Greetings, all. Yes, this is a day early, but with Thanksgiving on Thursday, we figured it would be a good idea to help you prepare for the holiday in terms of what beers are available for you to pick up in order to survive the big family dinner. We will have a separate story Wednesday on all the adjusted hours for breweries this week. The original idea was to run that today and Week Ahead in its normal Wednesday spot, but the breweries are being awfully slow about posting their schedules. (HINT, breweries, HINT) Anyway, on with the show.
New Draft:
Brew Lab 101 tapped the season-appropriate Merry Cranberry Cider. Casa Vieja will add Tripel Threat, a hefty Belgian-style tripel, this week. Ex Novo tapped To the Extreme, a cold IPA, and My Yammy Vice, a yam porter that is a candidate for beer name of the year. La Cumbre added Bamberg Hell, a smoked helles. Quarter Celtic tapped It’s Bloody Kolsch in Here. Sidetrack will debut Beyond the Shadows Stout for pub club members on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m., but the rest of us will have to wait a bit longer. Starr Brothers tapped Nuts and Nibbs, a peanut butter chocolate porter. Steel Bender added Out to Pasture Farmhouse Ale. (UPDATES) Marble tapped its wonderful Turkish Coffee Stout. Rio Bravo went full mad scientist and created Watermelon Tajin Red Chile Gose, and then followed that with Black Sparrow, a rum barrel-aged stout. Sidetrack tapped that Beyond the Shadows, and also added Purple Galaxy, a fruited sour.
Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales created a new farmhouse ale, La Communicacion, made with locally sourced Neo Mexcicanus hops and Sonoran white wheat. Second Street tapped Tres Equis (Vienna) Lager. Further north, Red River Brewing rolled out Alien Prickly Pear Blonde.
New Package:
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is only one scheduled can or bottle release (so far) in the Albuquerque or Santa Fe during this holiday week, and you can find it in notable events below. However, down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing will roll out bottles and draft of its barrel-aged Honey Winter Ale on Friday. (UPDATE) Flix will release its first bottled beer, Midnight Release Imperial Stout, on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Notable Events:
Wednesday — Three breweries are offering up special discounts the day before Thanksgiving. Downshift’s Outpost 1706 in Old Town will have $2 off all pints all day. All three Lizard Tail locations will have $2 off growler fills all day. You can get three crowlers for just $20 at Sidetrack all day.
Thursday — Most places are closed, but three small-town breweries will be hosting Thanksgiving dinners. Little Toad Creek in Silver City will have a gourmet buffet for $49.50 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Truth or Consequences will host a potluck, with a $5 suggested donation to charity, from 3 to 6 p.m. Red River will host a dinner for $20 from 3 to 8 p.m. More information can be found on all three breweries’ social media pages, including menus and how to reserve a spot.
Friday — The darkness returns to Boxing Bear as VantaBlack Friday takes over from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The imperial stout and its imperial milk stout compatriot, Drink the Rich, will be available at all four locations, on draft and in cans, while all but Bridges on Tramway will also host artisan markets and more. The bands Blue Heron and Sweet Nothin’ will perform in Corrales, while a slew of bands (five total) will perform at Tramway.
Blackest Friday, an insane imperial stout/porter event, returns to Rowley Farmhouse Ales from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. They haven’t released the lineup yet, but assure us that it is going to be epic.
Ex Novo begins taking pre-orders for this year’s Kill the Sun gift boxes on the brewery website. In addition to the classic bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout, the three variants this year are Horchata, Dirty Chai, and Chocolate, Almond, and Coconut.
If the darkest of beers are not your thing, there is always Gin & Jazz at Tractor Wells Park starting at 5 p.m.
Lizard Tail Heights will host the Feathers, Franks & Football Fundraiser from 2 to 4 p.m., benefiting Birds of a Feather Parrot Rescue.
Saturday — Sidetrack will host a holiday market from 1 to 5 p.m. Late Shift Lager House will host a Shop & Stroll Market at The Craftroom from 1 to 5 p.m., as well.
Quick News Bits:
We forgot to mention last week that Second Street is holding a warm clothing drive to benefit St. Elizabeth’s, Casa Familia, and Pete’s Place Shelter. You can find bins at both Rufina and Railyard.
Ex Novo is holding a holiday sale, with bottles two for $20, hats two for $40, and 20-percent off all cases. The sale runs through Sunday.
Red Door Brewing has bottles of its imperial stout, Mail Order, on sale for $12.75 apiece.
Marble and Sadie’s have teamed up again to create Desert Fog Hazy IPA Salsa, and they will have a sampling today (Tuesday) at all three taprooms from 4 to 6 p.m. A limited supply of jars will be for sale at the taprooms and the Sadie’s on Fourth Street.
The New Mexico Brewers Guild is looking for a new executive director. Tess Vidalis is resigning at the end of the year, ending her term two years early. If you are interested in applying, visit the Guild website.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Double Dead Red (7.5% ABV), a hop-forward red ale that has long been a fan-favorite specialty at BBB.
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: Dark Harvest Dunkelweizen (6.9% ABV, 14 IBU), available on draft for a limited time, this German-style wheat beer has a new recipe since the last time it was brewed as a collab.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Scotch Rocket (8.1% ABV), a delicious wee heavy to keep you warm this winter, available on draft and in cans.
Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Bitter Chill, a cold IPA, on tap for a limited time.
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.
Echoes Brewery — Featured seasonal: Echoes IPA, their first beer is a hoppy, but not too hoppy, introduction to the new brewery on Gold in the old Burt’s Tiki Lounge space.
Enchanted Circle Brewing Taproom
Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Nevermore (12.1% ABV), a black barleywine aged in whiskey barrels with smoked figs and cacao nibs.
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: Pumpkin Porter (6.9% ABV, 21 IBU), a darker take on a traditional pumpkin ale.
High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: How Do You Spell Kolsch?, a sweet, delicious treat of a beer whose supply has nearly run out.
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: La Negra (13% ABV, 60 IBU), a mammoth Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, available in bottles and on draft for a limited time.
La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: Copper Canyon Pale Ale (6.9% ABV), which benefits two children’s orphanages in the Copper Canyon region of Northern Mexico. It is also available at Santa Fe and Tractor.
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: Dos Años, a barrel-aged Baltic porter brewed for the brewpub’s recent second anniversary.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Therewolf, the annual Oktoberfest release, is running low on draft.
Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Hey Man, Nice Shorts (6.5% ABV, 48 IBU), a delightful pale ale brewed in honor of staff member Bill Heimann.
Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Good Gourd, a pumpkin and cranberry brown ale that just seems perfect for holiday parties, plus you can get it on nitro in the taproom.
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 — Featured seasonal: 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: Black Wedding, a black IPA, if you could not guess, is available for the winter months.
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: Adobe Igloo is back in cans and on draft for the winter months.
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: Steam Coffee Porter (6.5% ABV, 30 IBU), from the brewery: “Smooth and malty with a solid creamy head. Roasted grains are well balanced with base malts and just enough hops to offset any residual sweetness. Add in some coffee from Steam and it’s winter in a glass.”
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: Mastadon (12.6% ABV), a Belgian-style quad with flavors of banana, dried fruit, and caramel, then aged in whiskey barrels to add hints of toasted oak and rich honey, available in bottles and on draft.
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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 
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