’s saying something.

What: Special Beer Tasting. Where: Two Fools. When: 5 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Boulder Beer brings its Barrel Aged Coconut Never Summer Ale, a modified version of their winter seasonal, to tap in the final Two Fools event of Beer Week. Why you should go: Go grab some tasty food, watch some sports on TV, and let us know what this version of Boulder’s ale tastes like.

All right, that’s it for Friday’s events besides Dark Ages. Hey, you know what’s great? Almost all of these events end before Dark Ages starts! That means you can go to one or two of these (just be careful or get a designated driver/take a cab, etc.) and then still have time to come downtown and join us. Look for the big preview of our event next!

And to all the bars, breweries, restaurants, and other establishments that have taken part in and supported Beer Week, we say thank you one and all. It has been a blast this year.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister