Ah, three-day weekend. Ah, end of school year for some (raise ’em high for the teachers). And, of course, a weekend of remembrance for those lost to war. Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer, which means it’s truly the busy season for our local breweries. Show some extra patience and kindness to your servers and beertenders out there this weekend.
New Draft:
Bosque is bringing back Corner Kick, a Citra pale ale. Canteen quietly tapped some delicious Helles Awaits recently. Casa Vieja added Nola Amber Lager. Differential dropped two summer beers in Rosemary Grapefruit Extra Pale Ale and Cinnamon Apple Wheat. Harmon Lane recently tapped Wind Blows XIPA. La Cumbre will tap a fasser of German Pilsner at both locations on Friday afternoon. Marble honors the unofficial founder of craft beer, Fritz Maytag, with a new lager called Maytag Man. Palmer and Quarter Celtic tapped their newest collaboration, Birra Al Gusto Di Birra, an Italian pilsner. ReSource did a rare double release with Read it & Wheat and Luck Intervened, a Berliner weisse. Rumor Brewing had a recent tap turnover with PermaGrin (Session IPA), Dean’s Pale Ale, En Garde! (Belgian Spring Ale), and Belgian Special (Dark Strong Ale) now available. Sidetrack tapped its collaboration with Santa Fe Brewing, We Like Short Schwarz. Starr Brothers kicked back with Lazy Hazy (IPA). Thirsty Eye will add Untitled Cream Ale on Friday. Tractor will tap Blueberry Berliner Weisse on Thursday and Pistachio Cream Ale on Friday. (UPDATE) Bombs Away brought back K98 Kolsch and American Lager. Gravity Bound tapped the most amazingly named Whale V Boat, a new West Coast IPA. Marble brought back a hoppy favorite in Double IPA.
Up in Santa Fe, Beer Creek will tap Pajarito Pils on Friday. Over in Los Alamos, while the first beers from the new brewhouse are still fermenting, Bathtub Row did tap Rub a Dub Dub, United in a Tub (Raspberry Porter), their collaboration with Ex Novo.
New Package:
Bow & Arrow will release Rad Vista Single-Hop Pilsner in cans and on draft this Friday. La Cumbre will roll out cans and draft of Cherry Lime Gose on Friday. Steel Bender brings back Cherry Dynamite in cans and on tap this Thursday, and will have a limited amount of bottles of Jubi & The Benders, a barrel-aged imperial stout collaboration with Jubilation, available this Saturday. Second Street unveiled Sloppy Sloth Idaho 7 Hazy IPA in cans and on draft. (UPDATES) Boxing Bear rolled out cans and draft of Polly’s Run Pale Ale, with a portion of the proceeds going directly to Polly’s Run 2023 and The Race to Cure Pancreatic Cancer. Canteen brings back Citranova and Helles Awaits in cans and on draft this Friday. Marble has Helles in cans and on draft.
Notable Events:
All of the official ABQ Beer Week events are listed separately in this preview.
Today (Wednesday) — Trivia for a Cause: Seinfeld is set for Bosque Nob Hill at 6 p.m.
Thirsty Eye is celebrating Bob Dylan’s birthday with a special event from the Thirsty Ear Poets, who will have a limited open mic at 6 p.m., a book release, and music from 44 Forty at 8 p.m.
Saturday — Bear Fest will run from noon to 6 p.m. at Boxing Bear Firestone. We will have a full preview later this week.
The Monsoon Music Fest returns to Marble downtown from noon to 11 p.m. Check their social media sites for further details, including a band lineup.
Sunday — Channel the Force at Star Wars Trivia at Boxing Bear Heights from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s $25 per team.
Quick News Bits:
Bow & Arrow is seeking a new head brewer. Interested, or know someone who might be? Click on this link for more information about applying.
Bathtub Row has all of its equipment in place and is brewing again, so expect to see those first beers on tap from the new brewhouse in about a week or so.
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 starting to run its course on draft, so grab it will while you can.
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 has nearly run its course on draft, so grab it ASAP.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Super Barlio Brothers, an Italian pilsner, is on tap for a certain movie that was really nostalgic for a lot of Gen-X.
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. Be forewarned, it is nearly out, so click the link there for updated taproom menus.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Oralé Mexican Lager (5.3% ABV, 18 IBU), a crisp summer beer with a touch of lemon/lime.
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: Bohemian Pilsner (5.23% ABV, 37 IBU), a lightly hopped, sweet and smooth brew perfect for warmer days and nights.
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: Desert Monk (6.8% ABV, 21 IBU), a Belgian-style dubbel.
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: Snow White and the Seven Brewers, a Scotch ale brewed in collaboration with Beer Creek and Madrid Brewing.
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: Dragon’s Blood Sour (5.6%), a blood orange sour available in cans and on draft.
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 still guest taps for a little while longer.
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: Cherry Wheat, a three-time GABF medal winner that is perfect for summer nights in the beer garden.
Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Fiesta Gold (5.3% ABV, 22 IBU), which the brewery described as “Inspired by thirst-quenching Mexican lagers like Modelo & Bohemia, this crisp International Pale Lager has a straw-gold color with just a touch of herbal spiciness from German hops.”
* * * *
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 friends of local brews!! My question is have you all heard anything about the brewery to open this year out in Mesa del Sol? Supposedly Five Mountains Brewery is the name. Lots of friends & neighbors are so excited but no concrete news yet. Thanks always for GREAT info & news. Have a safe & foamy holiday weekend 😊 Wayne.
We have heard nothing about the status of that brewery. The minute we do, we’ll let everyone know.