Two years ago, I sat in a mostly empty Quarter Celtic Brewpub, where the bar stools were gone, the tables were spaced widely apart, and there was minimal chatter from the staff and the scattered patrons. It was the saddest St. Patrick’s Day that I could ever recall as the pandemic was about to come crashing down on the world.

Fast forward to now, and almost every brewery in town (and a few beyond Burque) are offering up everything from food specials to drink specials/discounts to live music and more. One of the first major drinking holidays of the year is back, so crank up the Flogging Molly and let’s get back out there on this gray day (which is kinda fitting Irish weather).

Of course, this being a major drinking holiday, everyone needs to be extra careful. With the lack of Uber/Lyft drivers left in town, do be extremely cautious, especially after dark. Get a designated driver. Find a brewery within walking distance. If you have no choice but to drive, cut yourself off after two pints. Sure, you might be one to push it to three, but a police breathalyzer does not need much to register a .08 BAC.

Celebrate, of course, but do it responsibly.

Here are all the brewery events/specials for this Thursday, March 17. If you know of any that we do not list below, contact us via social media direct message, leave a comment, or just tell the brewery to email us.

• B2B Garden Brewery: All-day happy hour with $3 beers, ciders, and hard seltzers.
• Boese Brothers Brewing: Green pilsner is on tap.
• Bosque Brewing: Nob Hill will host a Green Party from 6 to 10 p.m., with cocktail specials, Irish food specials, board games, Legos, and coloring sheets.
• Brew Lab 101: Party starting at 6 p.m., with bag pipes, Emerald Isle Irish Red on tap, plus a green beer and green Jello shots, and special treats from Fram’s Desserts.
• Canteen Brewhouse: Irish Red and Dark and Lusty pints are $5, plus DnL six-packs are $8.99, Rum BA Panama Joe four-packs are $9.99. Reuben sandwich special. Bagpipes at 5:30 at the Brewhouse, followed by Hooks and Huckleberries at 6.
• Casa Vieja Brewery: Stout takeover with Vanilla Stout, Ghost Stout, and two guest stouts from Sierra Blanca, plus a green lager. Live music from Dan O’Brien from 5 to 8 p.m. Bo Toms Food Truck will have a holiday special.
• Harmon Lane Brewing/Southwest Grape and Grain: The NM Fire and Police Pipes and Drums will perform at 4 p.m. Then, if you are a New Mexico State fan, hang out to watch the Aggies play in the NCAA Tournament at 4:50.
• Hops Brewery: $3 pints all day, plus The Duke City Ceili Band performs at 6 p.m.
• JUNO: San Patricio Latin Night from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
• Kaktus Brewing: Party from 6 to 9 p.m., releasing new Irish Red and Green Irish Lager, with a corned beef pizza special, and live music by Got Soul.
• La Cumbre Brewing: Pogue Mahone Irish Dry Stout will be released at both taprooms.
• Lizard Tail Brewing: (Industrial) Corned beef with cider-braised cabbage and garlic smash potatoes for $10.
• Marble Brewery: Paddy McNitro returns at all taprooms. Corned beef and cabbage special from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., via Tikka Spice at 111, Chef T’s at Heights, Ohana Hut at Westside. Live music from Proyecto Cumbion and The Mango Cakes at 111, Trinity Soul at Heights, Dirty Brown Jug Band at Westside. Also, the Skydeck reopens at 111.
• Palmer Brewery: The High Desert Pipes and Drums stop by at 7:30 p.m.
• Ponderosa Brewing: Live music with Chris Dracup 6-9 p.m., plus a cocktail special.
• Quarter Celtic Brewpub: Just the Celtic menu at both locations.
• Red Door Brewing: (Downtown) Pastrami Reubens on special, DJ Sarah K performing from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
• ReSource Brewing: Tapping ReSource Rarity green beer, Drowning in Shamrocks, a Czech imperial lager that finished at 8-percent ABV, pints only. NM Fire and Police Pipes and Drums will play at 6 p.m. Michelle’s Italian and Pizzeria will have food specials with free delivery to the taproom.
• Rio Bravo Brewing: Green beer and an assortment of stouts will be on tap. DeNankius will provide music in the Biergarten from 6 to 9 p.m. Corned beef and cabbage, and shepherd’s pie will be available all day. There will also be a beer pong tournament in the Biergarten starting at 6 (teams must sign up and check in by 5:30).
• Rumor Brewing: Due to weather, Daddy O’Long Loin will perform Saturday at 4 p.m.
• Steel Bender Brewyard: Blue Bullet Stout back on the nitro tap, plus beef barley soup and soda bread. The Gershom Brothers perform from 6 to 8 p.m. It’s the final day of Raiders of the Lost Cellar.
• The 377 Brewery: The Ginger Lass cocktail will debut for the “lucky” price of $7.77.
• Thirsty Eye Brewing: Get $1 off pints of Father O’Malley’s Holy Water (Irish Dry Stout). Participating in Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl on Saturday.
• Toltec Brewing: $3.50 pints and $4.50 tall pours, $1 off cocktails and wines, a special green beer and the new chocolate vanilla stout will be on tap (the latter will be on nitro, too). The kitchen will serve corned beef and hash.
• Tractor Brewing: (Wells Park) DJ Flo Fader will spin at 5 p.m. Spectral Youth will show a screening of the movie Leprechaun at 8 p.m. (Nob Hill) The Reelers will provide the music from 8 to 10 p.m. (Westside) The Stray Dawgs will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. (Los Lunas) DJ Danielsan will host karaoke from 6:30 to 9:30.
• Turtle Mountain Brewing, Rio Rancho: Shine’s famous house-brined corned beef and cabbage, house stout Irish stew, Snakedriver Irish Dry Stout on nitro at both taprooms.

Outside of Albuquerque metro area

• Hidden Mountain Brewing: Corned beef tacos, corned beef nachos, or a regular corned beef and cabbage plate will be available. Drink specials will also be available.
• Second Street Brewery: (Original) Live music from The O’s, while the kitchen serves up corned beef and cabbage (with Cream Stout used in the beef), lamb stew, and more. New stouts will be on draft at all three taprooms.
• Little Toad Creek: (Silver City) Corned beef and cabbage, stout stew, and there will be a pub crawl downtown. Live music by The Gila Lobsters at 8 p.m., plus door prizes. (Las Cruces) Erin’s Green Lite Beer will be on tap, with a portion of the proceeds going to the MD Anderson Cancer Center. There will also be Lucky Lemonade and potato soup. Live music by Creosote & Chris Baker Band at 5 p.m.
• Sierra Blanca Brewing: $3 pints of green lager and plates of corned beef and cabbage for $9.99 will be served from 1 to 7 p.m.
• Truth or Consequences Brewing: Hourglass Imperial Red returns on tap, plus music from Wolfman’s Brother at 7 p.m., and the fire pit will be lit at night.

The toughest part about today after reading all that? Figuring out where to go!

Oh, and good luck to your brackets.

Sláinte!

— Stoutmeister