After a busy opening day, Beer Week mellows out a bit with just three events today (Friday). Considering how busy holiday weekends tend to be, that is just fine with us.

At least one or more of us will be hanging out with the owners of a certain out-of-town brewery who will be here for a special event (see below). We never got to personally thank them, when in the middle of the pandemic they had a good friend deliver a box of Truth Serum barleywine to us so we could start 2021 on a good note. You gotta thank anyone who agrees that “Barleywine is Life.”

Featured Event

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

What: Beer & Jazz with Truth or Consequences Brewing Tap Takeover. Where: Tractor Wells Park. When: 5-10 p.m. Cost: No cover charge.

Details: Rather than the usual Gin & Jazz, Tractor invited old friends TorC Brewing to come up and do a mini-tap takeover while still keeping the tunes going. Starlight Trio will start the music, followed by Pupfish, while you enjoy a selection of three of the best beers from down south — Cosmic Blonde, Fiesta Gold (Mexican Lager), and the brand-new Organica IPA.

Why you should go: If you have not had the chance to try TorC beers, this is the way to do it while not spending half your paycheck to fill up your gas tank for the drive south. Plus, who can’t use a little jazz on a Friday?

All the other great events

What: Meet the Brewer — A Steel Bender Tasting. Where: Paradise Liquors – Ventana Ranch, 6531 Paradise Blvd NW. When: 4-7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Come hang out with Steel Bender director of brewing operations Bob Haggerty, who will provide insight on all the great beers the brewery has to offer in cans and bottles. Why you should go: You get to taste delicious beers and learn a thing or two from one of the nicest, most knowledgeable brewers in the industry. That’s the definition of a win-win.

What: Canteen Sampling. Where: Total Wine Uptown. When: 4-7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Samples of Canteen’s finest beers will be poured for you to enjoy. Why you should go: If you still need one more six-pack for your weekend BBQ gathering, this is a good way to figure out which one you need to buy, with the bonus that it’s all local (and quite tasty).

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

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

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister