Pajarito Ski Area outside of Los Alamos has a handful of big events throughout the year, and it’s time for another as Summerfest will be held this Saturday.

If you haven’t been up to visit yet, this would be a great time to do so. If summer finally kicks in, you can rest assured that temperatures will be much cooler on the mountain. (I always warn people to be prepared for anything when it comes to the weather, though.) Throw in the natural beauty of the mountain and forest, and it’s a stunning setting for a beer festival.

There will be plenty of things to do throughout the day. There will be a mountain bike race, a disc golf tournament, hiking and biking (made easier by running chairlifts), the band Iron Chiwawa playing classic rock, good food, and yes, plenty of beer. More than a dozen New Mexico breweries will be in attendance, including:

• Bathtub Row: CojonHaze IPA, Cali Common, Little Bird Blonde, American Wheat
• Blue Corn: Oatmeal Stout, Gatekeeper IPA, Road Runner IPA, Peach Gose, Lager than Life
• Lost Hiker: Blonde, Mosaic SMASH, Belgian Rye Pale Ale, Amber
• Red Door: Unhinged Cider, West Coast IPA, Vanilla Cream Ale, Hopical Storm (Pineapple Milkshake IPA)
• Red River: Lazy Bear Blonde, Peach Campfire Cream Ale, Desperado Mexican Lager, Catskinner IPA
• Second Alarm: Porter, Kolsch, IPA (one keg)
• Second Street: TBA
• Sierra Blanca: Alien IPA, Green Chile Cerveza, Bone Chiller Brown Ale, and either Desert Pilsner, Vanilla Milk Stout or Cherry Wheat
• Steel Bender: Skull Bucket IPA, Raspberry Dynamite, Rosy Nosy, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch
• Taos Mesa: TBA
• Tractor: Berry Cider, Mustachio Milk Stout, Acreage IPA, plus cocktails Kentucky Mule, StraJarito Tonic, The Vodka Blues
• Tumbleroot: TBR (Light American Lager), Old School Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, New School IPA, plus a cocktail or two
• Turtle Mountain: Wooden Teeth, Darker than Darkness Schwarzbier, Maibock, Doppel Equis Steinundator, Table Manners Session Brut IPA, Yum Yum Breeze

We will update this list with specific beers from the breweries as we receive them. The beer portion of the event runs from 1 to 6 p.m. Iron Chiwawa will be playing from 2 to 5, and food will be served at the lodge cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20, which we believe entitles you to a souvenir glass and unlimited sampling. Be sure to bring a valid ID, or you won’t get in.

As always, if you’re going to be enjoying the beer, take the free shuttle that runs every half hour from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from the high school parking lot in town. It’s a several-mile drive up the mountain, so save yourself some gas and possible grief.

For more information, visit: https://www.pajarito.ski/events/summerfest/

Cheers!

— Reid