It’s go time, people!

ABQ Beer Week 2016 swings into action today (Thursday) with 14 events, from downtown to Nob Hill to the Northeast Heights, and all points in between. There will be special tappings, beer and food pairings, live music, and a whole lot more.

To help you out today and every day throughout this series of events, the Crew will have daily previews encapsulating every Beer Week-affiliated event. Think of us as your one-stop-shop for all the basic info you need.

Featured event

Every day we will pick what we consider the biggest, most interesting, most unique event. This does not mean you should go to only this event and ignore the rest. All of them deserve your attention, but realistically, you can probably only attend a few. So we will make our daily pick, and you can either jump on it, or declare the Crew is foolish (we kinda are) and pick your own.

What: Beer, Cheese & More! Where: Marble Brewery Downtown. When: 5 to 8 p.m. Cost: $25, buy in advance at the pub as they almost always sell out.

Details: One of the most popular of all the annual events will be part of today’s kickoff. Head downtown and get a tray of delicious cheeses, provided by Whole Foods, with each style paired up with a specific beer. Marble marketing director Elyse Cushman said she wants to keep a lot of it a surprise, but she did provide some cool info.

“We are, for the most part, using all special beers,” Elyse said. “Besides the Oatmeal Stout and the Pilsner, we’re using the Mosaic, which is a very, very special beer; the Brettanna Rouge, which is my personal favorite pairing out of this group, because the Rouge is so special, it’s a barrel-aged red with brettanomyces, it’s a very special beer as well; and then the 111 Farmhouse. I think they’re really great seasonals.”

Oh, come on, Elyse, just a little hint on the pairings?

“In terms of what cheeses were using, I think you’re going to be surprised,” she said. “I’m really excited about the flow of it, if that makes sense. I’m excited that we start with, they’re all decadent cheeses, but they’re not as pungent as other ones. We kind of have this roller coaster, this kind is pungent, this kind is spicy. It’s a palate roller coaster.

“I’m particularly excited about the last pairing, and that’s all I will say. The Brettanna is my favorite, but the last one is whoa, you would never expect it.”

Mystery beer! That alone should spark even more interest. Get thee to Marble!

Why you should go: Great beer paired with unique cheeses, plus the usual Marble vibe of endless fun. That should be plenty of reason. But, again, get those tickets before it starts! (If you have not already.)

All the other great events

What: Marble Special Tapping. Where: Spinn’s Burgers & Beer, 4411 Montano Rd. NW. When: 11:30 a.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: Marble will be tapping their new Marble Saison, which is a cousin to the 111 Farmhouse. Why you should go: All of you living on the West Side could probably use a beer with your lunch. Don’t worry, we won’t tell your bosses.

What: Santa Fe and Boese Brothers Collaboration Tapping. Where: Santa Fe ABQ Taproom. When: 3 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: The good folks at SFBC and their pals at Boese Brothers have blended their State Pen and Patriot Porters, but only after aging them in oak barrels. Why you should go: Because a blend of two great porters that have been oak aged just sounds wonderful.

What: Founders Sampling. Where: Total Wine Uptown. When: 3:30 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: Sample many of the top offerings from Michigan’s Founders Brewing. Why you should go: Free beer! (And you can grab a sixer on your way out.)

What: Abita Special Firkin Tapping. Where: Anodyne. When: 4 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: The Louisiana brewery has sent a firkin of their Horchata Turbodog. Why you should go: That has to be one of the strangest sounding, yet intriguing beers being offered anywhere. Leave it to Anodyne to be the ones to get their hands on it.

What: German Beer & Brats Night. Where: Rio Bravo Brewing. When: 4 p.m. Cost: $15 for a pint, brat, and potato salad. Details: Grab some German-themed grub and wash it down with a German-style beer, plus there will be live music from Jill Cohen at 4 p.m., and Grace at 6:30 p.m. Why you should go: It’s as close as you will get to Deutschland without requiring Lederhosen.

What: Marble Sampling and Special Tapping. Where: Whole Foods Academy. When: 4 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: There will be a sampling of Marble’s packaged beers, plus they’re putting a keg of Abricot Sour on tap in the Sandia Saloon, Whole Foods’ new craft beer bar. Why you should go: For all you Northeast Heights residents, you were gonna stop to buy some food for dinner anyway, so you might as well have a few samples and a pint, too.

What: La Cumbre Beer and Cheese Pairing. Where: Jubilation. When: 4 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: Get some samples of the new Strawberry Gose, plus Elevated IPA, Red Ryeot, Malpais Stout, Slice of Hefen, and Project Dank, each paired with a matching cheese. Why you should go: Free beer! Free cheese! And you can then buy some to take home (the beer, we’re not sure about the cheese).

What: Stone Special Release. Where: Two Fools Tavern. When: 4 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: Stone will bring Americano Stout and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Arrogant Bastard to one of Nob Hill’s finest institutions. Why you should go: Those big, dark, beautiful beers would pair nicely with some fish and chips or beef boxty.

What: Santa Fe Brewing Beer Dinner. Where: Torino’s @ Home, 7600 Jefferson St. NE. When: 6 p.m. Cost: $45 per person, call (505) 797-4491 for reservations. Details: AmyO got all the information you need. Why you should go: Delicious beer, delicious food, and you get to hang with one of the top two brewers from the largest brewery in New Mexico.

What: Colorado Brewery Showcase. Where: O’Niell’s Nob Hill. When: 6 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: Four Colorado heavyweights — Boulder, Left Hand, New Belgium, Oskar Blues — will have their beers available for sampling, plus many will be on tap. Meet the brewery sales reps and grab some swag. Why you should go: Free beer, nice people, plus you can stick around for a meal and a pint.

What: Ballast Point Special Tapping. Where: Nob Hill Bar & Grill. When: 6 p.m. Cost: No entry fee. Details: The Piper Down just won a silver medal at the World Beer Cup in the Irish-style Red category. This batch was barrel aged, just to make it more awesome. Why you should go: Award-winning barrel-aged beer. Need we say more?

What: Third Annual Sierra Nevada Sausage and Cheese Tasting. Where: O’Niell’s Juan Tabo. When: 6 p.m. Cost: TBA. Details: The ultimate food-and-beer pairing from Sierra Nevada is back. This year will feature the full lineup of 2016 Beer Camp Across America on tap, all paired with unique sausages and cheeses and more. Why you should go: This year’s Beer Camp is quite a bit better than what they had last year. That alone should convince you to go.

What: Brews and Blues with Roger Lewis All Stars. Where: Albuquerque Brewing. When: 7 p.m. Cost: No cover. Details: Head up to ABC for a jam session. Bring your own instrument(s), but take note it’s mostly blues and jazz. Why you should go: If you’re a musician or just love listening to music and/or dancing, this is your event.

* * * * *

Got any questions, comments, complaints, send them to nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com, or leave them here on our site, on Facebook, or on Twitter (@nmdarksidebc).

Enjoy yourselves out there, but please, do it responsibly.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister