This weekend, it’s all about Halloween, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. There are events in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Santa Fe, Farmington, Ruidoso, and just about everywhere else on the map. Events start today (Wednesday) and run all the way through to Halloween itself on Tuesday. Friday and Saturday, unsurprisingly, are the most packed days. Stay safe out there if you plan to attend more than one event per day, so get a designated driver or utilize a rideshare. Above all else, have fun. Oh, and don’t forget your costume, even if you have to make it yourself out of whatever you can find around the house.
New Draft:
Boese Brothers gets into the season with a Pumpkin Ale. High and Dry dropped a slew of new releases including Luciferous (Pale Ale), 70-30 Shuvit (IPA), Not Like the Other Squirrels (Kolsch), Raise a Little Hallertau (Pilsner), Ekualizer (Light Lager), and Casual Car Fire (Grapefruit Sour), named after that one time someone lit a car on fire in their parking lot, and thus the winner of best beer name of the week. JUNO tapped Junoweizen. La Cumbre added a Helles Lager late last week. Marble tapped Autumn Roast Lager, their green chile-infused entry from Beer Premier. Steel Bender released its Beer Premier entry, Groundskeeper Wee Heavy. Tractor will release two new beers this Saturday, a Pumpkin Porter and Be Kind Rewind Pale Ale. Turtle Mountain also tapped its Beer Premier entry, NectarKeeper Brown Ale. Unhinged will tap Los Muertos Porter on Saturday. (UPDATES) Bow and Arrow is tapping a special bourbon barrel-aged Coyote Waits Imperial Stout on Friday. Brew Lab 101 added Count Choculager, a dark lager made with, well, you can guess. Ex Novo released Kokua, a session IPA based on a recipe from Maui Brewing and benefiting fire relief efforts on the Hawaiian island. Gravity Bound tapped a fresh batch of Pistola IPA. Rio Bravo added Rising Hope, an orange blossom pale ale, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Sidetrack tapped Bizarro Basecamp, a hazy version of their house IPA. Tractor will also have Jack the Sipper Pumpkin Ale on tap at the Wells Park and Nob Hill locations only.
(UPDATE) Up in Santa Fe, Tumbleroot radically released Totally American Stout.
New Package:
Bow & Arrow brings back Rancho Light Lager in cans and on draft this Friday. Ex Novo brings back one if its finest, Where the Mild Things Are, in cans on and on draft. Gravity Bound will release Double Take (Hazy DIPA) in cans and on draft this Friday. Nexus goes big with Lush Imperial Stout in cans and on draft. (UPDATE) Boxing Bear brings back Scotch Rocket in cans and on draft this Friday.
Notable Events:
There are a ton of Halloween-themed events this week, as noted above and listed below, but if we missed any, please let us know ASAP and we will update this listing. For more information on each of these, please head to the individual brewery social media pages, or follow the direct links to their websites with the featured beers below.
Today (Wednesday) — There is a Pumpkin Carving Party at all Bosque taprooms (yes, all) from 6 to 9 p.m.
Rocky Horror Karaoke will take over Tractor Wells Park at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday — Marble Heights hosts Dragula, a spooky drag show, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Friday — Downshift will host a Family Fright Night, with live music, pumpkin carving, kids and pets costume contests, and more at the Riverside location in Ruidoso at 5 p.m.
Bow & Arrow hosts Rancho Nights, a release party for the aforementioned Rancho Light Lager with lots of music, from 7 to 11 p.m.
Bow & Arrow’s Rambler Taproom will host a Halloween Bash at 7 p.m. in Farmington.
The Homie Halloween Party will start at JUNO at 7 p.m.
Carlsbad’s Milton’s Brewing will often host Story Time, a very adult read-aloud experience, and this week it travels north to Rio Bravo at 7 p.m.
A Very SYN Halloween takes over Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.
Nightmare on Rufina Street, featuring multiple bands playing covers of select artists, is back at Second Street Rufina at 8 p.m.
The Sobremesa Costume Contest begins this day and runs through Halloween, with special prizes for the best dressed.
Saturday — Boxing Bear Corrales will be the start and end point for the Hike to End Hunger at 10 a.m., followed by a Halloween Carnival at 11 a.m.
ReSource Brewing will host the Spooktacular Send Off Party from 5 to 9 p.m. as the brewery closes its doors before Brew Lab 101 transforms it into a new taproom in November.
Canteen hosts a Pumpkin Carving at the brewery and taproom from 6 to 8 p.m.
Night of the Railyard Reaper returns to Sidetrack from 6 to 11 p.m.
Brew Lab 101 will hold their Halloween Party starting at 8 p.m.
Fright Night 2, a costume contest and dance party, is set for Marble downtown from 8 to 11 p.m.
Vamp Motel, a special fundraiser, will be held at Tumbleroot Agua Fria from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Unhinged will have an all-day Halloween Party, with a costume contest from 10 to 11 p.m.
And finally, the Stranger Things Arcade Carnival & Bazaar is back at Tractor Wells Park from 8 p.m. to midnight, and we of course previewed the entire extravaganza.
Sunday — Sunday Service Motor Company will host Shop Small Sunday, featuring five awesome local vendors, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tuesday — Bosque’s Northeast Heights taproom will be showing a special Halloween Outdoor Movie: The Craft starting at 7 p.m.
The Halloween Bash & Pet Runway is set for Bow & Arrow at 7 p.m.
Quick News Bits:
While one craft taproom has closed in Southwest NM (see next item), another is about to open! Open Space Brewing, located in Santa Clara, is holding a soft opening this Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. We are working on a future trip down to this small town, nestled next to Bayard, north of Deming and just east of Silver City, to check out what will be the newest brewery in the state.
Another random one, but Boogie’s Brewery and Distillery in Deming has closed its tasting room and will now only focus on selling bottles of its spirits to retailers in New Mexico and beyond. We never knew if they actually brewed their own beer, but now it appears they are only distilling.
Just in case you missed it, Brew Lab 101 is taking over the ReSource Brewing taproom in November. Here is the full story.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Imperial Porter (7.2% ABV), this big boy has been on tap for a while, so help drink it up so a new beer can appear.
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: Cloud Strike (6.7% ABV, 60 IBU), this fresh-hop hazy IPA was made with Chinook from White Crow hop farm.
Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hot in the Shade, a blueberry and hibiscus gose-style sour ale, available in cans and on draft.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Metal Head Stout (6.66% ABV), a beer so good they named it after the best musical genre of them all. In our humble opinion, anyway.
Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Labtoberfest (5.8% ABV, 20 IBU), a tasty märzen available on draft.
Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Pink Warrior Wheat (4.6% ABV, 15 IBU), a portion of the proceeds of this fruited wheat will go to Pink Warrior House.
Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery to see what’s currently on tap.
Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill
Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Papaya Blonde Ale, which was brewed to hang onto summer just a bit longer.
Downshift Brewing at Outpost 1706 — Featured seasonal: Gratitude Pale Ale (5.4% ABV, 40 IBU), brewed to support local charities, right now $1 from every pint sold goes to Gratitud(ENMU), the local college in the Ruidoso area.
Echoes Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery to see what’s currently on tap.
Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hawaii 505 (5.8%), a coconut porter available only on draft now, with a portion of the proceeds going to Maui fire relief.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Autumn Leaves (5.7% ABV), a flavorful festbier.
Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Lunar Autumn Saison (6% ABV, 20 IBU), a flavorful fall beer.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Your Place or Stein (5.9% ABV), a wonderful Oktoberfest lager available in cans and on draft.
Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: Stennes Blonde Stout, a collaboration with Quarter Celtic.
High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Freudian Hop Session (5.5% ABV, 40 IBU), an amber pale ale, with a portion of the proceeds going to Pink Warrior House.
Hops Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
JUNO Brewery — Featured seasonal: Vienna Lager, a smooth amber lager with a touch of sweetness.
Kaktus Brewing — Featured seasonal: Sovereign Shores IPA, which has one of those names that make us curious as to its origin/meaning.
Kilt Check Brewing — There are rumors that the brewery will be staying open, but we await the official word.
La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Playhouse Wet-Hop IPA (6.8% ABV, 85 IBU), made with a whole lot of fresh Chinook hops, available in cans and on draft.
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.
Lava Rock Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
Lizard Tail Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.8% ABV, 20 IBU), a proper German lager.
Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: #ENDALZ (5.8% ABV), a cranberry-infused pale lager, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Alzheimer’s Association now through Friday.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Festbier! (5.8% ABV, 21 IBU), is described by the brewery as “in the style of German tradition, this bier is toasty, slightly sweet with bread dough and cereal notes. The medium malt body takes the forefront and will leave your stein in need of a refill.” It is only available at the Blue Smokehouse now.
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: Capri-derhosen (5.3% ABV, 23 IBU), a past gold medal winner at the World Beer Cup, this tasty German-style red lager is back on tap.
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: Contact the brewery to find out what’s on tap, as it changes frequently.
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: Fresh Hop IPA (7.2% ABV) is what everyone needs to drink up, lest those hops no longer be fresh.
Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Dominator, a German-style doppelbock.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: There Wolf (5.8% ABV, 21 IBU), a flavor-packed Oktoberfest lager.
Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Nigel (5.9% ABV, 19 IBU), a lighter Scottish ale that still packs a malty punch.
Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: Have Your Cake and Eat it Too, a German chocolate cake-inspired stout.
Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest, described by the brewery as “a Märzen-style lager that’s slightly sweet, with bread and straw-like maltiness balanced with floral and spicy German noble hops.”
Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Chocolate Milk Stout (6.9% ABV, 25 IBU), a delightful dessert beer on tap for a limited time.
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: Sierra Nativo (5.05% ABV, 19 IBU), a new “Burqueno” pale ale made with Zappa (Neomexicanus) and Cascade hops.
Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Tatooine Spring (7.8% ABV, 80 IBU), an imperial amber with a great name.
Vision City Brewstillery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated seasonal list.
Santa Fe breweries
Beer Creek Brewing — Featured seasonal: Diablo Bock (7.7% ABV, 25 IBU), a hybrid of a dunkel bock and a doppelbock, it’s devilishly delicious.
Chile Line Brewing — Featured seasonal: A Huevo (5% ABV, 20 IBU) is a Yerba Matte-inspired beer.
Hidden Mountain Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfiesta (6% ABV, 30 IBU), the annual German-style seasonal is back.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: The Maize Never Stopped (5.5% ABV, 25 IBU), a corn lager inspired by The Grateful Dead. No, really, that’s what the description says. It’s back on draft in addition to being in cans.
Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Freewheeler Hazy IPA is the summer seasonal available on tap and in cans.
Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Skimboard Sour (6.3% ABV), a tropical sour available only in cans now, so get it quickly before it runs out.
Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery — Featured seasonal: Coco Hops Brown IPA (6.7% ABV), just one of a strong eight-beer lineup for the fall.
Other breweries you need to visit
Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: ULLR Fest Sahti (8.5% ABV), described by the brewery as a “Nordic brew from ancient Finland with juniper and rye, fermented with spicy yeast. Very malty, strong but well-concealed alcohol, intriguing woodsy/citrusy notes from the juniper.”
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: Oktoberfest (5.4% ABV, 18 IBU) is back in bottles and on tap at the brewery. Consider it your preview of all the good that is to come with the Oktoberfest party at SBB on October 14.
Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Fiesta Anejo (5.3% ABV, 22 IBU), which the brewery described as “a smooth Mexican Lager infused with essence of tequila.”
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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 