Archive for March, 2017

Drafty Kilt picks up steam after quiet opening

Posted: March 30, 2017 by cjax33 in Look Back/Look Ahead Series 2016-17
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Drafty Kilt has started to find its audience after opening in the slow season.

For our final entry in the Look Back/Look Ahead Series (scroll to the bottom for more), I stopped at Drafty Kilt Brewing this week to talk to owner/brewer Mike Campbell. Drafty Kilt was the last brewery to open in 2016, popping up in November, just in time to hit the slow season around the holidays. Since then, however, things have started to take off for the brewery.

“We opened the week of Thanksgiving, so the first five weeks were open had holidays and snow days,” Mike said. “It wasn’t until the end of January that we started getting into a routine where people start getting off at 5 (p.m.) and this is what we can expect. It was a weird time to open. It’s always January and February are generally slow for the industry. But, day by day, we get known more and more.”

One way that Drafty Kilt got its name out there was through a bit of a non-traditional (for breweries) website.

“We did Groupon, which seems to have had a pretty good … I’d rate it a success,” Mike said. “It introduced a lot of people (to us) who typically don’t even read your blog or the Southwest Brewing News. They like beer, but they’re not in the culture. They heard of us only through Groupon.”

The wall art is unique among breweries.

The brewery has also been adding weekly events, including Geeks Who Drink every Tuesday, sponsoring a dart league team that competes every Wednesday, an open mic/jam session every Thursday, and then live music, be it just a guitar player or a full band, every Friday and Saturday.

Drafty Kilt is also working on a fundraiser with a local motorcycle club. Mike said it is the same club that just had a member shot and killed at a car wash on the West Side recently. That event with the club, which will now be in support of his family, will take place April 8.

Of course, events and fundraisers are one thing, but the backbone of every brewery is the beer itself.

“The beers have been received very well,” Mike said. “We had to make second batches, of course. We’re going to start some distribution, very small at first due to the lack of kegs that I have.”

Mike said his beers could soon be on tap at Sister downtown, Las Ristras in Corrales, plus at least one more bar and another couple of breweries.

The delicious Obliviscaris Stout is a burly throwback to the stouts of old.

Overall, as a veteran brewer, Mike said he has been happy with his beers to date. It has not gone totally according to plan, however.

“The (McWabbit) Pale Ale had, that was our second brew, and we had a stuck mash,” Mike said. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to exactly duplicate it again, but it tasted a lot better than I was afraid it would. Otherwise, I’m proud of the beers. They came out nice, crisp, no off-flavors (or) characteristics. The (Obliviscaris) Oatmeal Stout is nice and filling, easy going. The smoke in the (Wee Beastie) Scottish Ale surprises some people.”

The Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale and Campbell Toe IPA have rounded out the initial lineup. Some additional beers are in the works.

“I’ve got the red carbonating,” Mike said. “We’re going to name it in recognition of both its Irish roots and the New Mexico, you know how natives ask you a question and then end it with a question? They say ‘McRojo or No?’”

After that, Mike said he hopes to have a specific brew for the warmer months.

“I want to brew a hefe soon, but I’m also having to get back and double up (on batches),” he said. “I’ve got to brew another IPA (soon). I’ve got the cream ale and Scottish going out to distributorship.

“You’re already looking at next month is the (soonest) I can have another beer on tap. Then it will seem like the next month is July. It’s going by pretty quick.”

Show that Scottish pride!

Drafty Kilt will be at a number of upcoming festivals, including the Blazin’ Brewfest in Las Cruces on May 6, the ABQ Blues & Brews on May 28, at least two of the Summerfests, and the Fourth of July festival at the Balloon Fiesta Park. That, in turn, should further help get the Drafty Kilt name out there to the beer geeks and the general public.

If you get the chance, make sure to stop by the brewery at 4814 Hardware NE. It is just south of McLeod and west of San Mateo, right around the corner from Movies 8.

A big thanks to Mike for the interview and the pint of stout!

* * * * *

This will mark the final official entry for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series in 2016-17. For a variety of reasons, we were unable to get to every brewery this time around. If by some chance another story does come to fruition, we will still post it here, but as more of a standalone feature.

Thanks for reading all of these. We will have a new ongoing series starting soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

The Week Ahead in Beer: Start April in a charitable way

Posted: March 29, 2017 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Socorro, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Once again, our breweries are stepping up to help out various charities this weekend. One event is Saturday, the other three are Sunday. First up, Sidetrack is hosting the Downtown Grower’s Market Launch Party fundraiser from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday. There will be raffle prizes, multiple food trucks and other local vendors, and a full musical lineup including Kathleen Smith at 2 p.m., Kevin Herig at 4 p.m., and The Squash Blossom Boys at 6 p.m. For every Sidetrack pint you buy, $1 will go to the market. Then on Sunday at 1 p.m., Marble hosts the Casa Barelas fundraiser, also with $1 from every beer going to the charity, which provides classes in arts and culture to children and adults in the Barelas community. My Sweet Basil will be parked outside, and there will be live performances by DJ Halcyon, Baracutanga, and youth folklorico and guitar players. That same day, Tractor Wells Park hosts the Don’t Frack with Chaco Canyon fundraiser at 3 p.m. There will be food trucks, vendors, and live music. It costs $5, but all of the door proceeds will go to Environment New Mexico, an organization dedicated to protecting our state’s natural resources from the dangers of fracking. Innastate, The Jir Project, Rev The Music, and Kiko Villamizar will be performing. Not to leave Santa Fe out, Rowley Farmhouse Ales is having a Marble rare beer tap takeover on Sunday, and it will be combined with an adoption event for the Espanola Valley Humane Society from noon to 3 p.m. The beers will be available all day, including old favorite Double White, plus Bacon’s Best Friend, Blackberry Gose, The Golden Ape, Northeast by Northeast IPA, and Woodshed Double Red. A portion of the proceeds from the beer sales will go to the EVHS. Get out there and enjoy a couple beers for a good cause this weekend!

On the new beer front this week, there are a few additional options to check out. Bosque unleashes another lupulin-powder-powered beer, Sticky Fingers IPL. Boxing Bear brings back a gold medalist in The Red Glove, plus Black and Blue Sour returns Saturday both on tap and now in bombers. Canteen has a fresh batch of Exodus IPA, plus Malt Madness is underway again. Chama River recently added The Incredible Kolsch, while Seasoned Strop Belgian DIPA is back. La Cumbre sticks with its recent German theme with Ein Beer Bitte! Marble has Wheat Out on tap at two taprooms, with Brown Rye debuting at the Heights location. Ponderosa’s 200th beer, a Baltic porter, will be released this week. Quarter Celtic tells everyone to Czech it Bro. Sidetrack introduces Chinook IPA and Coal Bank Stout. Turtle Mountain hops to it with Good Ol’ Brown IPA.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales says Good on Ya. Santa Fe brought back Western Bloc IPA over the weekend. Second Street resurrects a hoppy favorite in Fulcrum IPA.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of March 27.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Ale Republic — (505) 281-2828

(Mon–Thurs 2–10 p.m., Fri–Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Pine Juice IPA, Golden, Brune, Wheat Wine. The Strong Dark and Handsome has run out, but there are fresh batches of Brune (5.2% ABV, 22 IBU) and Wheat Wine (5.4% ABV, 17 IBU) available. Wheat and Wild will join them Saturday, with Blonde and Dubbel on deck.

Alien Brew Pub — (505) 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Call the number above for details on any small-batch beers currently available. They change frequently. The rest of the lineup is from the Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande family of beers.

Back Alley Draft House — (505) 766-8590

(Sun–Weds 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thurs–Sat 4 p.m. to midnight)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Sundays are Service Nights at Back Alley, with $2 off all beers for service industry workers. Bring your server’s ID and you will be rewarded. All beers are $1 off on Tuesdays.

Bistronomy B2B — (505) 262-2222

(Mon–Tues 4-9 p.m., Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-9:30 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

The Blue Grasshopper — (505) 896-8579

(Noon to 11 p.m. most days, call for more info)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Live Music: Bands perform from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Click the link for the schedule.

News: The Blue Grasshopper taproom on Coors, just north of Montano, is now open! We will have more soon.

Boese Brothers Brewery — (505) 382-7060

(Hours: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–midnight, Fri 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Sat noon–2 a.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Patriot Porter, La Onza White Ale, Dr. Strangehop XPA, Duke City Lager, Double Dead Ale, Comrade Boese, Cascade Grenade. Double Dead Ale and Dr. Strangehop are also available in bombers. Comrade Boese is an oak-aged Russian imperial stout, in case the name wasn’t enough to help you guess its identity. Zeus Juice White IPA will return Saturday on tap and in bombers.

Events: Saturday—Patio Re-re-reopening Party, 1 p.m.

Live Music: Saturday—DJ Speed One, 5-8 p.m., Alex Maryol, 9-11 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Boese will have a happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $3 pints. You can also get $3 pints all day Tuesday and $6 growler fills all day Wednesday.

Bosque Brewing Company — (505) 750-7596 (main brewery), (505) 508-5967 (Nob Hill Public House), (575) 571-4626 (Las Cruces Taproom)

(Main brewery on San Mateo: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-8 p.m.; Nob Hill: Mon–Weds 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun noon-11 p.m.; Las Cruces: Sun–Thurs noon-11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: Scale Tipper, Tropics via Brussels, Peated Scotia, Sangre De Coco, English Boot, Sticky Fingers IPL. The Sangre is an imperial brown infused with coconut and chocolate. It is quite the dessert beer. This batch of Scale Tipper is rather wonderful thanks to the addition of Citra lupulin powder. Get it on tap and in bombers.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — (505) 247-9800

(Mon-Weds 3–10 p.m., Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri-Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Flint & Grit (British Mild), Sun Dagger (Saison), Crossed Arrows (Scotch Ale), Hoka Hey (IPA), Jemez Field Notes Lager, Bucking Brown-co, Autumn Archer (Marzen), Wayward Arrow Hefeweizen, Radical Aim IPA, Bock in the Day, Chaco Sunrise. The most recent additions are the Bock in the Day and the Chaco Sunrise, a wine barrel-aged saison. Both were brewed for the recent first anniversary party.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bow & Arrow has happy hour every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Get $1 off pints. A new late happy hour starts Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — (505) 897-2327

(Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.)

Beers: Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Lung Smoked Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout (also on nitro), Simcoe SMASH, New Mexikolsch, Bearzen, The Red Glove. You can still buy bombers of Chocolate Milk Stout and The Red Glove, which both took home gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival back in October, as well as Sucker Punch DIPA.

Events: Saturday—Black and Blue Sour Release Party, all day

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Every day at lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for just $10 you can get a pint and a panini of your choice.

Broken Trail Brewery & Distillery — (505) 221-6281

(Mon-Thu 3-9 p.m., Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Pepe the Mule. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. Look for it soon in package format. Double Black IPA is the first hop-forward beer from Broken Trail.

Weekly Events (main location): Today (Wednesday)—Cards Against Humanity hosted by 10 Drink Minimum, 7 p.m.; Sunday—Build-your-own Mule bar, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesday—All house beers are $2 a pint

Canteen Brewhouse — (505) 881-2737 (brewery), (505) 200-2344 (taproom)

(Brewery: Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight; Taproom: Open daily 3–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tuttle IPA, Nor14 Pale Ale, Exodus IPA, Irish Red, Schwarzbier. Say hello to the Nor14 and Schwarzbier, the most recent new additions. The Dougie Style Amber is also on nitro. Take note, Malt Madness is back, pitting Canteen’s beers against each in a one-on-one blind tasting each day until a final winner is crowned.

Events: Malt Madness, today (Wednesday)—Flashback IPA vs. India Pale Lager, all day; Thursday—Vienna Lager vs. Helles, all day

Live Music: Thursday—Lonn Calanca Band, 6-9 p.m.; Sunday—The Squash Blossom Boys, 3-6 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — (505) 994-9364

(Open daily 8 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Papacabra (Double IPA), Acapulco Gold (Mexican Lager), Chupacabra IPA, Piedra del Fuego Stoned Cream Ale, Beer for My Horses (Oatmeal Stout). These are the regular house beers. Call the number above for an updated seasonal list.

Chama River Brewing Company — (505) 342-1800

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

Beers: The Lighter Fare (ESB), The Darker Fare (Nitro Irish Dry Stout), Seasoned Strop Belgian DIPA, The Incredible Kolsch. The Lighter Fare and Darker Fare are delicious collaborations made with Nexus. The Kolsch lives up to its name, a little crisp, mildly sweet, and just the kind of sessionable beer we needed before the weather flipped again.

Dialogue Brewing — (505) 585-1501

(Open daily noon-midnight)

Beers: Belgian Citrus IPA, Berliner Weisse, Dark Helmet (Swartzbier), American Dark Sour, Scarlet Beh-Gose, Helles Good, When in Doubt (Session Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Panza Mexican Vienna Lager, Micro Hands Session IPA, SCH Scotch Lager, Lloyd’s Extra Gloves, Dennis Hopper (Hoppy Wheat), Filth Peddler (Sour Lager). The last two there, Dennis Hopper and Filth Peddler, are the most recent additions to the unique lineup.

Weekly Events: Monday—Service Industry Night, 6 p.m.

Drafty Kilt Brewing — (505) 881-0234

(Sun 11 a.m–10 p.m., Mon 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Tues–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Wee Beastie Scottish Ale, McWabbit Pale Ale, Campbell Toe IPA, Obliviscaris Oatmeal Stout. Brewer/owner Mike Campbell has five of his own creations on tap at 4814 Hardware Dr. NE, including the Campbell Toe (no snickering). The Obliviscaris is a burly throwback to the stouts of old.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Flix Brewhouse — (505) 445-8500

(Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight)

Beers: January Embers English Barleywine, 50 Shades of Schwarzbier, Stuntman Lager, So It Gose, Mr. Cutty Fingers, Saison de Walt. January Embers is a delicious, hefty (9.9% ABV) beast of a beer. Get it while it lasts. Mr. Cutty Fingers is a loganberry IPA brewed up for the movie Logan, if you could not guess.

Kaktus Brewing — (505) 379-5072

(Bernalillo hours Mon-Thu 2-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-10 p.m., Sun 11:30-9 p.m.)

Beers: Umlaut Stout, ESB, Blonde Ale, Helles Lager, Imperial Stout, Honk Ale, Oaxford IPA, D’Golden Amber, Walnut Cider, DjinnJar Kombucha. The most recent additions are the D’Golden Amber, Honk Ale, and the burly Umlaut Stout, which is not for the faint of heart, er, palate.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Thursday—The Desert Darlings, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Bernalillo): Sunday—Brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., The Desert Darlings, 6-8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Kaktus has several new weekday specials in Bernalillo, including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

La Cumbre Brewing — (505) 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Ein Beer Bitte!, Munchner Dunkel, Ekuanot S.M.A.S.H. IPA, Gracias Por Fumar, Pogue Mahone (on nitro). Before anyone asks, yes, the batch of Project Dank bottled on March 6 is the one that won the National IPA Challenge. If you cannot handle that many hops, grab a brandy-barrel-aged Gracias, or keep St. Patrick’s Day alive longer with some Pogue Mahone.

Live Music: Saturday—High Desert Playboys, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Lego Night Build Off, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lizard Tail Brewing — (505) 717-1301

(Mon–Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-7 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Lizard Tail’s happy hour runs seven days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. You get $1 off food, flights, and pints.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.; Thursday—Karaoke, 8-11 p.m.

Marble Brewery — (505) 243-2739 (downtown), (505) 508-4638 (Westside), (505) 323-4030 (Heights)

(Downtown: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.; Westside: Mon–Thurs noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.; Heights: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: American Porter, India Wheat Ale, Stout Americano, Steel Maverick, Saison de Burque, Woodshed Double Red (Downtown and Westside), Dark Strong (Downtown and Westside), Golden S.M.A.S.H. (Downtown and Westside), Dang Pale Ale (Heights and Westside), Choco Mole Lager (Heights and Westside), The Golden Ape (Heights and Westside), Wheat Out (Heights and Westside), White Out (Downtown only), NitrOatmeal Stout (Heights only), Brown Rye (Heights only), Northeast by Northeast IPA (Westside only), Paddy McNitro (Westside only), Bandelier Brown (Westside only). Some recent additions include Woodshed, a barrel-aged version of the Imperial Red blended with the regular hoppy Red Ale, plus of course Stout Americano, on tap and for sale in bombers. Steel Maverick is a Belgian-style red ale made in collaboration with Steel Bender Brewyard.

Live Music (Downtown): Thursday—Jahman Braham, 7-10 p.m.; Friday—Zillaphyst, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Zoltan & the Fortune Tellers, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Heights): Friday—Leftover Soul, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Sloan Armitage, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Westside): Friday—Alex Maryol, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday—Jade Masque, 8-11 p.m.

Events (Downtown): Sunday—Casa Barelas Fundraiser, 1-5 p.m. (see our intro)

Weekly Events (Downtown): Saturday—Brewery tours, 2 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — (505) 242-4100 (brewery), (505) 226-1055 (Silver Taproom)

(Brewery: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Silver Taproom: Mon–Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Milk Stout, Strong Ale, Irish Red, The Lighter Fare, The Darker Fare. Just about every beer on tap has come online in the past couple weeks. Malty goodness in spades! The Lighter Fare (ESB) and The Darker Fare (Irish Dry Stout on nitro) were brewed in collaboration with Chama River.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Monday–Friday, $5 appetizers, 3-5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Silver Taproom): Saturday—a live DJ will perform; Sunday—a live band will perform at 2 p.m.

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — (505) 508-0508

(Tues–Sat 3–9 p.m.)

Beers: MWA (Malt With Attitude), Guero (Belgian Wit), Pale Ale, Cockness Monster (Scotch Ale), Palmergranite Wit, Cafe Pale Ale, Switch Stance Stout. Palmer shares a building with Left Turn Distilling on Girard south of Candelaria. We got the full story on their origin and what’s to come in 2017.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — (505) 639-5941

(Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: Oud Bruin, Schwarzbier, IPL, Imperial Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Simcoe Single-Hop Pale Ale. The Oud Bruin, a brown sour, is now on tap and for sale in bombers. You can also still purchase bombers of Sour Saison, Big Belgian IPA, and Preacher’s Daughter (Belgian Golden Strong) at the taproom or at liquor stores around town. Look for Ponderosa’s 200th beer, a Baltic Porter, this week.

Live Music: Today (Wednesday)—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.; Saturday—The Bus Tapes, 6 p.m.

Quarter Celtic Brewpub — (505) 503-1387

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Beers: A Pale Ale Named Desire, MacLomas (Dry) Stout, Phat Tiery, Kill or be Kilt, Czech it Bro. The last beer there is a new Czech-style amber ale, similar to a Marzen.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League viewing party, 8 a.m.

Red Door Brewing — (505) 633-6675 (brewery), (505) 990-3029 (downtown taproom)

(Brewery hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Downtown taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Ottobrau Pilsner, Bock to Basics, Peach Patersbier, Calypso SMaSH Pale Ale (downtown taproom only). The Peach Patersbier is a Belgian dark ale brewed with peaches.

Weekly Events (Brewery): Monday—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Taproom): Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7-9 p.m.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company — (505) 900-3909

(Mon–Thu noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Rio Bravo Amber, Weizen, Randy’s Shandy, Dirty Rotten Bastard IPA, Snakebite IPA, Randy’s Red Ale, La Luz Lager, Old Town Porter (regular and barrel aged), Barley Wine, Cereza Loco (Cherry Sour), NM Pinon Coffee Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Barrel-aged Belgian Strong Golden, Marzen, Level 3 IPA, Grab ‘Em By the Putin, Lemongrass Wit. The Level 3 (7.5% ABV, 120 IBU) should satisfy any hophead. The Putin is, in case you could not guess, a Russian imperial stout, checking in at a whopping 13-percent ABV. Lemongrass Wit is the most recent addition.

Live Music: Thursday—Thomas Zachary, 7 p.m.; Friday—The Blunts, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Nathan Fox, 8 p.m.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Movie Night, 7 p.m.; Friday—Philly Friday, all day; Tuesday—$2 Taco Tuesday, all day

Sandia Chile Grill — (505) 798-1970

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

Beers: Call the brewery for an updated list.

Sidetrack Brewing — (505) 288-6468

(Mon–Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri 3 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Young Thatch English-style IPA, Chinook IPA, Sidetrack Pilsner, Gandy Dancer Irish Red, Barrel-aged Pub Ale, Coal Bank Stout. The Chinook and Coal Bank are the most recent additions. The barrel-aged version of the Pub Ale was made with a barrel donated by Marble.

Cask: The Irish Red and Young Thatch are in the firkins.

Events: Saturday—Downtown Grower’s Market Launch Party, 2-10 p.m. (see our intro)

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Taco Tuesday, all day

Starr Brothers Brewing — (505) 492-2752

(Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day)

Beers: Starrstruck IPA, L.A. Woman (Blonde), Thunderr Ale IPA, Red Zepplin, Roisin Dubh (Irish Dry Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Lampshade Porter, Phantom Limb Black Rye IPA, Electric Sun American Wheat, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, The Green Manalishi. The most recent additions are the Brown Chicken, a double English-style brown ale, and Manalishi, a Mosaic single-hop pale ale.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League Viewing Party, 8 a.m.

Steel Bender Brewyard — (505) 433-3537

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: (house) Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, Sparkfitter Amber, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch, Blue Bullet Stout, The Village Wit; (seasonals/specialties) Steel Can Porter, Steel Maverick. Yes, folks, Steel Bender is open and off to a great start. They have the full beer lineup on tap, a full menu, the patio is ready to go, the driveway off Second Street is finished, basically everything we said would happen in our preview. Get over there and enjoy!

News: Next up on the beer list is the Village Idiot, an American hops saison.

The 377 Brewery — (505) 934-0795

(Open noon-11 p.m. most days)

Beers: English Best Bitter, Session IPA, Black IPA, Robust Porter, Kolsch, Hefe, Imperial Cream, IPA, Fully Booty Oatmeal Stout, Funky Punky Swartzbier, Red Horse NM Lager, SCH Scotch Lager. Holy moley, they now have multiple house beers on tap, which we recently reviewed. The most recent additions are the Red Horse (4.5% ABV, 14 IBU), IPA (7.2% ABV, 98 IBU), Oatmeal Stout (7.5% ABV, 62 IBU), and Funky Punky (5.5% ABV).

Tractor Brewing Company — (505) 433-5654 (Nob Hill), (505) 243-6752 (Wells Park)

(Nob Hill: Sun–Weds noon–midnight, Thurs noon–2 a.m., Fri–Sat noon–2 a.m.; Wells Park: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–close, Fri–Sun 1 p.m.–midnight)

Beers: Vulgar Display of Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout, Turkey Drool, Goathead Hador Doppelbock, Golden Ale, Stein Wine, Barnstorm Ale, Ebony & Ivory (Nob Hill only), Farmhouse Saison (Nob Hill only), Flanders Red Ale (Wells Park only), Cowgirl Coffee Stout on nitro (Wells Park only). That there Vulgar Display of Porter (8.8% ABV) is a Baltic made in collaboration with a certain group of beer writers. We hope you all enjoy it. The most recent additions are the Ebony & Ivory (pale stout) and Flanders Red Ale.

Live Music (Wells Park): Thursday—Stanlie Kee & Step In, 8 p.m.; Friday—Singer/Songwriter Competition, 7 p.m.; Saturday—Still Closed For Repairs Album Release, 7 p.m.

Live Music (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Sloan Armitage, 8:30 p.m.; Saturday—Miners Like Astronauts, 5 p.m.

Other Events (Wells Park): Sunday—Don’t Frack with Chaco Canyon Fundraiser, 3 p.m. (see our intro)

Other Events (Nob Hill): Saturday—Rachel Harris-Huffman Art Opening, 5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Wells Park): Monday—Monday Night Film Club, 8 p.m.; Tuesday—Kamikaze Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Writing Wednesdays, 5 p.m.; Monday—Tractor Tune Up, 7:30 p.m.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — (505) 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Tues 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Wed–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Reminder: TMBC closes early when business dictates. Please call.)

Beers: McSmack, Good Ol’ Brown IPA, Oaked Depravity, Marzen, Consensual Sensations DIPA, Snakedriver (on nitro). Depravity (10% ABV) is a beast of a barleywine, and the version is the last one on tap. The Snakedriver is an Irish dry stout, in case you couldn’t guess. Consensual Sensations (8.2% ABV, 125-plus IBU) is a beast of a DIPA, brewed up for TMBC’s 18th anniversary.

Cask: Tuesday—TBA

Events: Today (Wednesday)—Brewmaster’s Dinner, 6 p.m. (for full details, click here)

Santa Fe breweries

Blue Corn Brewery — (505) 438-1800

(Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tiny Mighty Session IPA, Imperial Stout, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Pale Ale. We eagerly await the Imperial Stout making a trek down to the Draft Station in Albuquerque. The two Belgian beers were brewed for the recent 20th anniversary party.

Chili Line Brewing — (505) 500-7903

(Mon–Sat 4–11 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: El Jefe (Rauchweizen), sIPApu (India Pale Lager), Antonio Bandito (Dunkelweizen), Llorona Lager. The sIPApu is back, now as an IPL. The Llorona Lager is the other recent addition to the lineup.

Live Music: Every night at 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Reverse happy hour after 9 p.m. includes $1 off pints, $6 appetizers, $10 entrees and pizzas.

Duel Brewing Company — (505) 474-5301

(Brewery: Mon–Sat open at 11 a.m., Sun open at 1 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sun noon–midnight)

Beers: Bad Amber, Pulp Fiction (IPA), Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Cezanne Verite, Rye Goya (Imperial Stout), Stocious (Wee Heavy), Suor Nelli (Barrel-aged Scottish Sour), Manikin (Scottish), Monomyth (Imperial IPA). The most recent additions are the Pulp Fiction, Cezanne Verite, Manikin, and Monomyth.

Live Music: Saturday—Rudy Boy Duo, 8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 4-6 p.m. (discounts for all draft beer), Growler Saturdays ($3 off growler fills).

Happy Hour/Discounts (ABQ taproom): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 5-7 p.m.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — (505) 428-0719

(Open all week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Fields of Rye, Stout-ish (with coffee), Saison du Sarlacc, Agent Scully – Season One, Colonel Citra, Biere de Mars, Good on Ya. The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Colonel Citra is another IPA made with, well, you can probably guess.

Events: Sunday—Marble Rare Beer Tap Takeover and Espanola Valley Humane Society Adoption Event, noon (see our intro)

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Special guest beer tapping, 4 p.m.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — (505) 424-3333

(Main taproom: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 2-8 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Western Bloc IPA, Hipster Union Red Rye, Adobe Igloo, Nuevo (Blonde Ale), Dysphotic Stout (ECS), Red Dawn Saison (ECS). The latest entry in the Ever Changing Series, Red Dawn Saison, will have you yelling “Wolverines!” or something of that sort. Western Bloc IPA is back, now part of a series of seasonal-themed IPAs called the In-and-Out Series. Freestyle Pilsner is back on tap and in six-packs.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Second Street Brewery — (505) 989-3278 (Railyard), (505) 982-3030 (original location)

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Boneshaker Special Bitter, Rod’s Best Better, Fulcrum, U2 Dry Irish Stout, Imperial Stout, Jordy’s Irish Red. With a red, two stouts, and two bitters, Second Street is all about March Malt Madness. For hopheads, Fulcrum is back to keep you company.

Live Music (Original location): Friday—Bill Hearne Trio, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—TBA

Live Music (Railyard): Friday—Zoltan & the Fortune Tellers, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—TBA

Weekly Events (Railyard): Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — (505) 500-8381

(Mon–Weds 2–10 p.m., Thurs 2–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: The Tripel Lindy, Wit Rock, Crazy Mother IPA, Betty on Brett, Spearmint Stout, Jarrylo Pale Ale, Beedle’s Apple Ale, Catcher ‘n the Rye, Double Barrel Bourbon Brown. The most recent tap turnover went down in Los Alamos with Crazy Mother, Betty, Spearmint, Jarrylo, Beedle’s, and Catcher making their debuts. The Bourbon Brown (8.7% ABV) has now joined them.

Sierra Blanca Brewing — (505) 832-2337

(Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri –Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Beers: Barrel-aged Whiskey Stout, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat. The Whiskey Stout is back for a short time. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Cherry Wheat will also now be available in bottles.

* * * *

That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Tart at Heart boasts another bountiful beer lineup

Posted: March 28, 2017 by cjax33 in Events, News
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If this doesn’t help you get over tax day, nothing will.

Pucker up, sour lovers, Tart at Heart is returning for its third edition on Saturday, April 15. To whet your collective appetites, we figured why not share the beer list. Of course, more beers will be added, but fear not, we will have an even more in-depth preview in the days before everyone gathers at Sister.

Before the beers, we should also note that the event’s Facebook page just announced that all VIP tickets are sold out online. Kelly Liquors on Juan Tabo (505-292-4520) and Sister (505-242-4900) may have a few hard copies left, but please, call in advance before you head over and end up sad. General admission tickets are still available for $35 apiece.

The good news about this event is that it will attract even more local breweries than before. Also, should you not be the biggest fan of sour or overly funky beers, there will be quite the variety of specialties available.

The list of beers to date:

  • Canteen (2): Social Capital with cherries aged on French oak; Social Capital with orange peel, coriander, and vanilla
  • Cascade: Sang Royal (malt beverage with cherries aged on oak)
  • Chama River: Cream Anejo (tequila barrel-aged cream ale)
  • Duel: Suor Nelli (barrel-aged sour Scottish ale)
  • Enchanted Circle: Plum Sour
  • La Cumbre: Ryeot on Rye (strong red ale aged in rye whiskey barrels)
  • New Belgium: Apple Felix (wild ale aged in apple brandy barrels)
  • Santa Fe (2): Berliner Weisse; Berliner Weisse with cherries
  • Sierra Nevada: Barrel-aged Biere de Garde

The remaining breweries set to participate includes locals Dialogue, Marble, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, and Turtle Mountain, plus the big boys — Firestone Walker, Founders, and Stone.

Stay tuned for more beers and additional details. Go get those tickets sooner than later, though!

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

An ode to Twisted Chile and the small-town brewery

Posted: March 24, 2017 by cjax33 in Brewery Obit
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Farewell to Twisted Chile, one of the many unique small-town breweries in New Mexico.

Saturday will mark the final day of operation for Twisted Chile Brewing in Socorro. It will mark the end of a two-and-a-half-year journey for owners K.C. and Stephanie McFadden, who did their best to bring quality craft beer back to the small town 70 miles south of Albuquerque.

Twisted Chile is just the latest of many breweries to pop up in small towns in New Mexico, burn bright, and then fade away. The reasons they fail are as varied as the reasons others continue to live on. If there was a clear answer to what it takes to work it all out, certainly there would not be so many casualties.

For each of them, the ongoing survivors and the dearly departed, there was or still is a certain charm, a bit of an underdog mentality, that permeates all of these breweries. Even as more and more packaged beers arrive from the big boys in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, they keep rolling along, or they fade away.

The first small-town/rural brewery was not located in a town at all. Embudo Station Brewing was located in a former railroad stop along the road between Taos and Espanola. It opened in 1989, just the third brewing operation to open in the state since the 1930s, following Santa Fe Brewing and Albuquerque Brewing (take one). It finally closed in 2008, but will probably be best remembered as the place that gave a home brewer named Steve Eskeback his start. Eskeback would go on to open Eske’s in Taos in 1992, which is now the second oldest brewery in the state after SFBC.

Eske’s success has been attributed in large part to its location, right in the heart of Taos, a small town that happens to also be a major tourist attraction. With hotels and art galleries within easy walking distance, Eske’s has survived throughout the years even as other breweries opened nearby, such as Taos Ale House and Taos Mesa, whose new taproom is about a block away from the old brewpub.

Other small-town breweries were not as lucky as Embudo Station or Eske’s. Elephant Butte Pizzeria and Brewery (1995-97), Alamogordo Brewing (1996-99), Pinon Brewing (2005-07) in Los Alamos, Silver City Brewing (2007-10), Mimbres Valley Brewing (2010-14) in Deming, and New Mexico Craft Brewing (2012-15) in Las Vegas all came and went in less than five years. The first two predated the current craft boom, while the others found themselves unable to capitalize on their town’s tourist-friendly status, or location along a major interstate.

Still, others have found their local niche, relying on a combination of just enough customers from the surrounding area, plus maybe the tourists and travelers passing through. Three Rivers has been going strong since 1997 in Farmington. The Wellhead has been serving up pints and food in Artesia since 2000. More recent additions with a few years of operation under their belts include Blue Heron (2010) in Rinconada, near old Embudo Station and now operating a taproom in Espanola, plus Comanche Creek (2010) near Eagle Nest, Roosevelt (2012) in Portales, and Little Toad Creek (2013) near Silver City.

More keep coming, with Enchanted Circle (Angel Fire), Desert Water (Artesia), 550 Brewing (Aztec), Hub City (Belen), Milton’s (Carlsbad), The Brew House (Chama), Route 66 Junkyard Brewery (Grants), and Bathtub Row (Los Alamos) all opening in the last couple years. Forthcoming breweries include Switchback (Cloudcroft), Drylands (Lovington), Colfax Ale Cellars (Raton), Glencoe Distillery and Brewery (Ruidoso), and Truth or Consequences Brewing, all of which hope to open sometime this year. If nothing else, the ones that closed have not scared off everyone else.

Still, there quite a few notable towns in New Mexico that lack a local brewery. Of the 10 largest municipalities in the state, four are still without a place to call their own — Roswell (5th, 48,544 people), Clovis (7th, 39,480), Hobbs (8th, 38,416), Alamogordo (9th, 30,753). There are various reasons some of these places do not have their own breweries, be it local liquor laws, or a general lack of anyone wanting to open one up (or at least having the funds to do so).

Looking at most of the success stories, though, and one can begin to discern a few keys to finding that success. First off, location is huge. Twisted Chile was on Abeyta Street, near Socorro’s central plaza, but far enough from California Street, the main drag through town that runs parallel to I-25. Tourists and travelers found it hard to, well, find TC. While places like Little Toad and Roosevelt have benefited from having small colleges nearby (WNMU and ENMU, respectively), TC never seemed to capture much of the New Mexico Tech crowd, be it students over 21 or the staff. (Then again, talking to a few NMT grads, they said it is far from a normal beer-loving college campus.) The presence of a more lively college, or having enough locals period, is as much a key as location in a highly visible area.

Twisted Chile offered up quality beer, good food, and a friendly atmosphere in a historic building. It was still not enough to keep the operation going. The owner of the building still owns the brewing equipment, and the McFaddens have put the brewery’s trademark and recipes up for sale. The hope is that someone will step up and take over the operation, but so far there is no word of anyone looking to take the reins.

The Crew does not consider Twisted Chile a cautionary tale or anything like that. We enjoyed our couple of visits and wish things had been more successful. We respected what they tried to do and hope someone else gives Socorro a chance. Breweries, in towns big or small, can become the positive central hub of those communities’ social scenes. They discourage the over-consumption found at most local bars, instead promoting a sense of camaraderie and fellowship. Frankly, our state needs more of that.

To all the small-town breweries of New Mexico, past and present, we raise our glasses to you this weekend! Look for more stories from us on many of these fun and unique little places in the coming months.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Turtle Mountain goes all out for 18th anniversary

Posted: March 23, 2017 by cjax33 in Events, News
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Turtle Mountain is getting the (anniversary) party started next week!

Sometimes it can be hard to squeeze all the important details about upcoming events into The Week Ahead in Beer, thus forcing some separate, but short stories. This is one of those, as we felt you all needed more details on the upcoming 18th anniversary events at Turtle Mountain.

The Rio Rancho institution is celebrating another milestone birthday with a few beer specials, plus a heck of a brewmaster’s dinner this coming Wednesday.

First up, they are tapping Coconut McSmack on Friday. Head brewer Mick Hahn spent about four hours toasting 75 pounds of coconut in the TMBC wood-fired oven to add to his popular Scottish ale. It should be a delicious weekend treat.

Then on Tuesday, look for a special cask of SCH Scotch Lager, which has run out on CO2.

The big fun then comes Wednesday. For this dinner of epic proportions, there will be plenty of beer-and-food pairings. It costs $50 per person, and seating is limited, so please call (505) 995-9497 as soon as possible to make your reservation.

What does that $50 get you?

  • Aperitif cask of Marzen
  • Appetizer: Tropical shrimp cocktail with pineapple-habanero salsa and roasted coconut flakes, paired with Coconut McSmack
  • Salad: Asparagus spring salad with roasted beets, hard-boiled quail egg parmesan crisp, house beer mustard vinaigrette, and seasonal greens, paired with Consensual Sensations 18th Anniversary DIPA
  • Entree: Lager-marinated and smoked prime rib, Marzen-steamed lobster tail, browned butter herbed fingerling potatoes, and agave glazed carrots, paired with Oaked Depravity Barley Wine
  • Dessert: House-made Irish stout ice cream with chocolate pine nut brittle, stout caramel drizzle, paired with Snakedriver Irish Stout

That all just sounds ridiculously amazing. Get on over to TMBC next week and celebrate one of our best breweries.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Blue Corn Brewery hosts Santa Fe Cask Fest

Posted: March 22, 2017 by Luke in Beer in Santa Fe, Events, News
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Thanks for the shots, Duel!

Greetings fellow, ale-ficionados! Man, do we have something special for you happening up in Santa Fe! Tomorrow (Thursday), Blue Corn Brewery is hosting a special cask festival at their southside location, featuring ALL six Santa Fe breweries under one roof. To get your palate wet, I’ve got a list of beers, as well as the skinny on the chow. Read on to see what you’ll be enjoying, or sorely missing.

Blue Corn Brewery – Heffeweizen on honey. 15 IBUs, 5.4% ABV

Chili Line Brewing Company – Smoked Porter or a cask Lager.

Duel Brewing – Duel’s classic Fiction IPA inoculated with sour beer from their cellar and seven pounds of Apricots.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales – Irish Stout on Madagascar vanilla bean, primed with organic molasses.

Santa Fe Brewing Company – Western Bloc (re-)dry-hopped with Huell Melon and Chinook hops. 75 IBUs, 6.7% ABV

Second Street Brewery – U2 Dry Stout, Second Street’s traditional Irish dry stout with a luscious mouth feel, and a bit more complexity than the archetype. O.G. 1.054, 32 IBUs, 5.7% ABV

And of course, a Blue Corn beer event wouldn’t be complete without great food for pairing. Even though Chef David Sundberg has moved on to bigger and better things, the evening’s entrees are in the very capable hands of Chef Memo. Make sure to bring an appetite for the following:

  • Fried avocado topped with pico de gallo and a jalapeno-cilantro aioli
  • Cauliflower wings served with bleu cheese and hot sauce
  • Deep-fried goat cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers
  • Short rib wonton mini tostadas
  • Salmon mousse mini crackers

For $30, each guest will receive a seven-ounce glass, which includes a pour of each brewery’s cask beer, as well as servings of all the delicious bites. For reservations, call (505) 438-1800. 6PM.

Why should you go? As if a fun cask beer event falling on a Thirsty Thursday isn’t reason enough on its own, consider the following. How many opportunities do you get to enjoy great beer from all six Santa Fe breweries, while also getting the chance to speak to the brewers directly about their craft, current beers, and upcoming projects in a more intimate setting than, say, a grand casino ballroom? Fewer than you’d think. Also, this will be Chef Memo’s first event, so we’ll be getting a taste of what’s in store for Blue Corn’s future menus. Listen, take my word for it, Blue Corn knows how to host a swinging swig-shindig. You don’t want to miss this one if you can help it. I know I won’t. I hope to see you there, and remember to keep thinking globally and keep drinking locally.

Cheers!

— Luke

Luke123 Steel Bender

For more @nmdarksidebc info and #CraftBeer news, follow me on Twitter @SantaFeCraftBro!

The Week Ahead in Beer: An all-Americano send-off to stout season

Posted: March 22, 2017 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Socorro, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Just based on our name, you can probably guess that the Crew is a big fan of stouts year-round, no matter the weather. OK, maybe we aren’t doing yard work in the middle of June and then gulping down a barrel-aged imperial on the porch, but for us, most beers do not have a season. For everyone else, well, we are aware that you like ’em lighter in the hot months and darker in the colder times. The last local stout release of significance, thus, is today (Wednesday) at all three Marble locations. Stout Americano returns on tap and in bombers for all to enjoy. This has always been one of our favorite Marble seasonals, and unlike the Imperial Stout or Reserve Ale, you can drink a couple and still walk in a straight line. This coffee-forward stout is a great pick-me-up, and a good way to get through this spring when most of us are so jacked up on allergy meds that even the illusion of caffeine is enough to keep us going in the hours after work. The tapping starts as early as noon, with a special food pairing from Farina Alto beginning at 5 p.m.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few additional options to check out. Ale Republic has a Belgian-style Brune available, plus a Wheat Wine, and Wheat and Wild debuts this weekend. Tropics via Brussels is back at Bosque. Bearzen roars again at Boxing Bear. Canteen has a little something malty with Schwarzbier and a little something hoppy with NOR14 Pale Ale. Dialogue keeps those clever names coming for its unique beers, with Dennis Hopper (Hoppy Wheat) and Filth Peddler (Sour Lager). Marble also has a fresh batch of White Out, plus NitrOatmeal Stout is back downtown, while Saison de Burque and Golden S.M.A.S.H. are at the Westside Taproom. Ponderosa will have a Vienna Lager back soon, plus their special 200th beer is coming. Rio Bravo will introduce Lemongrass Wit on Friday. Starr Brothers unveils a double brown called Brown Chicken, Brown Cow, plus a Mosaic single-hop pale ale called The Green Manalishi. Tractor brings back NM Lager, Ebony & Ivory, and Berliner Weisse at the Nob Hill taproom. Turtle Mountain sets forth a hop bomb of epic proportions, Consensual Sensations.

Also, yes, Steel Bender Brewyard is open and it has a capsule below. Welcome to the listings!

Up in Santa Fe, Second Street has fresh batches of Rod’s Best Bitter, Boneshaker Special Bitter, and Southern Hemisphere Red.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of March 20.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Ale Republic — (505) 281-2828

(Mon–Thurs 2–10 p.m., Fri–Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Pine Juice IPA, Golden, Brune, Wheat Wine. The Strong Dark and Handsome has run out, but there are fresh batches of Brune (5.2% ABV, 22 IBU) and Wheat Wine (5.4% ABV, 17 IBU) available. Wheat and Wild will join them Saturday, with Blonde and Dubbel on deck.

Alien Brew Pub — (505) 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Call the number above for details on any small-batch beers currently available. They change frequently. The rest of the lineup is from the Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande family of beers.

Back Alley Draft House — (505) 766-8590

(Sun–Weds 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thurs–Sat 4 p.m. to midnight)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Sundays are Service Nights at Back Alley, with $2 off all beers for service industry workers. Bring your server’s ID and you will be rewarded. All beers are $1 off on Tuesdays.

Bistronomy B2B — (505) 262-2222

(Mon–Tues 4-9 p.m., Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-9:30 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

The Blue Grasshopper — (505) 896-8579

(Noon to 11 p.m. most days, call for more info)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Live Music: Bands perform from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Click the link for the schedule.

News: The Blue Grasshopper taproom on Coors, just north of Montano, is now open! We will have more soon.

Boese Brothers Brewery — (505) 382-7060

(Hours: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–midnight, Fri 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Sat noon–2 a.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Patriot Porter, La Onza White Ale, Dr. Strangehop XPA, Duke City Lager, Double Dead Ale, Comrade Boese, Cascade Grenade. Double Dead Ale and Dr. Strangehop are also available in bombers. Comrade Boese is an oak-aged Russian imperial stout, in case the name wasn’t enough to help you guess its identity.

Events: Thursday—The Brew Bee: An adult spelling bee, 6 p.m.

Live Music: Saturday—Richard Mittelstet, 9-11 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Boese will have a happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $3 pints. You can also get $3 pints all day Tuesday and $6 growler fills all day Wednesday.

Bosque Brewing Company — (505) 750-7596 (main brewery), (505) 508-5967 (Nob Hill Public House), (575) 571-4626 (Las Cruces Taproom)

(Main brewery on San Mateo: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-8 p.m.; Nob Hill: Mon–Weds 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun noon-11 p.m.; Las Cruces: Sun–Thurs noon-11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: The Gaffer (Barleywine), Scale Tipper, Tropics via Brussels, Peated Scotia, Sangre De Coco, English Boot. The Sangre is an imperial brown infused with coconut and chocolate. It is quite the dessert beer. This batch of Scale Tipper is rather wonderful thanks to the addition of Citra lupulin powder. Get it on tap and in bombers.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — (505) 247-9800

(Mon-Weds 3–10 p.m., Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri-Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Flint & Grit (British Mild), Sun Dagger (Saison), Crossed Arrows (Scotch Ale), Hoka Hey (IPA), Jemez Field Notes Lager, Bucking Brown-co, Autumn Archer (Marzen), Wayward Arrow Hefeweizen, Radical Aim IPA, Bock in the Day, Chaco Sunrise. The most recent additions are the Bock in the Day and the Chaco Sunrise, a wine barrel-aged saison. Both were brewed for the recent first anniversary party.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bow & Arrow has happy hour every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Get $1 off pints. A new late happy hour starts Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — (505) 897-2327

(Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.)

Beers: Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout, Bear Knuckle IPA, Iron Lung Smoked Porter, Featherweight Session IPA, Chocolate Milk Stout, Red Knuckle Irish Red, Simcoe SMASH, New Mexikolsch, Bearzen. You can still buy bombers of Chocolate Milk Stout and The Red Glove, which both took home gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival back in October, as well as Sucker Punch DIPA. Chocolate Milk Stout is also available on nitro.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Every day at lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for just $10 you can get a pint and a panini of your choice.

Broken Trail Brewery & Distillery — (505) 221-6281

(Mon-Thu 3-9 p.m., Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Pepe the Mule. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. Look for it soon in package format. Double Black IPA is the first hop-forward beer from Broken Trail.

Events (Green Jeans tasting room): Friday—St. Baldrick’s Day, with $1 from every drink sold going to the charity

Weekly Events (main location): Today (Wednesday)—Cards Against Humanity hosted by 10 Drink Minimum, 7 p.m.; Sunday—Build-your-own Mule bar, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesday—All house beers are $2 a pint

Canteen Brewhouse — (505) 881-2737 (brewery), (505) 200-2344 (taproom)

(Brewery: Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight; Taproom: Open daily 3–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tuttle IPA, NOR14 Pale Ale, Kia Ora Strong Pale Ale, Steel Can Porter, Irish Red, Schwarzbier, St. Bob’s Imperial Stout (on nitro). Say hello to the NOR14 and Schwarzbier, the most recent additions. The Steel Can Porter was a collaboration made with Steel Bender. Get the St. Bob’s while you can, it is a limited batch. The rest is aging in barrels.

Live Music: Thursday—Corey Leal, 6-9 p.m.; Sunday—Keith Sanchez, 3-6 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — (505) 994-9364

(Open daily 8 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Papacabra (Double IPA), Acapulco Gold (Mexican Lager), Chupacabra IPA, Piedra del Fuego Stoned Cream Ale, Beer for My Horses (Oatmeal Stout). These are the regular house beers. Call the number above for an updated seasonal list.

Chama River Brewing Company — (505) 342-1800

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

Beers: The Lighter Fare (ESB), The Darker Fare (Nitro Irish Dry Stout). The Lighter Fare and Darker Fare are delicious collaborations made with Nexus.

Dialogue Brewing — (505) 585-1501

(Open daily noon-midnight)

Beers: Belgian Citrus IPA, Berliner Weisse, Dark Helmet (Swartzbier), American Dark Sour, Scarlet Beh-Gose, Helles Good, When in Doubt (Session Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Panza Mexican Vienna Lager, Micro Hands Session IPA, SCH Scotch Lager, Lloyd’s Extra Gloves, Dennis Hopper (Hoppy Wheat), Filth Peddler (Sour Lager). The last two there, Dennis Hopper and Filth Peddler, are the most recent additions to the unique lineup.

Events: Saturday—Barks & Brews, 1 p.m.; Duke City Racers: March Pints & Pistons, 3 p.m.

Weekly Events: Monday—Service Industry Night, 6 p.m.

Drafty Kilt Brewing — (505) 881-0234

(Sun 11 a.m–10 p.m., Mon 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Tues–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Wee Beastie Scottish Ale, McWabbit Pale Ale, Campbell Toe IPA, Obliviscaris Oatmeal Stout. Brewer/owner Mike Campbell has five of his own creations on tap at 4814 Hardware Dr. NE, including the Campbell Toe (no snickering). The new Obliviscaris is a burly throwback to the stouts of old.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Flix Brewhouse — (505) 445-8500

(Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight)

Beers: January Embers English Barleywine, 50 Shades of Schwarzbier, Stuntman Lager, So It Gose, Mr. Cutty Fingers, Saison de Walt. January Embers is a delicious, hefty (9.9% ABV) beast of a beer. Get it while it lasts. Mr. Cutty Fingers is a loganberry IPA brewed up for the movie Logan, if you could not guess.

Kaktus Brewing — (505) 379-5072

(Bernalillo hours Mon-Thu 2-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-10 p.m., Sun 11:30-9 p.m.)

Beers: Umlaut Stout, ESB, Blonde Ale, Helles Lager, Imperial Stout, Honk Ale, Oaxford IPA, D’Golden Amber, Walnut Cider, DjinnJar Kombucha. The most recent additions are the D’Golden Amber, Honk Ale, and the burly Umlaut Stout, which is not for the faint of heart, er, palate.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Thursday—The Desert Darlings, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Bernalillo): Sunday—Brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., The Desert Darlings, 6-8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Kaktus has several new weekday specials in Bernalillo, including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

La Cumbre Brewing — (505) 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Pecos Porter, Munchner Dunkel, Ekuanot S.M.A.S.H. IPA, Gracias Por Fumar, Pogue Mahone (on nitro). Before anyone asks, yes, the batch of Project Dank bottled on March 6 is the one that won the National IPA Challenge. If you cannot handle that many hops, grab a brandy-barrel-aged Gracias, or keep St. Patrick’s Day alive longer with some Pogue Mahone.

Live Music: Saturday—Moonhat, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Lego Night Build Off, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lizard Tail Brewing — (505) 717-1301

(Mon–Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-7 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Lizard Tail’s happy hour runs seven days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. You get $1 off food, flights, and pints.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.; Thursday—Karaoke, 8-11 p.m.

Marble Brewery — (505) 243-2739 (downtown), (505) 508-4638 (Westside), (505) 323-4030 (Heights)

(Downtown: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.; Westside: Mon–Thurs noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.; Heights: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: Dark Strong, Choco Mole Lager, American Porter, India Wheat Ale, The Golden Ape, Stout Americano, Woodshed Double Red (Downtown and Westside), White Out (Downtown and Westside), Steel Maverick (Downtown and Westside), Dang Pale Ale (Heights and Westside), Northeast by Northeast IPA (Heights and Westside), Double IPA (Heights and Westside), Paddy McNitro (Heights and Westside), NitrOatmeal Stout (Downtown only), All Barke Nein Bitter (Heights only), Bandelier Brown (Westside only), Saison de Burque (Westside only), Golden S.M.A.S.H. (Westside only). The most recent additions include Woodshed, a barrel-aged version of the Imperial Red blended with the regular hoppy Red Ale, plus of course Stout Americano, on tap and for sale in bombers. Steel Maverick is a Belgian-style red ale made in collaboration with Steel Bender Brewyard.

Live Music (Downtown): Friday—Pherkad, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Merican Slang, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Heights): Friday—Felix Peralta, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Still Closed for Repairs, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Westside): Friday—Isaac Aragon, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday—The Real Matt Jones, 8-11 p.m.

Events (Heights): Monday—Brushes & Brews, 6 p.m.

Events (Westside): Sunday—Marble Mouth Off: R&B and Soul Edition, 4-6 p.m.

Weekly Events (Downtown): Saturday—Brewery tours, 2 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — (505) 242-4100 (brewery), (505) 226-1055 (Silver Taproom)

(Brewery: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Silver Taproom: Mon–Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Milk Stout, Strong Ale, Irish Red, The Lighter Fare, The Darker Fare. Just about every beer on tap has come online in the past couple weeks. Malty goodness in spades! The Lighter Fare (ESB) and The Darker Fare (Irish Dry Stout on nitro) were brewed in collaboration with Chama River.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Monday–Friday, $5 appetizers, 3-5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Silver Taproom): Saturday—a live DJ will perform; Sunday—a live band will perform at 2 p.m.

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — (505) 508-0508

(Tues–Sat 3–9 p.m.)

Beers: MWA (Malt With Attitude), Guero (Belgian Wit), Pale Ale, Cockness Monster (Scotch Ale), Palmergranite Wit, Cafe Pale Ale, Switch Stance Stout. Palmer shares a building with Left Turn Distilling on Girard south of Candelaria. We got the full story on their origin and what’s to come in 2017.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — (505) 639-5941

(Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: Oud Bruin, Schwarzbier, IPL, Imperial Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Simcoe Single-Hop Pale Ale. The Oud Bruin, a brown sour, is now on tap and for sale in bombers. You can also still purchase bombers of Sour Saison, Big Belgian IPA, and Preacher’s Daughter (Belgian Golden Strong) at the taproom or at liquor stores around town.

Quarter Celtic Brewpub — (505) 503-1387

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Beers: A Pale Ale Named Desire, MacLomas (Dry) Stout, Phat Tiery, Barrel-Aged Irish Handcuffs, Kill or be Kilt. The BA version of Irish Handcuffs checks in at a whopping 11.25-percent ABV, so it is not for the weak. It is delicious, though, so enjoy it (in moderation, of course).

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League viewing party, 8 a.m.

Red Door Brewing — (505) 633-6675 (brewery), (505) 990-3029 (downtown taproom)

(Brewery hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Downtown taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Ottobrau Pilsner, Bock to Basics, Peach Patersbier, Calypso SMaSH Pale Ale (downtown taproom only). The Peach Patersbier is a Belgian dark ale brewed with peaches.

News: The Vanilla Cream Ale has been so popular it has been added to the year-round lineup.

Weekly Events (Brewery): Monday—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Taproom): Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7-9 p.m.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company — (505) 900-3909

(Mon–Thu noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Rio Bravo Amber, Weizen, Randy’s Shandy, Dirty Rotten Bastard IPA, Snakebite IPA, Randy’s Red Ale, Old Town Porter (regular and barrel aged), Barley Wine, Cereza Loco (Cherry Sour), NM Pinon Coffee Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Barrel-aged Belgian Strong Golden, Marzen, Level 3 IPA, Grab ‘Em By the Putin. The Level 3 (7.5% ABV, 120 IBU) should satisfy any hophead. The Putin is, in case you could not guess, a Russian imperial stout, checking in at a whopping 13-percent ABV. Lemongrass Wit debuts Friday.

Live Music: Friday—Michael Moxey, 8 p.m.

Events: Thursday—Girl Scout Cookie Pairing, noon; Friday—Beer Pairing Dinner, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Movie Night, 7 p.m.; Friday—Philly Friday, all day; Tuesday—$2 Taco Tuesday, all day

Sandia Chile Grill — (505) 798-1970

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

Beers: Call the brewery for an updated list.

Sidetrack Brewing — (505) 288-6468

(Mon–Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri 3 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Young Thatch English-style IPA, Sidetrack Pilsner, Gandy Dancer Irish Red, Pub Ale, Barrel-aged Pub Ale. The Gandy Dancer, Young Thatch, and Pilsner all debuted recently. The barrel-aged version of the Pub Ale was made with a barrel donated by Marble.

Cask: The Pilsner and Barrel-aged Pub Ale are in the firkins.

Live Music: Friday—CW Ayon, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Taco Tuesday, all day

Starr Brothers Brewing — (505) 492-2752

(Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day)

Beers: Starrstruck IPA, L.A. Woman (Blonde), Thunderr Ale IPA, Red Zepplin, Roisin Dubh (Irish Dry Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Lampshade Porter, Phantom Limb Black Rye IPA, Electric Sun American Wheat, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, The Green Manalishi. The most recent additions are the Brown Chicken, a double English-style brown ale, and Manalishi, a Mosaic single-hop pale ale.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League Viewing Party, 8 a.m.

Steel Bender Brewyard — (505) 433-3537

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: (house) Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, Sparkfitter Amber, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch, Blue Bullet Stout, The Village Wit; (seasonals/specialties) Steel Can Porter, Steel Maverick. Yes, folks, Steel Bender is open and off to a great start. They have the full beer lineup on tap, a full menu, the patio is ready to go, the driveway off Second Street is finished, basically everything we said would happen in our preview. Get over there and enjoy!

The 377 Brewery — (505) 934-0795

(Open noon-11 p.m. most days)

Beers: English Best Bitter, Session IPA, Black IPA, Robust Porter, Kolsch, Hefe, Imperial Cream, IPA, Fully Booty Oatmeal Stout, Funky Punky Swartzbier, Red Horse NM Lager, SCH Scotch Lager. Holy moley, they now have multiple house beers on tap, which we recently reviewed. The most recent additions are the Red Horse (4.5% ABV, 14 IBU), IPA (7.2% ABV, 98 IBU), Oatmeal Stout (7.5% ABV, 62 IBU), and Funky Punky (5.5% ABV).

Tractor Brewing Company — (505) 433-5654 (Nob Hill), (505) 243-6752 (Wells Park)

(Nob Hill: Sun–Weds noon–midnight, Thurs noon–2 a.m., Fri–Sat noon–2 a.m.; Wells Park: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–close, Fri–Sun 1 p.m.–midnight)

Beers: Vulgar Display of Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout, Flanders Red Ale, Turkey Drool, Goathead Hador Doppelbock, Golden Ale, Stein Wine, Barnstorm Ale, Berry Cider (Nob Hill only), Ebony & Ivory (Nob Hill only), NM Lager (Nob Hill only), Berliner Weisse (Nob Hill only), SCH Scotch Lager (Wells Park only), Cowgirl Coffee Stout on nitro (Wells Park only), Farmhouse Saison (Wells Park only). That there Vulgar Display of Porter (8.8% ABV) is a Baltic made in collaboration with a certain group of beer writers. We hope you all enjoy it. The most recent additions are the Ebony & Ivory (pale stout), NM Lager, and Berliner Weisse.

Live Music (Wells Park): Thursday—Jason Gordon, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Eryn Bent, 5 p.m., Andrew Martinez, 8 p.m.

Live Music (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—David Hakan, 8:30 p.m.

Other Events (Nob Hill): Friday—Art Fight 29: Deep Space Edition, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Wells Park): Monday—Monday Night Film Club, 8 p.m.; Tuesday—Kamikaze Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Writing Wednesdays, 5 p.m.; Monday—Tractor Tune Up, 7:30 p.m.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — (505) 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Tues 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Wed–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Reminder: TMBC closes early when business dictates. Please call.)

Beers: McSmack, Encierro Red Ale, Oaked Depravity, Marzen, Consensual Sensations DIPA, Snakedriver (on nitro). Depravity (10% ABV) is a beast of a barleywine, and the version is the last one on tap. The Snakedriver is an Irish dry stout, in case you couldn’t guess. Consensual Sensations (8.2% ABV, 125-plus IBU) is a beast of a DIPA, brewed up because today (Wednesday) is TMBC’s 18th anniversary. Look for a special event next week.

Cask: Tuesday—SCH Scotch Lager

Santa Fe breweries

Blue Corn Brewery — (505) 438-1800

(Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tiny Mighty Session IPA, Imperial Stout, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Pale Ale. We eagerly await the Imperial Stout making a trek down to the Draft Station in Albuquerque. The two Belgian beers were brewed for the recent 20th anniversary party.

Events: Thursday—Santa Fe Cask Festival, 6 p.m. (we will have a lot more details in a separate story soon)

Chili Line Brewing — (505) 500-7903

(Mon–Sat 4–11 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: El Jefe (Rauchweizen), sIPApu (India Pale Lager), Antonio Bandito (Dunkelweizen), Llorona Lager. The sIPApu is back, now as an IPL. The Llorona Lager is the other recent addition to the lineup.

Live Music: Every night at 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Reverse happy hour after 9 p.m. includes $1 off pints, $6 appetizers, $10 entrees and pizzas.

Duel Brewing Company — (505) 474-5301

(Brewery: Mon–Sat open at 11 a.m., Sun open at 1 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sun noon–midnight)

Beers: Bad Amber, Pulp Fiction (IPA), Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Cezanne Verite, Rye Goya (Imperial Stout), Stocious (Wee Heavy), Suor Nelli (Barrel-aged Scottish Sour), Manikin (Scottish), Monomyth (Imperial IPA). The most recent additions are the Pulp Fiction, Cezanne Verite, Manikin, and Monomyth.

Events: Thursday—Drag Queen Trivia: Spring Break Edition, 8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 4-6 p.m. (discounts for all draft beer), Growler Saturdays ($3 off growler fills).

Happy Hour/Discounts (ABQ taproom): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 5-7 p.m.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — (505) 428-0719

(Open all week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Fields of Rye, Stout-ish (with coffee), Saison du Sarlacc, Agent Scully – Season One, Colonel Citra, Biere de Mars. The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Colonel Citra is another IPA made with, well, you can probably guess.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Special guest beer tapping, 4 p.m.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — (505) 424-3333

(Main taproom: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 2-8 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Snowflake IPA, Hipster Union Red Rye, Adobe Igloo, Nuevo (Blonde Ale), Dysphotic Stout (ECS), Red Dawn Saison (ECS). The latest entry in the Ever Changing Series, Red Dawn Saison, will have you yelling “Wolverines!” or something of that sort. Snowflake IPA is back, now part of a series of seasonal-themed IPAs called the In-and-Out Series. Freestyle Pilsner is back on tap and in six-packs.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Second Street Brewery — (505) 989-3278 (Railyard), (505) 982-3030 (original location)

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Boneshaker Special Bitter, Rod’s Best Better, Southern Hemisphere Red, U2 Dry Irish Stout, Imperial Stout, Jordy’s Irish Red. With two reds, two stouts, and two bitters, Second Street is all about March Malt Madness.

Live Music (Original location): Friday—The Stringmasters, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—Alpha Cats, 6-9 p.m.

Live Music (Railyard): Friday—Justin Evan Thompson, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—Duo Rasminko, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Railyard): Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — (505) 500-8381

(Mon–Weds 2–10 p.m., Thurs 2–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: The Tripel Lindy, Wit Rock, Crazy Mother IPA, Betty on Brett, Spearmint Stout, Jarrylo Pale Ale, Beedle’s Apple Ale, Catcher ‘n the Rye, Double Barrel Bourbon Brown. The most recent tap turnover went down in Los Alamos with Crazy Mother, Betty, Spearmint, Jarrylo, Beedle’s, and Catcher making their debuts. The Bourbon Brown (8.7% ABV) has now joined them.

Sierra Blanca Brewing — (505) 832-2337

(Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri –Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Beers: Barrel-aged Whiskey Stout, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat. The Whiskey Stout is back for a short time. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Cherry Wheat will also now be available in bottles.

Twisted Chile Brewing — (575) 835-2949

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun noon-4 p.m.)

Beers: Zia Pilsner, 790 IPA, Hose Co. 1 Red Lager, Venom IPA, KC’s Irish Stout, Raspberry Wheat, Quebradas Sunrise Amber. The beers are starting to run out, but at $2 per pint from 4 to 9 p.m. every day, it’s easy to see why. It’s all cash only, and TC’s last day of business will be this Saturday.

* * * *

That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Dukes of Ale seeks entries and judges for Enchanted Brewing Challenge

Posted: March 21, 2017 by cjax33 in Homebrewing Competition
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Time for a big home-brewing competition? Oh, yes, it is time.

Hello, all, pardon the lack of a Monday post. We had a bit too much fun over the weekend with St. Patrick’s Day, the Allegaeon/Cattle Decapitation show, and the Crew’s turn at Tractor to brew for the Battle of the Beer Geeks IV.

Anyway, going back through the email archives, I found a message from our friends at the Dukes of Ale, Albuquerque’s largest home-brewing collective. They are currently taking entries for the upcoming Enchanted Brewing Challenge. Not to be confused with Enchanted Circle Brewing in Angel Fire, this is the biggest home-brewing competition in Albuquerque. Here are the most pertinent details for all of you home brewers who might want to jump in on the fun.

  • Entry deadline: Friday, April 14
  • How to enter: Go to ReggieBeer dot com and sign up. If you do not already have an account, it will show you how to sign up quickly.
  • How many can enter: 300 (only 49 have so far)
  • Cost: $7.50 per bottle, or $7 for every bottle over five
  • Number of beers that can be entered: the minimum is two 12-ounce bottles, but they must be different styles (check the BJCP guidelines)
  • Bottle drop-off sites: Southwest Grape and Grain, Victor’s Grape Arbor, Broken Trail Brewery and Distillery, Rowley Farmhouse Ales (for Santa Fe participants)
  • Judging dates: April 21-23
  • Awards ceremony: April 29
  • Deadline for applying as a judge or steward: also April 14
  • More questions?: email Jeff Jantz (dukesofalejeff@gmail.com) or Shannon Dyke (info@dukesofale.com)

Yes, ideally we should have shared this sooner. If you can whip up a brew in time, get started. Otherwise, if you have some bottles of home brew sitting around that you would like to enter, just make sure to strip off the old labels, and follow the instructions and get them entered.

They do need judges and stewards, so if you are free during one or more of those judging dates listed above, please sign up.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Three Rivers navigates its way toward smoother waters

Posted: March 16, 2017 by deezbeers in Brewery Reviews
Tags:
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Three Rivers is upping its game along Main Street in Farmington.

As we bask in the splendor that is the glorious New Mexico beer scene, it can be easy to forget about the great breweries that exist outside of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Oh, there are many others out there. MANY. Do yourself a favor and grab a brewery map from the NM Brewers Guild so that you can find a new place to stop in during your next day trip or weekend away. I did just that a few weeks ago, back at the end of January when I spent some time at Three Rivers Brewery in Farmington on my way to Durango. I got the chance to sit down with head brewer Brandon Beard, and assistant brewers Patrick Liessmann and Austin Jacobs.

First of all, for those who are not familiar with Three Rivers, its website tells the story of how it all started as a corner brewery and restaurant in 1997, and has grown to consume almost an entire block of Main Street in downtown Farmington. It now includes a taproom, game room, pizzeria, and soon a tasting room (don’t worry we will get to that). All of the locations offer delicious Three Rivers brews. Being somewhat isolated in the northwest part of the state has made it challenging for Three Rivers to project their name out into the statewide scene but they have been working diligently to evolve.

The brewhouse is constantly churning.

“The last like year and a half we’ve been doing a lot of changes like doing different yeast,” Patrick said. “We started messing a lot more with the water, and really dialing in our water chemistry. And then, we started messing with barrels and souring, so over the last year and a half we have really been trying to push what the place has been doing.

“All of our standard beers, we have been trying to slowly tweak those down. We changed the IPA entirely. We scrapped the old IPA because we just felt it wasn’t up to today’s standards of IPAs, so we completely re-did that one.”

The hard work seems to be paying off as the re-engineered IPA (IPAC Nugs) took third place in the New Mexico IPA Challenge this past summer.

Three Rivers also recently scored some great feedback from their showing at WinterBrew in Santa Fe. I was not present in SF, however I was fortunate that they had saved some of the Double Stuffed Truffle Butter that was all the rage. It was good stuff. (Decadent stuff. — S) It boasts an in-your-face peanut butter aroma and flavor without being overpowering. It is still a beer, and an easy-to-drink beer at that. Patrick described how they took their standard Truffle Butter (as he handed me a bottle of it) and turned it into the double-stuffed variant.

Those are a lot of lines going from the brewery to all the different rooms.

“So here’s the Truffle Butter right here,” Patrick said. “We took the base beer for that and pretty much just went crazy with the peanut butter. Because we didn’t really get the peanut butter that we wanted out of this one, but we thought it was OK. It’s definitely more on the stout side with all the peanut butter. But, it really … we wanted to go over the top, and we took some of the leftovers that we had and went over the top and took it to Santa Fe.”

Beyond that they also had their Framboise, a sour blonde that is oak-barrel-aged with raspberries, Cerberus, an imperial stout aged in Malbec wine barrels, and a malt liquor aged in a cabernet sauvignon barrel called Brass Monkey. To top it all off, they also brought El Coco Negro, which required the use of the pizzeria.

“We hand toast coconut at the pizzeria, in the big ovens over there, and then we hand add it to the beer and then as it’s done fermenting we will let it sit on the beer,” Austin said. “It’s a really amazing beer. It’s one of my favorites.”

I was happy to hear that WinterBrew was just as much fun for the guys at Three Rivers as it was for the guests at the event. Brandon suggested that they want to make the trip south more often.

“We are so far north that we have really never gone down south to show to people what we’re making, so that has kind of … we are kind of being oriented this year with that,” Brandon said. “We are going to try to do as many festivals down there (in Central New Mexico) as possible.”

The swanky new tasting room at Three Rivers.

In the midst of all of this, the upcoming addition to the Three Rivers block should help carry the momentum, if any additional help is even needed. Included in my tour was a walk-through of the as-yet-unopened tasting room, which was already quite impressive in every little detail, a true display of craftsmanship and creativity but with a genuine feel of sophistication and class.

“A construction supply went out of business, so (we picked up) a lot of old lumber from there and another old lumber yard,” Austin said. “All of that stuff is made out of old military ammunition crates and stuff like that, like the seats, and some of the chairs, and the lining of the bar, and all of the metal they found, and it’s all recycled … like the only thing new in there is the floor.”

The plan is to have plenty of Three Rivers’ beer flowing, along with many other top-notch beer options, but the crown jewel will be the offering of cocktails crafted from Three Rivers’ own in-house products from their new on-site distillery. Patrick gave me the lowdown on when we can expect everything to happen.

The distillery is going to be running soon.

“We’re hoping March and it’s going to be just in-house pretty much, there will be bottles to go,” Patrick said. “There’s going to be spiced rum, regular rum, (and) white whisky for now, until we start aging in barrels to make bourbon. We’ll have gin and we’re going to be making our own tonic and our own sodas, and hand-making everything for the cocktails.”

The tasting room will have its own menu, too.

“We’re really trying to up the game here to really try and draw (customers) in and draw a different crowd is the whole idea,” Patrick said. “And offer things that aren’t available (in the eatery) or the taproom or the pizzeria.”

“They are going to have their own artisan dishes,” Austin added. “And they’ll pair maybe some beer pairings and some cocktail pairings.”

If that wasn’t enough, Three Rivers is looking ahead to its 20th anniversary party this summer. Preparations are already underway. Austin struggled not to grin while explaining what is already in the works.

So … many … barrels …

“We have our 20th anniversary, which will be in July of this year, and what we are going to release there is imperial stout aged in Woodford Reserve double oak barrels, and that is kind of the higher end Woodford Reserve,” Austin said, “and then we have two Mount Gay Rum barrels that we are also aging the same base stout beer in, and then one of each of those barrels is going to be aged with coconut as well. So, in a sense there’s going to be four different variants of that beer. We’ll release those (in) bottle only. Then, we have a hopscotch ale aged in a Malbec wine barrel that we’re aging right now, and another stout that we’re aging in … I believe a (Cabernet Sauvignon) barrel … and I’m not sure what’s in the other one … it’s a surprise I guess.”

I had to wipe the drool off of my chin after he finished talking.

The Brew Crew looks forward to hearing and seeing more of Three Rivers Brewery. We also encourage our followers to stop in. Whether it is on the way to Durango, or elsewhere in the region, it is well worth your time. The truth is that Farmington would make a very good base camp for visiting some great sites. Places to check out nearby that I have enjoyed include Mesa Verde National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Salmon Ruins, and Chaco Canyon National Historic Park. Others that Austin insisted are great include Canyon de Chelle National Monument and Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.

Head brewer Brandon Beard also has his hands full with this little angel.

Lastly, I can’t forget to mention that the food in the eatery was excellent, and that the same quality can be expected on the whole block as all of the food programs are managed by the same chef.

We wish Three Rivers Brewing the best of luck with the opening of their tasting room and congratulate them on their upcoming 20th anniversary.

Cheers!

— Deezbeers

The Week Ahead in Beer: St. Patrick’s on a Friday could be epic

Posted: March 15, 2017 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Socorro, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday this year, which could be awesome. Or it could be our collective end of times. Hey, if you’re gonna go out in style, this is probably the day to do it. But, seriously, please stick around. There’s still a lot of hockey to be played, Amorphis is coming to Launchpad in April, Iron Maiden is here in June, and there is a lot of beer for us all to drink up. All told, 16 breweries/taprooms in the Albuquerque area have announced plans for everything from special beers to food to live music and more, and even more breweries may secretly have something up their sleeves.

  • Ale Republic will have food and drink specials and live music in Cedar Crest.
  • Boxing Bear is putting Red Knuckle Irish Red on nitro and will have some TBA food specials.
  • Canteen is putting the 2017 batch of St. Bob’s Imperial Stout on nitro, plus they have an off-site tap takeover at Sister.
  • Chama River and Nexus will release their annual collaboration beers, the Darker Fare and Lighter Fare, plus Nexus is also adding an Irish Red to the lineup.
  • Drafty Kilt has a Shamrockpalooza with music from Ballut Abyad Shriners, food from Phat’s Beats and Eats, and an extended happy hour from 2 to 7 p.m.
  • UPDATED: Duel has two events at its ABQ taproom downtown, with a special bagpipe performance during happy hour from 5-7 p.m., with $1 off all beers and $1 off Reuben sandwiches. Later on, Soul Sessions and Enchanted Pop Up present St. Paddy’s Bass starting at 8 p.m.
  • Kaktus will have the Desert Darlings performing in Nob Hill from 7 to 9 p.m., with drink specials, and they will be serving a corned beer and cabbage dinner with music from Red Light Ramblers in Bernalillo.
  • Marble taps their popular Paddy McNitro at noon (all locations), plus they will have oysters at 3 p.m. from Aww … Shucks! at the downtown pub, with live music to follow.
  • Palmer and Left Turn Distilling team up to create the New Mexico Craft Bomb, made with LTD’s Blue Corn Whiskey, chocolate liquer, and Palmer’s Switch Stance Stout, plus Joe S. Sausage will be serving up corned beer and cabbage sausages.
  • Quarter Celtic goes all out with a two-day first anniversary celebration, featuring live music all day, food specials, and lots of beer, ranging from casks to Kill or Be Kilt back on tap, and Irish Handcuffs, the barrel-aged version of their imperial stout.
  • Rio Bravo has three bands, food specials, and a beer pong tournament at 4 p.m.
  • Sidetrack unveils Gandy Dancer Irish Red and a barrel-aged Pub Ale, plus bagpiper Claire Reardon will perform from 5-5:20 and 7-7:20 p.m.
  • Starr Brothers will serve up some corned beef and cabbage plus a pint for $12, with pints of Roisin Dubh available at happy hour price all day.
  • Tractor will have a parking lot party at Wells Park with vendors, food trucks, and live music from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be a $5 suggested donation for charity at the door.
  • Turtle Mountain will have a corned beer and cabbage dinner, plus the new Snakedriver Stout will be on nitro.

Phew, that covers it. Oh, wait, no, there are more events outside of the metro area.

  • Bathtub Row will have food specials from the Los Alamos Food Co-op starting at 5 p.m., then Bronach will start playing some Celtic blues at 6:30.
  • Rowley Farmhouse Ales is putting its Dry Irish Stout on nitro, plus they will have a Biere de Mars for those who want something funkier, and they will have food specials as well.
  • Santa Fe Brewing will have their Irish Red on tap at happy hour price all day at all locations.
  • Second Street brings back Jordy’s Irish Red, U2 Dry Irish Stout, and Imperial Stout, with commemorative pint glasses available for $7 with a fill of your favorite, plus a special Irish food menu, and the Albuquerque and 4-Corners Pipe and Drum will perform at 6 p.m.
  • Then on Saturday, Sierra Blanca is having a party in its beer garden in Moriarty. For $10, get a corned beer and cabbage plate, there will be a new Irish Red on tap, plus there will be live music from Dirty Modine, Irish dancers, jugglers, a kids zone, and more, with little ones 12 and under getting a free hot dog and chips meal.

For more info on any of these events, please see the breweries’ respective social media pages.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few additional, non-Irish-themed options to check out. Bosque kicks it up with English Boot, plus UPDATE Scale Tipper will be back on tap and for sale in bombers on Friday. Boxing Bear fits the weather with New Mexikolsch. Canteen has the collaboration it made with Steel Bender, Steel Can Porter, on tap. Flix Brewhouse has the honorary Saison De Walt on tap. Kaktus has a mix of light and dark with Honk Ale, D’Golden Amber, and Umlaut Stout. Marble introduced the outstanding Woodshed Double Red on Tuesday. Red Door unveils Peach Patersbier on Thursday. Sidetrack goes east with Young Thatch English-style IPA, plus they have their first Pilsner. Starr Brothers has a fresh batch of Electric Sun American Wheat.

Up in Santa Fe, Second Street has a fresh batch of 2920 IPA.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of March 13.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Ale Republic — (505) 281-2828

(Mon–Thurs 2–10 p.m., Fri–Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Strong Dark and Handsome, Pine Juice IPA, Golden. Say hello to not one, but three new beers on tap. The Handsome (6.6% ABV, 10 IBU) is a Belgian dark strong.

Alien Brew Pub — (505) 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Call the number above for details on any small-batch beers currently available. They change frequently. The rest of the lineup is from the Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande family of beers.

Back Alley Draft House — (505) 766-8590

(Sun–Weds 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thurs–Sat 4 p.m. to midnight)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Sundays are Service Nights at Back Alley, with $2 off all beers for service industry workers. Bring your server’s ID and you will be rewarded. All beers are $1 off on Tuesdays.

Bistronomy B2B/Lobo Beast 101 — (505) 262-2222 (B2B), (505) 247-2116 (Lobo)

(B2B: Mon–Tues 4-9 p.m., Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-9:30 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.; Lobo: daily 4 p.m. to close)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

The Blue Grasshopper — (505) 896-8579

(Noon to 11 p.m. most days, call for more info)

Beers: Belgian Pale Ale, Paddy Wagon Red, Dunkelweizen. The Dunkelweizen is the most recent addition.

Live Music: Bands perform from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Click the link for the schedule.

News: The Blue Grasshopper taproom on Coors, just north of Montano, is now open! We will have more soon.

Boese Brothers Brewery — (505) 382-7060

(Hours: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–midnight, Fri 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Sat noon–2 a.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Patriot Porter, La Onza White Ale, Dr. Strangehop XPA, Duke City Lager, Double Dead Ale, Comrade Boese, Cascade Grenade. Double Dead Ale and Dr. Strangehop are also available in bombers. Comrade Boese is an oak-aged Russian imperial stout, in case the name wasn’t enough to help you guess its identity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Boese will have a happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $3 pints. You can also get $3 pints all day Tuesday and $6 growler fills all day Wednesday.

Bosque Brewing Company — (505) 750-7596 (main brewery), (505) 508-5967 (Nob Hill Public House), (575) 571-4626 (Las Cruces Taproom)

(Main brewery on San Mateo: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-8 p.m.; Nob Hill: Mon–Weds 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun noon-11 p.m.; Las Cruces: Sun–Thurs noon-11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: The Gaffer (Barleywine), Moon Cannon DIPA, Public House Pale Ale, Peated Scotia, Sangre De Coco, English Boot. The Sangre is an imperial brown infused with coconut and chocolate. It is quite the dessert beer. Hopheads should indulge in the epic Moon Cannon while it is still available. Scale Tipper returns on tap and in bombers on Friday.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — (505) 247-9800

(Mon-Weds 3–10 p.m., Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri-Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Flint & Grit (British Mild), Sun Dagger (Saison), Crossed Arrows (Scotch Ale), Hoka Hey (IPA), Jemez Field Notes Lager, Bucking Brown-co, Autumn Archer (Marzen), Wayward Arrow Hefeweizen, Radical Aim IPA, Bock in the Day, Chaco Sunrise. The most recent additions are the Bock in the Day and the Chaco Sunrise, a wine barrel-aged saison. Both were brewed for the recent first anniversary party.

News: Note the new spring hours above.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bow & Arrow has happy hour every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Get $1 off pints. A new late happy hour starts Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — (505) 897-2327

(Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.)

Beers: Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout, Bear Knuckle IPA, Iron Lung Smoked Porter, Featherweight Session IPA, Chocolate Milk Stout, Red Knuckle Irish Red, Simcoe SMASH, New Mexikolsch. You can still buy bombers of Chocolate Milk Stout and The Red Glove, which both took home gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival back in October, as well as Sucker Punch DIPA. Red Knuckle will replace Standing 8 Stout on nitro on Friday.

Events: Today (Wednesday)—Tap Takeover at Violet Crown Cinema in Santa Fe, noon

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Every day at lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for just $10 you can get a pint and a panini of your choice.

Broken Trail Brewery & Distillery — (505) 221-6281

(Mon-Thu 3-9 p.m., Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Pepe the Mule. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. Look for it soon in package format. Double Black IPA is the first hop-forward beer from Broken Trail.

Events (Green Jeans tasting room): Friday—St. Baldrick’s Day, with $1 from every drink sold going to the charity

Weekly Events (main location): Today (Wednesday)—Cards Against Humanity hosted by 10 Drink Minimum, 7 p.m.; Sunday—Build-your-own Mule bar, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesday—All house beers are $2 a pint

Canteen Brewhouse — (505) 881-2737 (brewery), (505) 200-2344 (taproom)

(Brewery: Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight; Taproom: Open daily 3–10 p.m.)

Beers: Canteen Lager, Tuttle IPA, Exodus IPA, Kia Ora Strong Pale Ale, Steel Can Porter, Irish Red (on nitro). The most recent additions are the Exodus, super hazy Tuttle, Kia Ora, and the Steel Can, a tasty collaboration made with Steel Bender Brewyard. The Canteen Lager is a German-style pilsner.

Live Music: Thursday—Russell James Pyle, 6-9 p.m.; Sunday—Le Chat Lunatique, 3-6 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — (505) 994-9364

(Open daily 8 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Papacabra (Double IPA), Acapulco Gold (Mexican Lager), Chupacabra IPA, Piedra del Fuego Stoned Cream Ale, Beer for My Horses (Oatmeal Stout). These are the regular house beers. Call the number above for an updated seasonal list.

Chama River Brewing Company — (505) 342-1800

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

Beers: Hopmonic Convergence IPA, Alpha Centaur (Wheat Beer), Natalia Polonch’ (Baltic Porter), Lloyd’s Extra Gloves (Sour Winter Warmer). The Natalia (9.5% ABV, 33 IBU) was oak aged, which means it might be the finest Baltic ever made. Get it quickly before it’s gone, which means before we drink it up. The Lighter Fare and Darker Fare, collaborations made with Nexus, will be on tap Friday.

News: Chama now has a rotating nitro tap. Call to see what is available this week.

Dialogue Brewing — (505) 585-1501

(Open daily noon-midnight)

Beers: Belgian Citrus IPA, Berliner Weisse, Dark Helmet (Swartzbier), American Dark Sour, Scarlet Beh-Gose, Helles Good, When in Doubt (Session Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Panza Mexican Vienna Lager, Micro Hands Session IPA, SCH Scotch Lager, Lloyd’s Extra Gloves. OK, the last beer, Lloyd’s Extra Gloves, is a reference to the original Dumb and Dumber, but fear not, it is not a joke. It is a sour winter warmer brewed in collaboration with Chama River.

Live Music: Friday—Tropical Girls, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events: Monday—Service Industry Night, 6 p.m.

Drafty Kilt Brewing — (505) 881-0234

(Sun 11 a.m–10 p.m., Mon 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Tues–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Wee Beastie Scottish Ale, McWabbit Pale Ale, Campbell Toe IPA, Obliviscaris Oatmeal Stout. Brewer/owner Mike Campbell has five of his own creations on tap at 4814 Hardware Dr. NE, including the Campbell Toe (no snickering). The new Obliviscaris is a burly throwback to the stouts of old.

Events: Thursday—Old School Sonny’s Jam Night, 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Flix Brewhouse — (505) 445-8500

(Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight)

Beers: January Embers English Barleywine, 50 Shades of Schwarzbier, Stuntman Lager, So It Gose, Mr. Cutty Fingers, Saison de Walt. January Embers is a delicious, hefty (9.9% ABV) beast of a beer. Get it while it lasts. Mr. Cutty Fingers is a loganberry IPA brewed up for the movie Logan, if you could not guess.

Kaktus Brewing — (505) 379-5072

(Bernalillo hours Mon-Thu 2-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-10 p.m., Sun 11:30-9 p.m.)

Beers: Umlaut Stout, ESB, Blonde Ale, Helles Lager, Imperial Stout, Honk Ale, Oaxford IPA, D’Golden Amber, Walnut Cider, DjinnJar Kombucha. The most recent additions are the D’Golden Amber, Honk Ale, and the burly Umlaut Stout, which is not for the faint of heart, er, palate.

Events (Nob Hill): Friday—The Desert Darlings St. Patrick’s Day Show, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Bernalillo): Sunday—Brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., The Desert Darlings, 6-8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Kaktus has several new weekday specials in Bernalillo, including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

La Cumbre Brewing — (505) 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Pecos Porter, Munchner Dunkel, Ekuanot S.M.A.S.H. IPA, Gracias Por Fumar, Pogue Mahone (on nitro). Before anyone asks, yes, the batch of Project Dank bottled on March 6 is the one that won the National IPA Challenge. If you cannot handle that many hops, grab a brandy-barrel-aged Gracias, or perhaps some Pogue Mahone to get in the holiday spirit.

Live Music: Saturday—Sloan Arthur Armitage, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Lego Night Build Off, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lizard Tail Brewing — (505) 717-1301

(Mon–Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-7 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Lizard Tail’s happy hour runs seven days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. You get $1 off food, flights, and pints.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.; Thursday—Karaoke, 8-11 p.m.

Marble Brewery — (505) 243-2739 (downtown), (505) 508-4638 (Westside), (505) 323-4030 (Heights)

(Downtown: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.; Westside: Mon–Thurs noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.; Heights: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: Dang Pale Ale, Dark Strong, All Barke Nein Bitter, Choco Mole Lager, American Porter, Double IPA, Northeast by Northeast IPA, Centennial Rye IPA, India Wheat Ale, Woodshed Double Red, Passionate Gose (Downtown and Westside), Bandelier Brown (Downtown and Westside), Steel Maverick (Heights and Westside), The Golden Ape (Heights only), Caffe Canela Roja (Westside only). The most recent additions include Woodshed, a barrel-aged version of the Imperial Red blended with the regular hoppy Red Ale. Steel Maverick is a Belgian-style red ale made in collaboration with Steel Bender Brewyard.

Live Music (Downtown): Thursday—Gleewood, 7-10 p.m.; Friday—Roxy Roca, 6-10 p.m.; Saturday—The MLC, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Heights): Friday—Silver String Band, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Calling Ruby, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Westside): Friday—The Gershom Brothers, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday—Gleewood, 8-11 p.m.

Events (Heights): Sunday—Beer 201 with brewmaster Josh Trujillo, 1-3 p.m.

Weekly Events (Downtown): Saturday—Brewery tours, 2 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — (505) 242-4100 (brewery), (505) 226-1055 (Silver Taproom)

(Brewery: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Silver Taproom: Mon–Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Milk Stout, Strong Ale, Ensign Belgo (Silver Taproom only), El Dorado Session Pale Ale (Silver Taproom only). New to the list are the Milk Stout and Strong Ale. Malty goodness in spades! The Lighter Fare and the Darker Fare will debut Friday, plus an Irish Red will be on tap.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Monday–Friday, $5 appetizers, 3-5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Silver Taproom): Saturday—a live DJ will perform; Sunday—a live band will perform at 2 p.m.

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — (505) 508-0508

(Tues–Sat 3–9 p.m.)

Beers: MWA (Malt With Attitude), Guero (Belgian Wit), Pale Ale, Cockness Monster (Scotch Ale), Palmergranite Wit, Cafe Pale Ale, Switch Stance Stout. Palmer shares a building with Left Turn Distilling on Girard south of Candelaria. We got the full story on their origin and what’s to come in 2017.

Pi Brewing — N/A

(N/A)

News: Pi is being forced to close and relocate. When they have a new location, we will update everyone.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — (505) 639-5941

(Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: Oud Bruin, Schwarzbier, IPL, Imperial Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Simcoe Single-Hop Pale Ale. The Oud Bruin, a brown sour, is now on tap and for sale in bombers. You can also still purchase bombers of Sour Saison, Big Belgian IPA, and Preacher’s Daughter (Belgian Golden Strong) at the taproom or at liquor stores around town.

Quarter Celtic Brewpub — (505) 503-1387

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Beers: All the WITty Names are Taken, A Pale Ale Named Desire, MacLomas (Dry) Stout, #GFF, Phat Tiery. The #GFF, an imperial grapefruit IPA, is nearly out. Phat Tirey, a new Belgian Framboise, A Pale Ale Named Desire, and MacLomas Stout are the most recent additions, at least until Friday when Kill or Be Kilt and barrel-aged Irish Handcuffs arrive.

Weekly Events: Take note, there will be no Premier League viewing party Saturday morning this week due to the anniversary events (see our intro).

Red Door Brewing — (505) 633-6675 (brewery), (505) 990-3029 (downtown taproom)

(Brewery hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Downtown taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Ottobrau Pilsner, Bock to Basics, Calypso SMaSH Pale Ale (downtown taproom only), Nieuwe Bruin (downtown taproom only). The Bock is the most recent addition to the lineup. The Peach Patersbier, a Belgian dark ale with peaches, debuts Thursday.

News: The Vanilla Cream Ale has been so popular it has been added to the year-round lineup.

Weekly Events (Brewery): Monday—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Taproom): Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7-9 p.m.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company — (505) 900-3909

(Mon–Thu noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Rio Bravo Amber, Weizen, Randy’s Shandy, Dirty Rotten Bastard IPA, Snakebite IPA, Black Angus Stout, Randy’s Red Ale, Duke City Pilsner, Old Town Porter (regular and barrel aged), Barley Wine (regular and barrel aged), Raspberry Sour, Cereza Loco (Cherry Sour), NM Pinon Coffee Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Salted Caramel Belgian Strong Golden, Marzen, Level 3 IPA, Grab ‘Em By the Putin. The Level 3 (7.5% ABV, 120 IBU) should satisfy any hophead. The Putin is, in case you could not guess, a Russian imperial stout, checking in at a whopping 13 percent!

Live Music: Today (Wednesday)—Shane Wallin, 6 p.m.; Thursday—Eryn Bent, 7 p.m.; Friday—Tony Wilson, 2 p.m., Dixie Nickel Changebox, 5 p.m., Vintage Brew, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Lilah Rose, 8 p.m.

Events: Friday—2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Beer Pong Tournament, 4 p.m.; Saturday—Duke City Cornhole Club Tournament, 12:30 p.m.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Movie Night, 7 p.m.; Friday—Philly Friday, all day; Tuesday—$2 Taco Tuesday, all day

Sandia Chile Grill — (505) 798-1970

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

Beers: Call the brewery for an updated list.

Sidetrack Brewing — (505) 288-6468

(Mon–Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri 3 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Young Thatch English-style IPA, Sidetrack Pilsner, 2926 Steam Lager, The Red Line, Pub Ale. New beer alert, as Young Thatch and Pilsner have joined the lineup. Look for Gandy Dancer Irish Red and a barrel-aged version of the Pub Ale on Friday.

Cask: The Centennial IPA and Pub Ale are in the firkins. The BA Pub Ale and Pilsner dry-hopped with Sterling should be available by this weekend.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Taco Tuesday, all day

Starr Brothers Brewing — (505) 492-2752

(Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day)

Beers: Starrstruck IPA, L.A. Woman (Blonde), Thunderr Ale IPA, Red Zepplin, Roisin Dubh (Irish Dry Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Lampshade Porter, Phantom Limb Black Rye IPA, Electric Sun American Wheat. The most recent additions are the Electric Sun, Lampshade, and the Phantom Limb, which is a brand-new style.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League Viewing Party, 8 a.m.

The 377 Brewery — (505) 934-0795

(Open noon-11 p.m. most days)

Beers: English Best Bitter, Session IPA, Black IPA, Robust Porter, Kolsch, Hefe, Imperial Cream, IPA, Fully Booty Oatmeal Stout, Funky Punky Swartzbier, Red Horse NM Lager, SCH Scotch Lager. Holy moley, they now have multiple house beers on tap, which we recently reviewed. The most recent additions are the Red Horse (4.5% ABV, 14 IBU), IPA (7.2% ABV, 98 IBU), Oatmeal Stout (7.5% ABV, 62 IBU), and Funky Punky (5.5% ABV).

Tractor Brewing Company — (505) 433-5654 (Nob Hill), (505) 243-6752 (Wells Park)

(Nob Hill: Sun–Weds noon–midnight, Thurs noon–2 a.m., Fri–Sat noon–2 a.m.; Wells Park: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–close, Fri–Sun 1 p.m.–midnight)

UPDATED >>> Beers: Vulgar Display of Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout, Flanders Red Ale, Turkey Drool, Berry Cider, Goathead Hador Doppelbock, Golden Ale, Cranberry Ginger Cider, Stein Wine, Barnstorm Ale, Cowgirl Coffee Stout (Nob Hill only), Farmer’s Freckles Scottish Export (Wells Park only), SCH Scotch Lager (Wells Park only), Cowgirl Coffee Stout on nitro (Wells Park only), Farmhouse Saison (Wells Park only). That there Vulgar Display of Porter (8.8% ABV) is a Baltic made in collaboration with a certain group of beer writers. We hope you all enjoy it. The most recent additions are the Barnstorm, Flanders Red, Golden Ale, Stein Weine, Farmhouse Saison, and the delectable Chocolate Milk Stout.

Live Music (Wells Park): Thursday—Melissa Rios, 8 p.m.; Friday—St. Patrick’s Day Party with Felix y Los Gatos, Rev The Music, and Keith Sanchez and the Moon Thieves, 5 p.m.; Saturday—Homegirls Records, 8 p.m.

Live Music (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Jonah Sissoyev, 8:30 p.m.; Saturday—Russell James Pyle, 6 p.m.

Other Events (Nob Hill): Thursday—Craft + Beer: Community Craft Night, 6 p.m.

Weekly Events (Wells Park): Monday—Monday Night Film Club, 8 p.m.; Tuesday—Kamikaze Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Writing Wednesdays, 5 p.m.; Monday—Tractor Tune Up, 7:30 p.m.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — (505) 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Tues 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Wed–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Reminder: TMBC closes early when business dictates. Please call.)

Beers: SCH Scotch Lager, McSmack, Encierro Red Ale, Depravity (Barleywine), Oaked Depravity, Can’t Catch Me Copper Lager, Marzen. Depravity (10% ABV) is a beast of a barleywine, and an oaked version is also on tap. The SCH Scotch Lager was brewed for a good cause, with $1 of every pint sold going to help the brother of brewer Mick Hahn in his fight against cancer. You can also find it on tap at a number of other breweries around town. Snakedriver, an Irish dry stout on nitro, will debut Friday.

Cask: Tuesday—Blood Orange Marzen

Santa Fe breweries

Blue Corn Brewery — (505) 438-1800

(Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tiny Mighty Session IPA, Imperial Stout, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Pale Ale. We eagerly await the Imperial Stout making a trek down to the Draft Station in Albuquerque. The two Belgian beers were brewed for the recent 20th anniversary party.

Chili Line Brewing — (505) 500-7903

(Mon–Sat 4–11 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: El Jefe (Rauchweizen), sIPApu (India Pale Lager), Antonio Bandito (Dunkelweizen), Llorona Lager. The sIPApu is back, now as an IPL. The Llorona Lager is the other recent addition to the lineup.

Live Music: Every night at 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Reverse happy hour after 9 p.m. includes $1 off pints, $6 appetizers, $10 entrees and pizzas.

Duel Brewing Company — (505) 474-5301

(Brewery: Mon–Sat open at 11 a.m., Sun open at 1 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sun noon–midnight)

Beers: Bad Amber, Pulp Fiction (IPA), Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Cezanne Verite, Rye Goya (Imperial Stout), Stocious (Wee Heavy), Suor Nelli (Barrel-aged Scottish Sour), Manikin (Scottish), Monomyth (Imperial IPA). The most recent additions are the Pulp Fiction, Cezanne Verite, Manikin, and Monomyth.

Events: Friday—Soul Sessions and Enchanted Pop Up Presents: St. Paddy’s Bass, 8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 4-6 p.m. (discounts for all draft beer), Growler Saturdays ($3 off growler fills).

Happy Hour/Discounts (ABQ taproom): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 5-7 p.m.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — (505) 428-0719

(Open all week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Fields of Rye, Stout-ish (with coffee), Saison du Sarlacc, Babyhands, Agent Scully – Season One, Colonel Citra. The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Colonel Citra is another IPA made with, well, you can probably guess. A Biere de Mars and a Dry Irish Stout will debut Friday.

Events: Sunday—New Belgium Lips of Faith Series tap takeover, 11:30 a.m.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Special guest beer tapping, featuring Avery’s Tweak, 4 p.m.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — (505) 424-3333

(Main taproom: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 2-8 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Snowflake IPA, Hipster Union Red Rye, Adobe Igloo, Nuevo (Blonde Ale), Dysphotic Stout (ECS), Red Dawn Saison (ECS). The latest entry in the Ever Changing Series, Red Dawn Saison, will have you yelling “Wolverines!” or something of that sort. Snowflake IPA is back, now part of a series of seasonal-themed IPAs called the In-and-Out Series. Freestyle Pilsner is back on tap and in six-packs. Irish Red returns on tap this Friday.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Second Street Brewery — (505) 989-3278 (Railyard), (505) 982-3030 (original location)

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Outlier Special Bitter, 2920 IPA, Railyard Red, U2 Dry Irish Stout, Imperial Stout, Jordy’s Irish Red. With two reds and two stouts, Second Street definitely knows how to celebrate the holiday.

Live Music (Original location): Friday—Albuquerque and 4-Corners Pipe and Drum Band, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—Swing Soleil, 6-9 p.m.

Live Music (Railyard): Friday—Lone Pinon, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—The Zig Zag Band, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Railyard): Thursday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — (505) 500-8381

(Mon–Weds 2–10 p.m., Thurs 2–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: The Tripel Lindy, Wit Rock, Crazy Mother IPA, Betty on Brett, Spearmint Stout, Jarrylo Pale Ale, Beedle’s Apple Ale, Catcher ‘n the Rye, Double Barrel Bourbon Brown. The most recent tap turnover went down in Los Alamos with Crazy Mother, Betty, Spearmint, Jarrylo, Beedle’s, and Catcher making their debuts. The Bourbon Brown (8.7% ABV) has now joined them.

Sierra Blanca Brewing — (505) 832-2337

(Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri –Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Beers: Barrel-aged Whiskey Stout, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat. The Whiskey Stout is back for a short time. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Cherry Wheat will also now be available in bottles.

Twisted Chile Brewing — (575) 835-2949

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun noon-4 p.m.)

Beers: Zia Pilsner, 790 IPA, Hose Co. 1 Red Lager, Venom IPA, KC’s Irish Stout, Raspberry Wheat, Quebradas Sunrise Amber. The beers are starting to run out, but at $2 per pint from 4 to 9 p.m. every day, it’s easy to see why. It’s all cash only, and TC’s last day of business will be March 25.

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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!

— Stoutmeister

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