This almost midpoint of February feels a bit jammed, doesn’t it? There is the Super Bowl on Sunday, Mardi Gras on Tuesday, and Valentine’s Day next Wednesday. It certainly gives the breweries plenty of fodder for the weekend, with events themed around one or all of the three holidays (let’s face it, at this point, the Super Bowl is a holiday, watched even by non-football fans for the commercials, halftime show, and for Taylor Swift glimpses in her luxury box). The Crew will be doing our annual Stout Challenge before the game, though it might be modified a bit from years past (more on that TBD). Basically, there is a lot going on, so let’s get right to it.

New Draft:

Bosque tapped Ocho Locos, a German chocolate cake stout. Differential also felt like dessert and released Banana Nut Brown. Tractor will tap a single keg of Cupid’s Crush Raspberry Wheat on Friday at Wells Park. Turtle Mountain tapped 411: Missing in the Mild. (UPDATES) Canteen added Vienna Lager. Kilt Check has Way of the Samurai Japanese Rice Lager on tap. Marble tapped Baltic Porter.

Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Belma Pale Ale.

New Package:

Bosque will release Business Casual, a double brown ale with honey, in cans and on draft this Friday. Bow & Arrow will release Taste the Sunset Hazy IPA, made with all New Zealand hops, later this week. Ex Novo has a mystery beer due out this Friday and we will update this when it is officially named (UPDATE) it is the return of Bury Me in Smoke Hazy DIPA, now with Emergen-C Terpenes from Verdes. Gravity Bound has more of its popular On the Run German Pilsner in cans and on draft. Second Street has a limited amount of Mylodon Sloppy Sloth Hazy DIPA in cans. (UPDATE) Boxing Bear released Bulldog English IPA in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Poetry & Beer is back at Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.

Friday — Brazilian Carnival takes over JUNO at 8 p.m.

Goth Night & Dark Market returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

Saturday — Boxing Bear Tramway will host a Valentine’s Pop-Up Shop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ponderosa will have its own Valentine’s Market from noon to 5 p.m.

Canteen hosts a Mardi Gras Party a couple days early, starting at 2 p.m.

Bear Affair 3, a beer dinner with a Mardi Gras theme, will go down at Boxing Bear Firestone starting at 6 p.m.

For those without a significant other for Valentine’s Day, might we suggest Bitterfest at Tractor Wells Park starting at 7 p.m.?

Sunday — The final Sunday Bagels will take place at Gravity Bound.

The Six Pack Running Series is back at Canteen at 11 a.m.

Tuesday — Marble Gras takes over the Westside taproom from 4 to 9 p.m.

Rio Bravo will also have a Mardi Gras party at 6 p.m.

Steel Bender will have Mardi Gras food specials and live music.

Sidetrack will have Mardi Gras food from Kissin Cuisine.

Quick News Bits:

All Boese Brothers locations are closed on Super Bowl Sunday. Canteen will close the brewery at 4 p.m. Boxing Bear is running a 15-percent-off discount on cases of beer from now until kickoff on Sunday.

We got that long-awaited update on Kilt Check Brewing, so click that link to see what they have planned for the future.

Gravity Bound is expanding their patio, with construction projected to continue throughout February, so please mind their dust.

Lizard Tail Industrial will only have kitchen hours on trivia nights (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) from 5 to 9 p.m. On other days, you are welcome to bring in your own food.

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: SNAFU Stout (5.2% ABV, 30 IBU), a chewy oatmeal stout.

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: Desert Punch Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (4.2%), a pair of sours in cans and on draft, Vol. 1 is fruited, Vol. 2 is dry hopped.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Panama Joe Coffee Stout (8% ABV, 33 IBU), this longtime Crew favorite is back for a limited run, in cans and on draft.

Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Cry of the Blackbirds Imperial Stout (8.6% ABV, 55 IBU), a very metal behemoth of a beer.

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

Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Wet Hopped Red Ale (6% ABV, 21 IBU), a malt liquor with a reddish hue, utilizing wet hops to cut down on any bitterness.

Echoes Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery to see what’s currently on tap.

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Nevermore (12.1% ABV), a burly beast of a barrel-aged black barleywine, now available in cans and on draft.

Flix Brewhouse  — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery to see what’s currently on tap.

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Shadowmere Weizen Doppelbock (10.4% ABV, 24 IBU), described by the brewery as “Bananas Foster over a malty backbone with hints of spice. Warm alcohol for cold winter days and nights.”

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Strawberry Shortcake (6.2% ABV), a flavorful sour made with … well, you can guess.

Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: Stennes Blonde Stout, a collaboration with Quarter Celtic.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Casual Car Fire, a grapefruit sour with an epic name.

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: Winter Scotch Ale, described by the brewery as being”with notes of molasses, toffee and banana bread this beer is designed to keep you warm and happy through the long winter nights. Medium bodied with a gentle sweetness.”

Kilt Check Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oatmeal Stout, current brewer Kolton Huerta’s take on his late uncle’s award-winning beer.

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: La Negra Reserve (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 — The brewery is relocating to Moriarty.

Lizard Tail Brewing — Featured seasonal: Biscochito Brown (6.4% ABV, 25 IBU), a beer whose name is pretty self-explanatory.

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Dark Lager (5% ABV), a beer that is exactly as described, but packed with flavor and available in cans and on draft.

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: Welcome to the Show (6.7% ABV, 34 IBU), a no-frills American stout that packs a tasty punch.

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 delightful oatmeal stout with an epic name now available in cans and on draft.

Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Dominator, a German-style doppelbock.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Foggy Monocle (6.1% ABV, 17 IBU), an excellent oatmeal stout that has twice won the Crew’s Stout Challenge.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Event Horizon Black IPA (6.6% ABV, 72 IBU), a rare black IPA sighting at a New Mexico brewery (we miss the old days) demands to be highlighted.

Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: Double Black IPA (8.5% ABV), a perfect winter ale.

Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Ton Up or Shut Up, an American lager infused with Rust is Gold cold brew.

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: Old Oku Barleywine (9.2% ABV, 25 IBU), part of the 25 Years of Beers throwback line, this is an old recipe re-imagined.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Los Muertos Porter, a 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: De Péche Mood, a peach wheat ale with a tremendous name.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Ned Ryerson (14% ABV, 44 IBU), a bold, beautiful, barrel-aged barleywine.

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

Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Breaking Plaid (9.1% ABV, 28 IBU), a Scottish wee heavy with an excellent name, available in cans and on draft.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Downshift Brewing — 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.

Little Toad Creek Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Red River Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Cacao Fuego Chocolate Green Chile Stout. (6.5% ABV, 30 IBU), described by the brewery thusly, “Our oatmeal stout with a kick! Made with Hatch green chile and organic cacao nibs, it has an earthy start and a chocolate finish, It’s sure to warm you up on these cool evenings.”

Sierra Blanca Brewing  — Featured seasonal: Whiskey Stout is back for another seasonal run in bottles and on draft.

Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Soakinator Doppelbock (9.4% ABV), described by the brewery as “a rich, malty, strong German lager. Sweet malt flavors dominate, including toast, dark fruit, & luscious caramel/honey. Stored cold (“lagered”) for more than a month, this coppery-brown elixir was known by the monks of the 17th century as “liquid bread”, as its nourishing qualities helped them through the long cold days of fasting during Lent.”

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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