The slow season is upon us once again. There is a stark lack of new releases this week, the number of events are way down (but, they always would be compared to Halloween weekend). The one bit of good news is that this gives us all a chance to catch up on the seasonals we missed, or to just relax in general. Of course, this being the start of November, it also means the first annual barrel-aged release of the late fall/early winter is about to arrive, as La Cumbre brings back its decadent Russian imperial stout, La Negra, this Friday in bottles and on draft. That should keep us occupied for a while, right?
New Draft:
Lizard Tail just added Mexican Amber Lager. Marble tapped the new Citra Pils, and Calavera Porter will be tapped Saturday for the special event listed below. Nexus will bring back Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty on Monday. Thirsty Eye already tapped a new batch of Biscochito Liquido, and Rainshine, a grapefruit IPA, will debut on Friday. Turtle Mountain added Cafecito, a coffee stout. Vision City tapped Pastry Stout. (UPDATES) Brew Lab 101 released a Blueberry Cider and Bitter Chiller, a cold IPA. Sidetrack added Crossroads Bo Pils. Tractor tapped a new hazy IPA, Sunspot.
Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Hi, How Are You?, a dunkles bock made in collaboration with Yakima Chief Hops to help raise awareness for mental health services. Down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing will tap Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Dark Skies Oatmeal Stout on Thursday.
New Package:
Bow & Arrow will roll out Coastal Mesa Hazy IPA in cans and on draft this Friday. Canteen has a fresh batch of Laid Back Lager back in cans. Ex Novo put Marryin’ Berries and Intergalactic Pale Reality back in cans and on draft. (UPDATES) Ex Novo also brought back Ruminator Doppelbock in cans and on draft. Marble rolled out cans of fresh DIPA. Rio Bravo dropped cans and draft of Snow Way, a new white IPA. Santa Fe Brewing has Adobe Igloo back in cans and on draft for the winter.
Notable Events:
Today (Wednesday) — The latest edition of Poetry & Beer will have a Dia de los Muertos theme at Tracdtor Wells Park starting at 7 p.m.
Thursday — La Cumbre will host a meet-and-greet with Sokwa, their resident artist for the month of November, from 6 to 8 p.m.
We cannot guarantee that it has not sold out yet, but there is a beer dinner between Marble and M’tucci’s 25. It’s a five-course feast paired with seven Marble beers, and costs just $75. Call M’tucci’s 25 at 505-554-2660 to make a reservation.
Friday — ABQ Artwalk is back downtown from 5 to 9 p.m., so check on the social media from Boese Brothers, Red Door, and Sidetrack to see what they have planned this time.
The First Fridays Comedy Contest returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.
Saturday — The Lager Liftoff, a weightlifting competition, takes place at Canteen from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The biggest event of the weekend is the annual Muertos Fiesta at Marble downtown from 2 to 9 p.m. Participating musicians will include Sade Munirah (2-2:45), The Rudy Boy Experiment (3:15-4), Mariachi Xochitl (4:15-4:45), Hillary Smith & Chillhouse (5-6), Mango Cakes (6:30-7:30), and Red Light Cameras (8-9). There will also be a Muertos Market featuring local artists and vendors, food specials from Los Pookies, and respected altars will be displayed.
Quick News Bits:
Check with many of your favorite breweries to see if they are changing over to winter hours. We know that Ex Novo has already switched up its hours, with The Corral now open only on weekends.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Hazy Chain DIPA v.15 (6.45% ABV, 100+ IBU), featuring a combo of Warrior, Mosaic, and Sabro hops.
Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Little Tipper IPA (6.2% ABV, 45 IBU), a sessionable version of the popular Scale Tipper.
Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.2% ABV) was the favorite of all the Oktoberfests sold at Marblefest, according to several friends of the Crew, and it’s still available in cans in addition to being on draft.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Bear Knuckle IPA (7.7% ABV, 80 IBU), the four-time winner of the NM IPA Challenge is back on tap and in cans.
Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Kiwi-Mango GoGo (5.7% ABV, 8 IBU), a fruited gose, as you might have guessed.
Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Pond Hopper (6.3% ABV, 24 IBU), an English ale made in collaboration with Malteurop Malting.
Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Sharpe Dressed Man Chocolate Vanilla Stout is like two desserts in one.
Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill
Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Red Corn Rye Lager (4.8% ABV, 16 IBU) is a summer lager with a nice rye bite to it.
Downshift Brewing at Outpost 1706 — Featured seasonal: Gratitude Session IPA (4.2% ABV, 40 IBU), brewed to support local charities, right now $1 from every pint sold goes to the Shelter Fund of the Community Foundation of Lincoln County.
Enchanted Circle Brewing Taproom
Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Pastry Supernova (11% ABV), a monstrously delicious barrel-aged pastry stout, available in cans and on tap for a limited time.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: FlixBrühaus, their version of an Oktoberfest.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Your Place or Stein?, a very traditional Oktoberfest, drier and less sweet than most of its local counterparts.
Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: R.I.P … A (6.1% ABV, 70 IBU), a red rye IPA brewed for the season.
High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Rayon Slacks (7.3% ABV, 60 IBU), a single-hop IPA with Mosaic, and one amusing name.
Hops Brewery — Featured seasonal: Killer Bee Pale Ale (6.3% ABV, 23 IBU), this beer is made with actual honey from killer bee hives in Southern New Mexico.
JUNO Brewery
Kaktus Brewing — Featured seasonal: Helles Lager, which is pretty much the closest beer they have to being a year-round offering, because the regulars in Bernalillo demand it all the time.
La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Excellence (7% ABV, 70 IBU), a collaboration IPA between LC and Colorado’s Cannonball Creek and Comrade.
La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: Miss Mari’s Snappy Pils, so named because it has a nice bite to it from the Citra, Lemon Drop, and Saphir hop bill.
Late Shift Lager House at The Craftroom — Featured seasonal: Hop Villain (6.8% ABV, 102 IBU), a beastly IPA that is a change of sorts from the lager-dominated lineup.
Lizard Tail Brewing — Featured seasonal: Long Nosed Tripel (9.2% ABV, 30 IBU), the biggest beer on the menu.
Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Westside Coast IPA (7% ABV), brewed for the 10th anniversary of the Westside Taproom, with a lovely hop bill of Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Sabro. Click on the different taprooms in the menu for the updated beer lists for each location.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: New Mexico Snow Storm IPA (7.2% ABV, 36 IBU), the runner-up at the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge had another strong finish at the 2022 NMIPAC, coming in fourth.
Palmer Brewery and Cider House — Featured seasonal: 2 Robs Make a Rita, an annual collaboration with Starr Brothers Brewing.
Ponderosa Brewing Co. — Featured seasonal: Italian Pilsner, the winner of back-to-back gold medals at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival and the 2022 World Beer Cup, is available on draft and in cans.
Quarter Celtic Brewpub— Featured seasonal: Becca’s Blend, a spunky little red rye IPA.
Red Door Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hibiscus White IPA is still available on draft for a limited time.
ReSource Brewing — Featured seasonal: Summer of Equality Stout, a lower ABV version of their popular house stout.
Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Vienna Waits (5.5% ABV, 20 IBU), a delightful amber lager.
Rumor Brewing (formerly Ale Republic) — Featured seasonal: Love (4.4% ABV, 12 IBU), a smoothie sour with sweet and tart cherries.
Sidetrack Brewing — Featured seasonal: Railyard Reaper Oatmeal Stout (5.2% ABV, 28 IBU), when the brewer tells you it’s his homage to Sleeping Dog Stout of the late Chama River, you instantly order a pint.
Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Under the Mango Tree, a mango American-style ale, which you can also get as “Mangon,” a beer cocktail.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Herban Cowboy Hazy IPA, a collaboration with Boxing Bear that is just a wee bit dank.
Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Who’s Brett? IPA (5.65% ABV, 50 IBU), a traditional IPA spiked with Brettanomyces to enhance the hoppy flavor.
Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: There’s Something About That Blonde, a tart-cherry blonde ale made for people who just can’t let go of summer.
Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Javi Pre-Prohibition Lager (4.9% ABV, 23 IBU), a special beer brewed in the memory of Javier “Javi” Garcia, a friend of the brewery who tragically lost his life in a bicycle accident.
Turquoise Trail Brewing — The brewery is closed at its original location, but is looking for a new home elsewhere in Albuquerque, as we covered here.
Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: The Zeus Effect (4.3% ABV, 50 IBU), a session wet-hop IPA, will have $1 donated to Special Olympics from every pint sold.
Vision City Brewstillery — Double Vision (7.1% ABV), a strong Belgian wheat, is one of several beers on tap at this new brewery/distillery, which we already previewed.
Santa Fe breweries
Beer Creek Brewing — Featured seasonal: Get to Da Hoppa is an IPA brewed entirely with New Mexico-grown hops and barley. Available in cans and on draft. If you buy the cans and go home, you must immediately watch Predator.
Chile Line Brewing — Featured seasonal: A Huevo (5% ABV, 20 IBU) is a Yerba Matte-inspired beer.
Hidden Mountain Brewing (formerly Blue Corn Brewery) — Featured seasonal: Pepino Lager, made with cucumber and lime, is a perfect pairing with the food menu.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Chantal (8.5% ABV, 30 IBU), this French-style saison was brewed in honor of a friend of the brewery who passed away after a battle with cancer. Available in cans and on draft.
Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest is back in cans and on draft, and we have no problem with this having arrived in July. If Samuel Adams can do it, so can SFBC.
Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Boondock Skye (4.8% ABV, 35 IBU) is a crushable session IPA that everyone needs to drink up to make room for new seasonals.
Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery — Featured seasonal: White Rabbit Wit, the first in a series of new witbiers.
Other breweries you need to visit
Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: Owl Peak Blue Corn Lager (5.4% ABV, 14 IBU), a collaboration lager with Owl Peak Farm in La Madera.
Little Toad Creek Brewing and Distilling
Red River Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Cacao Fuego, a chocolate-and-green-chile stout, will keep you warm even as the mountain nights grow colder.
Sierra Blanca Brewing — Featured seasonal: Peanut Butter Porter, because let’s face it, there aren’t many NM breweries using peanut butter in their beers, but it’s still a very popular adjunct.
Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Margarita Sour, a tart golden ale that is enhanced with subtle flavors of lime, tequila, and orange liqueur.
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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.
Keep supporting local!
— Stoutmeister
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 
Hello fellow beer lovers! Any more news on Five Mountain’s that is to be opening in Mesa del Sol? I have had quite a few friends and neighbors ask if I had heard anything. Our community is growing like weeds so it will be supported a ton!! Thanks in advance for any news. Oh this is Wayne Bishop and we live in MdS and love the Dark Side 😁🍻
We’ve heard nothing on the project. Before hackers took down the State License & Regulation Division’s website, there was no pending small brewer license for any place in MDS. Could it still happen? Sure, but we’re not gonna bet on it anytime soon.