With the advent of Dry January and all those New Year’s resolutions in general, January tends to be one of the toughest months of the year for breweries in terms of keeping those sales numbers up. Now, we don’t want anyone to overdo it in terms of drinking to show more support to your favorite place(s), but there are some other options. Didn’t get that particular hat or hoodie for the holidays? Buy one from a brewery. Feeling hungry but not thirsty? Order some food to go from your favorite brewery to take home so you can avoid the temptation. Want a beer to save for after January? Grab a bottle or some cans of the kinds of beers that can be aged a bit and stash them away. There are ways to keep showing support without even having a beer this month.
New Draft:
Ex Novo tapped The Ocho, an American pale ale. La Cumbre added Tettnanger Pils. Rio Bravo tapped Hot Chocolate Stout. Starr Brothers brought back Red on the Head. Turtle Mountain tapped Elden Brown. (UPDATES) Gravity Bound added Horizontal Shift, a new fruited sour. Marble tapped a new oatmeal stout, Oatale. Steel Bender released Short Mondays Irish Red. Sunday Service Motor Company added its second beer, Motor Oil, a porter. Unhinged tapped two small-batch beers, Fireside Amber and Chingon Black IPA.
Up in Santa Fe, Second Street released Space Heater, a winter warmer (get it?). Over in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Green Bullet SMASH Lager.
New Package:
Ex Novo released Extra Time Amber, its offseason New Mexico United-themed beer, in cans and on draft. La Cumbre brought back Hop Launch IPA in cans and on draft. Marble has re-released Day Ghost, this time in 12-ounce cans. (UPDATE) Bow & Arrow will release Brunch Special, a sweet and tart sour, in cans and on draft this Friday.
Notable Events:
Today (Wednesday) — Poetry & Beer returns to Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.
Friday — ABQ Artwalk returns from 5 to 9 p.m., so make sure to check in with Boese Brothers, Red Door, and Sidetrack later this week to see what they will be hosting as part of this monthly event.
Tractor Wells Park will host the First Fridays Comedy Contest at 8 p.m.
Saturday — Tumbleroot will host a metal show on a day other than Monday, as Velnias, TKTWA, Distances, and Dead Patt will perform from 7:30 p.m. onward. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
Quick News Bits:
Just in case you missed it, Ex Novo has closed The Corral until springtime.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Raspberry Sour (7% ABV), is pretty self explanatory, but it’s also the only seasonal at all four BBB locations, including Desert Dogs.
Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Anniversary IPA (6% ABV, 90 IBU), a red IPA that features the 2022 Yakima Chief Hops Veterans Blend. This year is comprised of HBC 586, Ekuanot, Idaho 7, Chinook, and Triumph hops. Well balanced hop flavor and aroma, tropical, citrus, and woody notes. YCH donates a portion of hop sales to the HunterSeven Foundation, and Bombs Away donates $1 from every beer sold to the EOD Warrior Foundation.
Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Jean Cuffs (8% ABV, 60 IBU), a double red with a hoppy kick.
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: Tripel Threat, a hefty Belgian-style brew.
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: Ruminator (8% ABV), a delightful doppelbock available in cans and on draft.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Contact the theater to find out what’s available.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Crumbling Blues (5.7% ABV), a blueberry crumble cake inspired sour.
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: Rusalka’s Kiss (3.6% ABV, 20 IBU), a Polish-style grodziskie (smoked wheat beer) made in collaboration with the Worthogs homebrew club.
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 — Featured seasonal: Vienna Lager, a smooth amber lager with a touch of sweetness.
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: Gilded Age Porter (5.7% ABV, 35 IBU), a most metal porter, available in cans on draft, and we tested that metal status by consuming only this beer during the recent Wayfarer/Wake/Heretical Sect show at Sister. Hails!
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: Turkish Coffee Stout (7.5% ABV), a spiced coffee stout that will keep you warm inside. 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: My Bock is Killing Me (7.25% ABV, 30 IBU), a summer bock with a great name, but since it’s a summer bock, it’s time should be up by now. Help clear a tap for something more seasonal.
Red Door Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hibiscus White IPA is still available on draft for a limited time.
ReSource Brewing — Featured seasonal: Christmas Bloody Christmas, a cranberry imperial stout, is still available in bottles for a limited time.
Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Black Sparrow (13% ABV, 60 IBU), a rum-barrel-aged imperial stout.
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: Side-Eye Peppermint Porter, a collaboration with Thirsty Eye.
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: SereniTEA Now! (6.5% ABV, 10 IBU), the annual collaboration with Canteen and High and Dry benefits Agora Crisis Center.
Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: No Brainer, a tasty coffee stout, is the first beer made at the new brewery to reach the taps.
Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Biscochito Liquido, a winter brown ale brewed with cinnamon and anise, it hits all the right spots for the season.
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.
Unhinged Brewing — Welcome to the listings to this new brewery at 98th Street and Central! We wrote a short preview, so go check out the opening lineup, which includes Non-Linear IPA, Jest-a-Lager, Foolin’ Around Brown, ScRew lOose StOuT, and Off the Rails (Red IPA).
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: Naughty or Spiced, a winter warmer with mulling spices, nicely balanced for the holidays.
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: Mastodon (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 