The first holiday markets of the year are upon us. Yeah, we have reached that point already. Marble will host the first of two markets this Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the downtown brewery. Vendors will include Moonberry Surprise, Tumblers by Jen, Darlene Ortiz Jewelry, Green Cap Therapeutics, Fairy Julz, Leon Lopez, and Abeja Dulce Skincare. In addition, during the time of the market, $1 from every pint sold will be donated to Cuidando Los Niños, who will also have a booth on site to tell you about their nonprofit’s mission. The second market will take place at Sidetrack, running from 1 to 6 p.m. Featured vendors there will include Farm Shark, Erin Leigh Designs, Moon Grrl, Cactus Eddie, and Laken Pottery. The on-site food truck will be Meet the Ball.

If you brain is not ready to jump to Christmas shopping, and we get that, we also wanted to highlight that this Thursday is the Friendsgiving Beer Dinner at Rio Bravo. This four-course beer dinner was designed by the chef and head brewer, and it’s meant to bring people together who cannot get home for the upcoming holiday. Tickets are $60 per person, or $100 for a couple. You can purchase those at the bar or by calling (505) 900-3909.

New Draft:

Casa Vieja goes big with Tartarus Imperial Stout, a Belgian-style beast that checks in at 8.9-percent ABV. Differential tapped Negroni Ale, based on the classic cocktail, and $1 from every pint sold will go to AGORA Crisis Center. Sobremesa added Brother Joseph, a Belgian dark strong. Starr Brothers brought back There Gose Them Boyzz, a boysenberry gose, and also added, Fiend, a new hazy IPA. Thirsty Eye added a new batch of Rainshine, a grapefruit IPA. (UPDATES) Downshift tapped Coffee Resignation Porter and Brewers Brunch French Toast Stout. Flock of Moons added And it Makes Me Wonder, an English ale that is available on CO2 and nitro. Gravity Bound tapped Breakfast Club, a sour ale made with coffee, peanut butter, and blackberry and raspberry jam.

Up in Santa Fe, Hidden Mountain unleashed the tripleheader of De Péche Mood, a peach wheat ale with the beer name of the week, plus Figurati Italian Pilsner and Chu-bock-cabra, a barrel-aged imperial maibock. Down south, Truth or Consequences brings back a couple of old favorites in Orbital IPA and Green Chile Amber.

New Package:

Ex Novo has two very different releases this week, Workout Tapes by Fonda, a juicy DIPA, and Nevermore, the decadent barrel-aged black barleywine. Marble embraces the season and releases Dark Lager in cans and on draft. (UPDATES) Boxing Bear brings back Boss Fight IPA in cans and on draft, and has also unleashed Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout in cans and on draft. Canteen has cans of Dark ‘n Lusty Stout and Flashback IPA back in stock. Ex Novo also released Munder, She Wrote, a dortmunder, in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Thursday — Canteen is hosting one of their top annual fundraisers, Pint Night for the Friends of Valle de Oro, starting at 5 p.m.

Friday — Boxing Bear, Vara Winery, and Sandia Mountain Sauce Company are teaming up again for Bear Affair 2, a three-course meal paired with select wines and beers, and it all starts at the Firestone location at 5:30 p.m. Head to Boxing Bear’s social media pages for ticket information.

One of the true stalwarts of the brewery music scene, Casey Mraz, is holding a CD release party at Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

Saturday — Differential will host another Patio Market from 2 to 6 p.m. (UPDATE) This has been moved to Sunday due to the rain, and will also run from 2 to 6.

Canteen Taproom will be the start and end point for the Yuc’ng Fun Run 5K starting at 5 p.m. (UPDATE) Canceled due to the rain.

Santa Fe Brewing will host a 90s Night at The Bridge benefiting Pink Warrior House, with a $15 suggested donation. Other breweries will even be donating beer to this special event. Check out the SFBC social media pages for more details.

Sunday — It will be a busy day at the main Canteen location, starting at 11 a.m. with the Six Pack Running Series event. Registration information is available on the brewery’s social media pages.

Canteen will then host the third and final Adult Coloring Night to benefit AGORA Crisis Center, running from 4 to 7 p.m.

Tuesday — Bosque Cottonwood will host the latest edition of Trivia for a Cause at 6 p.m., with Taylor Swift as the rather timely subject.

Quick News Bits:

Steel Bender is hiring a head brewer as Tom Sadja is heading out of state. Head to the brewery’s website and look for the tab that says Join Our Crew if you are interested in applying for the job.

While one craft taproom has closed in Southwest NM (see next item), another has opened! Open Space Brewing, located in Santa Clara, held its soft opening recently. Keep an eye out on social media to see what else is in store from our state’s newest brewery. For now they are just open from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. 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 it out.

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 later this month. ReSource bid farewell over Halloween weekend.

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: Fresh Start (7.5% ABV, 15 IBU), a maple coffee stout, now available in cans and on draft.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Bisti Pineapple Spice Hard Seltzer, which we are featuring at the brewery’s request before anyone thinks we’ve gone mad and highlighted a seltzer instead of a beer. They asked very nicely!

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Standing 8 Stout (7.3% ABV), the classic oatmeal stout is back on tap and in cans.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Labtoberfest (5.8% ABV, 20 IBU), a tasty märzen available on draft.

B2B Garden Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

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: Kojote Brown (5.4% ABV, 18 IBU), a Belgian-style brown ale.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

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: Kokua (4% ABV), a session IPA based off a recipe by Maui Brewing, with proceeds going to the Maui Brewing Fire Fund.

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: La Negra (13% ABV, 70 IBU), a beautiful beast of a barrel-aged imperial stout, now available in bottles and on tap.

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: Lush Imperial Stout (10.9% ABV, 77 IBU), the beautiful behemoth returns with this description from the brewery, “2023 Lush Imperial Stout is rich and full. It has notes of simcoe pine, bitter dark chocolate and roasted coffee. Made with Imperial’s “Darkness” Yeast, this beer is LARGE at 10.9% ABV. Lush is sure to warm you on chilly nights!”

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.

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: Matching Stoutfits (6.6% ABV, 30 IBU), a wonderful name for an oatmeal stout.

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: Elixir Ale (6% ABV, 20 IBU), a collaboration with Canteen and High and Dry, an ale brewed with chamomile. For every pint sold, $1 goes to AGORA Crisis Center.

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.”

The 377 Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Turkey Drool (8.4% ABV), which is our favorite annual seasonal release from the brewery, and yes, we will declare that publicly.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Why Does It Hurt When IPA?, a Zappa-hop-heavy ale.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Los Muertos Porter, a very seasonal-appropriate robust porter.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Hidden Mountain Brewing — Featured seasonal: Go ahead and pick from the three new seasonal releases listed above. We will make our pick next week.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Ceremony, a wild ale brewed with tea.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Adobe Igloo, the winter seasonal is back in cans and on draft.

Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Toast the Dawn (4.4% ABV, 12 IBU), a helles lager available in cans and on draft, perfect for relaxing the last warm days away.

Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery — Featured seasonal: Totality American Stout, because stout, what else needs to be said?

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 — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Red River Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Sierra Blanca Brewing  — Featured seasonal: Well, Oktoberfest ran out, and Whiskey Stout is not quite ready yet, so you will just have to enjoy the vast and varied menu of year-round brews in Moriarty.

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