Cinco de Mayo has evolved into just about the biggest drinking holiday on the calendar, equaling or surpassing St. Patrick’s Day. So it is with zero surprise that breweries are getting in on the action. There will be drink specials, some new brews, and food specials abound this Friday at places across town. So far we have seen specials at Brew Lab 101, Canteen, JUNO, La Reforma, Lava Rock, Rio Bravo, Sobremesa, and Unhinged, and we expect many more to follow. Make to check in with your favorite breweries’ social media pages to see what they have planned as more events and specials are announced throughout the week.
New Draft:
Gravity Bound tapped Canopy Calls, a new hazy IPA, over the past weekend. Marble added Pedro’s Paleta, a lemon-lime vanilla cream ale, and Cherry Chingon, an amber lager aged in Ruby Port barrels for 12 months, conditioned on cherries and brettanomyces. Nexus will roll out a fresh batch of Orale Mexican Lager on Friday. ReSource tapped a new batch of Smart is Sexy Mango DIPA. Rio Bravo will tap a Tequila Barrel-Aged Pineapple Lime Gose on Friday. Starr Brothers added Live Wire, an American light lager. Thirsty Eye tapped La Llagerona already and will add Lucha Lagre, a Mexican-style dark lager, this Friday. (UPDATES) Gravity Bound unveiled Basket Case, a lemon-and-blackberry gose. Lizard Tail added Peach Green Chile Lager. Marble tapped Cerveza Con Limon. Unhinged released Don’t Panic! (Pale Ale).
Down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing will tap Fiesta Gold and Dark Skies Oatmeal Stout this Thursday.
New Package:
Bow & Arrow brings back Goes Well With Queso DIPA in cans and on draft this Friday. Ex Novo put Bock Holliday, its delicious maibock, back in cans and on draft. Steel Bender shipped more cans and kegs of Policy Wheat to M’tucci’s and Teddy Roe’s. (UPDATES) Ex Novo also released Milagro Oscuro, a Mexican-style dark lager, in cans and on draft, as well as the first entry in a new Single Hop Pale Ale series, made with Strata hops. Boxing Bear will release Bear Fest Lager in cans and on draft this Friday. La Cumbre released Hella Fresh DIPA in cans and on draft.
Notable Events:
Today (Wednesday) — Poetry & Beer returns to Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.
Thursday — It’s also May the Fourth Be With You, so Bosque Heights will host Trivia for a Cause: Star Wars Edition at 6 p.m.
Friday — ABQ Artwalk takes over downtown again from 5 to 9 p.m., with Adobe Disco back at Sidetrack, and other events TBA for Boese Brothers and Red Door.
If things are too crowded downtown, head over to Boxing Bear West Downtown for Friday Night Stroll Down, with local vendors, music, and more starting at 6 p.m.
Cinco de Mayhem, a new burlesque event from Zircus Erotique, will be spicing up Santa Fe Brewing Headquarters at 7 p.m.
The First Fridays Comedy Contest returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.
Saturday — Beer Creek is hosting Big Brew Day, a nationwide event for homebrewers, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The New Mexico Steam Locomotive will be holding a meet-and-greet at Tractor Wells Park beginning at noon.
Quarter Celtic, Boxing Bear, Kilt Check, Sobremesa, and Harmon Lane are among the local breweries who will be at the Rio Grande Celtic Festival at Balloon Fiesta Park this Saturday and Sunday.
Second Street Rufina is bringing back the Crawfish Boil both Saturday and Sunday.
Monday — Moonspell, a most excellent Portuguese metal band, will take the stage at Tumbleroot’s Agua Fria taproom at 8 p.m.
Quick News Bits:
Bear Fest is returning to Boxing Bear Firestone on May 27, and now through May 13 you can get an early bird price of $20 for your ticket. Follow this link and save a little money so you can kick off your Memorial Day weekend in proper fashion!
We recently learned that Desert Valley Brewing has closed its westside taproom. Desert Valley had ceased brewing a while back, selling its brewhouse to The Craftroom, which has since launched Late Shift Lager House. Desert Valley still had a following on the westside with its cocktails and innovative food dishes, but alas, it is no more.
High Desert Brewing in Las Cruces is closed indefinitely after a fire destroyed the kitchen last month. They have set up a GoFundMe to help out their employees while they are closed. We will monitor their social media for updates on a (hopeful) reopening date.
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: Burly Brown (6.9% ABV), one of the original recipes is back on draft, it’s hop-forward brown ale.
Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: The R.E.D. Ale (5.5% ABV, 20 IBU), an Irish-style red served on nitro.
Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Olde Bosky Porter (7.1% ABV, 30 IBU), one of the original Bosque beers is back on draft.
Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Coffee Club: The Thunder (5.2% ABV), a flavorful coffee-infused Irish export stout, available in cans and on draft.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Glass Jaw DIPA (8% ABV, 125+ IBU), a monster of a West Coast hop-forward ale, with eight different hop varieties in play.
Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Beyond the Pale (6% ABV, 48 IBU), it’s a pale ale dedicated to metal lovers, so, um, all of us.
Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Enthrall IPA (7.4% ABV, 65 IBU), with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Thrall family, is back in cans and on draft.
Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Tripel Threat, a hefty Belgian-style brew.
Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill
Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Plum Saison (6.3% ABV, 24 IBU), the recent anniversary beer won’t be on tap much longer.
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: Sons of Scotland (7% ABV), a past medal winner is back in cans and on draft.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for a current seasonal list.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Dawnest Before the Dark (9.3% ABV), a hefty imperial stout conditioned on Slow Burn Coffee and Amburana wood.
Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: O’Danny Boy Irish Red (6.5% ABV) is still available on draft.
High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Brunch Village (6.6% ABV, 10 IBU), a chocolate-forward dark sour ale.
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: Tropic IPA, perfect for the blooming spring with notes of passion fruit, guava, and grapefruit complimenting the hop-forward ale.
La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Azulito Blue Corn Lager (4.8% ABV, 16 IBU), a perfect sessionable lager to help kick off the warmer months.
La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: Bomba de Malta (8.3% ABV), another big old malt bomb of a Scotch ale.
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: Biscochito Brown (6.4% ABV, 25 IBU), a proper New Mexican dessert beer, it’s a cookie in a glass.
Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Bock ‘n a Half (7.3% ABV), a delicious dark lager to give you a break from the lighter spring fare.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Frio Cold IPA (6.8% ABV, 58 IBU), is the latest addition to the seasonal lineup, made with 4.5 pounds per barrel of Strata hops, plus Citra and El Dorado. It is only available at Nexus Blue, so get it before it runs out.
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: Wagoner’s Porter (7.2% ABV, 36 IBU), a tasty American-style porter that recently joined the draft lineup.
ReSource Brewing — Featured seasonal: Higher Frequency (9% ABV), a Norwegian ale brewed with hibiscus.
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: The Udder Stout (5.1% ABV, 15 IBU), a proper cream stout.
Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Dominator, a German-style doppelbock.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: War Face (9.6% ABV, 100 IBU), a behemoth DIPA.
Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Double Lemon Dynamite (6.1% ABV, 5 IBU), which is still available in cans and on draft, and they will even do a sugar rim on the glass.
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: Father O’Malley’s Holy Water (4.2% ABV, 33 IBU), which is described by the brewery as “an Irish-style dry stout served on nitro for a smooth, creamy head, and deep roasted malt that’s still light bodied enough to leave room for seconds.”
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: Cosmic Campground (6.25% ABV, 66 IBU), a decadent black IPA brewed in honor of the International Dark Sky Sanctuary of North America, which is located in the Gila Wilderness of southwest New Mexico.
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: Longboat Cowboy, a traditional Sahti ale brewed with Kveik yeast, rye, and juniper boughs and berries.
Chile Line Brewing — Featured seasonal: A Huevo (5% ABV, 20 IBU) is a Yerba Matte-inspired beer.
Hidden Mountain Brewing — Featured seasonal: Raspberry Sombrero Wheat, a refreshing fruited wheat ale.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Season of Night (4.8% ABV, 20 IBU), a dark saison that our own Luke Macias helped brew.
Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Freewheeler Hazy IPA is the summer seasonal available on tap and in cans.
Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Mylodon Sloth Hazy DIPA (9.4% ABV, 42 IBU), a prehistoric beast of a beer, this one is available for a limited time on draft and in cans.
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.
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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 