It felt like it was regularly 150 degrees right up until this week, so you may have been caught off guard by the first beer festival of the fall season. Now it’s cool and rainy, and heck, there may even be prospects for snow someday. Ullr Fest at the Pajarito Mountain lodge above Los Alamos is being held this Saturday, and calling on the Norse god of snow, Ullr, to bless us with a bountiful ski season is the mission. And, sampling a bountiful array of beers, of course, but I think he’d be OK with that.

As always, the event will be held at the ski area’s lodge, several scenic miles outside of Los Alamos. In addition to the beer event (patience, we’re getting to it), there will be lift service and biking and hiking all day as well as a Strava Downhill Race from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cafe at the lodge will be serving their delicious food to go with the beer. And, DK and the Affordables, a popular band at these events, will be playing rock ‘n’ roll from 2 to 5 p.m., so be prepared to swap out the hiking shoes for dancing shoes. To fully get into the spirit, Nordic costumes are highly encouraged.

OK, on to the beer. For $20 (and proof of age), you get a souvenir glass and samples of these beers from the following breweries:

• Bathtub Row Brewing: Ullr Fest Sahti, Hoppenheimer IPA, OkTUBerfest, White Crow Green Hop
• Beer Creek Brewing: Valkyrie (Sahti), Pajarito Pils, Marzen Law, Get to Da Hoppa (can pours), Picture Rock Porter (can pours), plus a secret tapping
• Boxing Bear Brewing: OktoBEARfest, Headlock Hazy IPA, Uppercut IPA, Chocolate Milk Stout, Apple BEAR Cider, Black and Blue Tart (can pours), New Mexi-kolsch (can pours)
• Canteen Brewhouse: TBA
• Flix Brewhouse: TBA
• Hidden Mountain Brewing: Oktoberfiesta, Power Move Hazy Pale Ale, POGlodyte Wheat Ale, Oatmeal Stout
• Red River Brewing: Lazy Bear Blonde, Catskinner IPA, Cacao Fuego Green Chile Stout, Tucker Brau Marzen
• Second Street Brewery: Mexican Lager, Southern Hemisphere 2920 IPA, Oktoberfest, Cream Stout, Sloppy Sloth Galaxy Hazy IPA, Skimboard Sour
• Steel Bender Brewyard: Red Iron Red, Skull Bucket IPA, Nigel Scottish Ale, Compa Blue Corn Lager

(Note that two breweries, Palmer and Tumbleroot, have had to withdraw from the event.)

We haven’t seen the details, but in the past, the fee also included a full pour of your favorite beer. The beer sampling will take place between noon and 5 p.m.

One detail that is different from past years is that the bus service will be picking up and dropping off at the Duane Smith Auditorium rather than the Sullivan Field parking lot. It’s not far away, but be aware and head for the correct spot. The bus will run every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s fast and convenient, so leave the driving to them.

This is a mostly outdoor even and the weather can change dramatically, even over the course of an afternoon, so dress for anything.

A few of the Crew will be in attendance (but not me, sadly), so if you see them, give them a hearty Skol!

Cheers!

— Reid