As the pollen blows and swirls around us 24-7 this time of year, a proper hop-forward beer can offer a semblance of at least momentary relief, with its strong aroma and biting flavor restoring senses dulled by juniper and elm. While we joke about IPAs as allergy relief, La Cumbre believes that a proper beer can do good for the natural world and the people that live closest to nature. This Friday will mark the release of Precious Pine IPA, a hop bomb with a purpose. From the LC newsletter: “We teamed up with the National Forrest Foundation (NFF) to assist in the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Post Fire Restoration Project (HPCC). All proceeds from the purchase of this beer will be donated to the project. The HPCC Fire consumed over 340,000 acres in 2022, disrupting critical riparian, wet meadow, and sensitive plant habitats. NFF is committed to long-term habitat recovery to benefit the local community, and your purchase makes work such as invasive species management, recreation improvements, and revegetation possible. With your help, we can bring this landscape back to life!” Bravo, La Cumbre, on this endeavor. Four-packs and draft pours will be available at both taprooms starting when they open at noon. It’s not like we really have to push everyone to buy an IPA from La Cumbre, but in this case, we wanted to give a little extra push to support this good cause.

New Draft:

Canteen recently tapped Patio Daddio Double IPA. Casa Vieja added Hoppy Trails, a hop-forward lager. Quarter Celtic tapped more Dark Pedro and also introduced a new cold IPA, Celtic Chill. Sidetrack will release Disco After Dark, a collaboration IPA with Adobe Disco, this Friday (we got our dates mixed up last week, our apologies for that). Tractor will tap Abbey Ale on Friday. (UPDATES) Bosque brought back Olde Bosky Robust Porter. Boxing Bear added Coffee Chocolate Milk Stout. Flock of Moons tapped Lunar Spring Saison. High and Dry released Charred Ice, a brown lager.

(UPDATE) Down south, Downshift tapped Dirtbag Delight Double IPA.

New Package:

Ex Novo will bring back Farm League West Coast IPA in cans and on draft this Friday, after the initial release date was pushed back from last week. La Cumbre is also putting its wonderful kolsch, Miles from Cologne, in cans for the first time this Friday. Marble brings back Que Onda IPA, part of the Alpha Acid Trip Series, in cans and on draft.(UPDATE) Second Street rolled out Sloppy Sloth Citra Hazy IPA in cans, and then followed that up with the award-winning Brown Ale in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

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

Thursday — Comedy Night is back at Brew Lab 101 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday — Artwalk takes over downtown from 5 to 9 p.m., so check in with Boese Brothers, Red Door, and Sidetrack to see what they will be offering on their respective social media pages.

Our friend and yours, Lauren Poole, and her band Prism Bitch heads to Tumbleroot for a show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $15.

The First Fridays Comedy Contest is back at Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

JUNO hosts the Spring Fling Party from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday — The Spring Queer Market takes over the patio at Flock of Moons from 1 to 5 p.m.

Canteen will host Drag Queen Bingo from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest is back at Expo New Mexico on Saturday and Sunday, featuring a number of local breweries including Boxing Bear, Canteen, Marble, Quarter Celtic, and Santa Fe.

Sunday — Bosque North will host an Artisan Market from 1 to 5 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Steel Bender will roll out 16-ounce cans of Compa Blue Corn Lager at the brewery starting Thursday. Well, those will go nicely with New Mexico United tailgates, won’t they?

Sobremesa is hosting the Rock & Brew Book Drive now through April 28. Drop off new or gently used children’s books and receive $1 off your beer order.

The first medals of 2024 have been handed out at the Best of Craft Beer Awards annual competition, with three New Mexico breweries winning one apiece. Ex Novo and Flix both won medals in the Scottish Ales category, with the former earning silver for Sons of Scotland and the latter taking bronze for ABQ 10 Day. Steel Bender also snagged a bronze for Sparkfitter Amber in the English Ales category. Congrats to all three breweries!

Truth or Consequences Brewing will be open for business even with the movie Eddington filming in the area over the next few weeks. Recent Academy Award winner Emma Stone leads the cast.

The New Mexico Brewers Guild officially announced their next event, Fete de la Funk. It will be held at Rowley Farmhouse Ales on April 13 from noon to 4 p.m. You can already buy tickets here and check out the lineup of breweries. We will have more on this event as we get closer to the date.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery  — Featured seasonal: Irish Red (5.2% ABV), described by the brewery as “a classic red ale with caramel and toasted malt flavors.”

Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: SNAFU Stout (5.2% ABV, 30 IBU), a chewy oatmeal stout.

Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Bosque Festbier (5.8% ABV, 25 IBU), a German-style lager perfect for warmer March days, now available in cans and on draft.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Funksloth (6.3% ABV), a farmhouse ale aged 16 months in an oak foeder, it was then dry hopped with hand-foraged wild Neomexicanus hops

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Bulldog English IPA (6.1% ABV), go back to the roots of the style with this hoppy ale, available in cans and on draft.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Irish Red (5.4% ABV, 25 IBU), one of those awesome recurring seasonals that deserves all the love, now available 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: Banana Nut Brown (4.7% ABV, 27 IBU), brewed with Belgian yeast, it is pretty much exactly what it reads like.

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

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: A Star is Bjorn (8.7% ABV), a delightful Baltic porter, 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: Quickening Moon (7.6% ABV, 24 IBU), a lovely Scottish wee heavy, and luckily for you, there need not be only one.

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: Alebenezer, a seasonal barleywine that you need to help drink up as winter fades away.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Casual Car Fire (5.3% ABV), 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: Way of the Samurai, a Japanese rice lager that will become a staple at the brewery.

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: Turkish Style Coffee Stout (7.5% ABV), for some reason this delicious coffee-infused stout has been a slow seller, so let us all help send it out with a bang and consume more on draft and buy up the remaining six-packs.

Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Albuquerque Kirk (5.1% ABV, 14 IBU), described by the brewery thusly: “This witbier is lightly spiced with orange zest and a pinch of coriander. New Zealand’s Pacific Jade Hops add a second layer of citrus, herbs and light spice.  Also, please feel even better drinking this beer knowing that some of the proceeds will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society.”

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — Featured seasonal: Cockness Monster (14% ABV), a monstrous Scotch ale aged in whiskey barrels for two years.

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: Mild Davis (5.5% ABV, 20 IBU), this wonderful English mild ale is back, and this time it is also in cans.

Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Face the Day Breakfast Stout (7.65% ABV, 40 IBU), a coffee-infused stout to wake you up after the long drive to the Westside (we kid, we kid).

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: Double Berry Blast (10.4% ABV), one of the anniversary beers, this “liquid pie filling” has a blend of marionberry and boysenberry packed into a powerful brew that is available in cans and on draft.

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

Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: RIGor Mortis, an imperial coffee stout collaboration with Rust is Gold Coffee.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated seasonal list.

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 seasonal list.

Hidden Mountain Brewing — Featured seasonal: De Péche Mood, a peach wheat ale with a tremendous name.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Thibadeux (5% ABV, 50 IBU), a collaboration kvass with Beer Creek.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Starter Fluid (9.5% ABV), a hazy DIPA with a kick, now available in cans and on draft.

Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Southpaw Sour (4.2% ABV), an apricot kettle sour, now available in cans and on draft.

Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery — Featured seasonal: Molé Stout (9.2% ABV), the seasonal beer with a lovely kick of spice is back on draft and in bottles. Oh, they put some on nitro now, too.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: Mild & Lazy (4% ABV), a lovely English mild ale, perfect for slow sipping on the patio.

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 Food4Kids.

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