The Week Ahead in Beer: A quiet start to a new month at local breweries

Stoutmeister will have you covered for all things new in beer and brewery events every week.

Remember when we wrote that last week was looking awfully quiet? It has nothing on this week. The beer releases are sparse, though there a few events to check out. I guess everyone is either gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday, or Valentine’s Day, or both. Either that, or the final toll of Dry January is being felt. Get on out there this weekend and help finish off some of the older seasonals to make room for new beers. We need something to write about next week, after all!

New Draft:

Bosque tapped Chocolate Chiporter, a chocolate and chipotle porter, if the name wasn’t a dead giveaway. Kaktus has Puddle Stomper IPA and London Porter both back on tap. La Reforma added Oso Lupuloso IPA. ReSource tapped the first in a series of small-batch beers dedicated to employees, with Ashley’s Birthday Porter (aged on hazelnuts and cacao nibs) leading off. Starr Brothers tapped a new batch of Black Friday (Dark Lager). Steel Bender brought back Bulldog Best Bitter. (UPDATES) Bow & Arrow has a small batch of Chai Please, a stout. Gravity Bound added more Calling All (Kolsch). Red Door tapped Wagoner’s Porter. Rio Bravo added Coconut Porter. Starr Brothers tapped Jason Voorhaze IPA.

Up in Santa Fe, Hidden Mountain will tap Halftime Helles Lager on Friday. Rowley Farmhouse Ales recently tapped Clouds Collapse, a wild ale made with Japanese blood plums.

New Package:

There are no announced can or bottle releases so far this week, which means we fully expect a delayed barrage of social media posts about them on Thursday or Friday. (UPDATE) How about a Wednesday evening announcement? La Cumbre will release Wander Wagon Blue Corn IPA, a collab with Arizona’s Lazy G Brewhouse, in cans and on draft this Friday. Boxing Bear will bring back Juicy Boxer Hazy IPA in cans and on draft this Friday. Canteen rolled out cans and draft of A Work of Heart Chocolate Milk Stout. Gravity Bound added Building Block, a new hazy IPA, in cans and on draft this Friday.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Poetry & Beer returns to Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.

Thursday — Canteen hosts a Songwriter Showcase from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday — ABQ Artwalk is back from 5 to 9 p.m., so check the social media pages for Boese Brothers, Red Door, and Sidetrack later this week to see what they have planned.

Boxing Bear will have its own mini-market with live music called Lovers Strolldown at the West Downtown taproom from 6 to 10 p.m.

The new Tumbleroot Music Lab debuts as a collaborative arts and music extravaganza from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Agua Fria taproom.

First Fridays Comedy Contest returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

Saturday — Truth or Consequences Brewing will host a special beer tasting with owner/chief beer officer John Masterson at the Las Cruces taproom from 2 to 4 p.m.

Space Disco with DJ Ren and DJ Moonside will take over Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Beer Creek is having a sale on four-packs of Bootlegger Blonde for $12 apiece at the brewery.

Tumbleroot’s new taproom, The Pottery Pub, is now open in Santa Fe at 135 W. Palace Ave. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 to 9 Thursday through Saturday.

Bathtub Row is in the midst of a major renovation in the back, with the concrete floor being replaced so they can install their new 7-barrel brewhouse and other equipment. Their lineup will soon be mostly guest taps, so be patient, and soon the beer will flow again, better than ever!

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. It is starting to run low, so get it while you still can!

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: BBA Singularity Stout (10% ABV, 45 IBU), a beast of a barrel-aged stout, now available in 16-ounce cans, 22-ounce bottles, and on draft.

B2B Garden Brewery 

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 has now been joined by the one of the other core beers, a coconut coffee stout. A pilsner and an American pale ale are on deck.

Enchanted Circle Brewing Taproom 

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Between the Spreadsheets (5.2%), a hoppy lager, it’s still available on tap and in cans, so get over there and help clear room for the next seasonal!

Flix Brewhouse  — Featured seasonal: Contact the theater to find out what’s available.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Deep Coat (6.9% ABV), a decadent Baltic porter sure to keep you warm on the patio.

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.

Kilt Check Brewing 

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Gilded Age Porter (5.7% ABV, 35 IBU), a most metal porter, available on draft only now, and we tested that metal status by consuming only this beer during the Wayfarer/Wake/Heretical Sect show at Sister. Hails!

La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: Miss Mari’s Snappy Pils (6.1% ABV) remains a solid lager for all seasons.

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.

Lava Rock Brewing 

Lizard Tail Brewing — Featured seasonal: Long Nosed Tripel (9.2% ABV, 30 IBU), the biggest beer on the menu.

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Oatale (5.8% ABV), a flavorful toasted oatmeal extra stout.

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: Cockness Monster (13% ABV), a monstrous Scotch ale aged in whiskey barrels.

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: Irish Handcuffs (12% ABV), the annual imperial stout release, is back for a limited time.

Red Door Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hibiscus White IPA is still available on draft for a limited time.

ReSource Brewing — Featured seasonal: Smart is Sexy Mango DIPA (7.6% ABV, 92 IBU), it’s hoppy, but sweet, but hoppy, but sweet … you get the idea.

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: Mild Davis (4.6% ABV, 20 IBU), a subtly great beer name, it’s also a tasty English-style mild ale.

Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Dos Años, a barrel-aged Baltic porter brewed for the brewpub’s recent second anniversary.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: War Face (9.6% ABV, 100 IBU), a behemoth DIPA.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Short Mondays Irish Red (6.9% ABV, 40 IBU), a stronger-than-usual Irish red ale.

Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: No Brainer, a very 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.

The 377 Brewery

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: El Dorado Gold (5.8% ABV, 50 IBU), a slightly hop-forward ale featuring El Dorado and Wai’iti hops, it offers up an alternative to the big beers of winter.

Turquoise Trail Brewing — The brewery is closed at its original location, and is aiming to reopen out in Moriarty. We will have more on this move when they’re closer to opening.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Mandy Pale Ale (5.1% ABV, 38 IBU), a pale built around the tasty Mandarina Bavaria hop variety.

Unhinged Brewing — Welcome to the listings to this new brewery at 98th Street and Central! 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). There may be some small-batch specialty beers available, too.

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, but due to its size of operation, the styles tend to change frequently.

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: Sepia Effect (5.3% ABV, 30 IBU), a tasty Vienna lager.

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. It’s down to the last of it at the Railyard only.

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: See the news above about BRBC. It’s all guest taps for a while.

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.

* * * *

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

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s