We are past the halfway point of Beer Week, but it is hardly time to slow down.

Today’s events are mostly of the special tapping/sampling/tap takeover variety, scattered all over town. There will also be a mini cask festival at Quarter Celtic, a beer-and-food-and-wine pairing at Tractor Wells Park, and an early 90s party with Upslope at The Grain Station.

Oh, yeah, and there’s a hockey game on TV tonight you might want to check out.

Featured Event

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

What: Mini Cask Beer Festival. Where: Quarter Celtic Brewpub. When: 5-10 p.m. Cost: $5 for sample flight.

Details: QC will have four casks out on the patio featring Rye’t Side of Dublin dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Kill or be KILT, Vanilla Cream Quarter Porter, and Chocolate Hefeweizen. You can get a sample flight of all four, or a pint of your favorite (13-ounce pours for KILT). Grab some dinner and enjoy your evening in proper pub style! Plus, hockey will be on at least one TV, which is where you will find Franz Solo and I.

Why you should go: Besides getting the chance to watch yours truly endure Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals (reportedly I am quite entertaining to watch during games, or so say the QC staff), this one is all about some delicious beers in a wonderful setting.

All the other great events

What: Marble Special Keg Tapping. Where: Rock & Brews. When: 11 a.m. to close. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The Idaho 7 Pale Ale is the beer of choice that shall be tapped. Why you should go: Be among the first in town to try this new beer made with a special new hop.

What: Abita Special Tapping. Where: Gecko’s Nob Hill. When: 11 a.m. to close. Cost: No cover charge. Details: We are working on finding out what beer this will be … it’s the Strawberry Lager! Why you should go: A little sweet, fruity goodness to start your day.

What: Marble Brett IPA Tap and Bottle Release. Where: Marble (all locations). When: Noon to close. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The hoppy, funky classic is back. Order a pint or take it home or, heck, do both. Why you should go: If you are a fan of IPAs with a Belgian twist, this one is hard to beat.

What: Firestone Walker Sampling and Giveaway. Where: Jubilation. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The final sampling of ABW at Jubilation will feature Firestone’s finest, including Fortem Unfiltered DIPA and Bretta Rose, plus more beers. There will also be a special giveaway of a FW longboard to one lucky person. Why you should go: Free beer and (maybe) free stuff? Sign us up.

What: Odell Sampling and Giveaway. Where: Total Wine Uptown. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Taste the entire Odell packaged lineup and potentially walk away with some additional goodies. Why you should go: Free beer!

What: Woodchuck Cider Sampling. Where: Total Wine Uptown. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Enjoy the entire Woodchuck packaged lineup. Why you should go: Free cider!

What: Odell Tap Takeover. Where: Freight House. When: 4-8 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Odell will bring old favorites 90 Shilling and IPA plus newcomers Drumroll APA and Brazzle. Why you should go: Grab a bite to eat and a pint if you’re up in the Bernalillo vicinity.

What: Beer and Tapas Pairing. Where: Ponderosa. When: 4-7 p.m. Cost: $7 per pairing. Details: A different beer and tapas pairing will be available each day. Why you should go: You need some food in your belly to go with all this beer.

What: Early 90’s Night with Upslope. Where: The Grain Station. When: 5-9 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Go retro with live DJs spinning classic tunes from 20-plus years ago, with a costume contest with prizes for the top three, and of course lots of Upslope beers. Why you should go: We can only imagine the costumes that some of you can dig up.

What: Beer and Food Truck Pairing. Where: Drafty Kilt. When: 5-9 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Illusion Food Truck will be creating some specialty dishes that pair up with the different Drafty Kilt beers. Why you should go: When the food is made specifically to go with the beer, that’s a win-win.

What: Founders Tapping. Where: The Barley Room. When: 6-9 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Choose from a lineup of PC Pils, All Day IPA, and Imperial Stout in the far Northeast Heights. Why you should go: Grab a bite to eat, watch some hockey, and enjoy three very different but wonderful beers.

What: Beer, Wine & Food Pairings with Gruet Winery and Cheese & Coffee. Where: Tractor Wells Park. When: 7-11 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Choose from five different food dishes, each paired with a different Tractor beer and a different Gruet wine. See how the food fits with both alcoholic beverages. You can pick and choose or order all of them. Why you should go: Feast like a king or queen.

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

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

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister