Boxing Bear has been hard at work for a while now building out a kitchen at their Firestone Taproom and Brewery. Well, that hard work has paid off with the food now ready to go, and at a rather opportune time. The brewery will be hosting a release party for this year’s Pink Boots Society collaboration beer, Mashing Queen Juicy Pale Ale, this Saturday. From 3 to 8 p.m., join the Boxing Bear team and many of the leading women in New Mexico’s craft beer industry. Grab a pour on draft and/or some cans to go. Listen to some tunes from DJ Clout, check out a few special vendors, and come sporting your finest disco attire. If you can’t make it to the party, you can still try Mashing Queen at Bosque, Canteen, Flock of Moons (draft only), La Cumbre (draft only), Marble (draft only), Rio Bravo, Rowley Farmhouse Ales (draft only), Santa Fe, Second Street (draft only), Sidetrack, Steel Bender, Thirsty Eye (draft only), and Tractor. Those will all be at the main brewery locations, but you can always check with your favorite brewery to see if they sent a keg or cans to an offsite taproom.

New Draft:

Bosque tapped a tasty new Kolsch. La Cumbre recently added Skeletal DIPA and 638 Pale Ale. Quarter Celtic pours one out for the homies with Super Stoop Malt Liquor. Turtle Mountain tapped Chicky’s Coop Conspiracy, a Guatemalan coffee stout served on nitro, and Tortuga Tea, the first hard tea from the brewery. (UPDATES) Bombs Away tapped Black Ops Lager. Canteen added Raspberry Wheat. Gravity Bound tapped Shoulda Been a Cowboy, a West Coast pilsner. Harmon Lane brought back Honey-Do List IPA. Marble tapped Dua DIPA. Rio Bravo released 2 Step Lite. Sunday Service Motor Company added Not So Common Steam Ale.

Down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing will tap Inflation Ale, a blonde sold for just $3.69 a pint, and Starburst IPA this Thursday. (UPDATE) Downshift tapped Collective Good Kolsch.

New Package:

Bosque will roll out Thunder Mouth, a new hazy DIPA, in cans and on draft this Friday. Bow & Arrow goes with another memorable name, Don’t Let Them Pick Guitars and Drive Them Old Trucks, for a new hazy IPA that’s due out in cans and on draft this Friday. (UPDATES) Ex Novo brought back Honey, I Lav You, a honey lavender kolsch, in cans and on draft. Gravity Bound released A Coast With No Name IPA, and has more Quick Take Hazy IPA, both in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Friday — Tumbleroot is throwing a Patio Opening Party starting at 5 p.m. at the Agua Fria taproom. There will be four different DJs spinning tunes all night.

Goth Night & Dark Market: Spring Heathens Edition takes over Tractor Wells Park from 8 to 11 p.m.

Saturday — The annual Brewery Collectibles Show has a new home, heading to Bombs Away from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

High and Dry hosts a Punk Matinee with Roadside Memorial and Lost Summer, starting at 2 p.m. The best part? No cover. The even better part? Great music.

(UPDATE) Differential is hosting a Patio Market from 3 to 7 p.m.

Flock of Moons will host a Beer Garden Market at 5:30 p.m. There will be live music from Kelly Bransford, followed by The Ukuladies with Chris Kill Duo and Iain Cummings. Five special vendors will set up shop.

(UPDATE) Canteen is hosting a game of Loteria from 6 to 7 p.m.

(UPDATE) Earthbound, a celebration of all things Mother Earth with art, technology, and special performances, will take over Sidetrack from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Desert Darlings return to Tractor Wells Park for Hops & Dreams: The Disco Edition, starting at 8 p.m. They will not, however, reenact the disco fight scene from the movie Airplane, but there will be plenty of bellydancing and fun.

Tuesday — Since alcohol is not allowed in the parking of the Rio Rancho High School football stadium, where New Mexico United will play the Lubbock Matadors in the U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m., Ex Novo will host the pregame tailgate in The Corral from 3 to 5 p.m. All beers will be $5, hot dogs are $3, and there will be some special giveaways.

Quick News Bits:

Some good news, as Painted Lady has rolled out the first two of four planned house beers. Served in the Ghost Car Saloon, you can now enjoy pints of The Undead Surround Us, a tasty American stout, and You’ve Got Red on You, a hoppy red ale. We will have more on the beers in a separate feature this month.

Some bummer news, as Tractor was forced to abruptly close their Los Lunas taproom on Monday after their lease was not renewed by their landlord. It marks a sad end to one of the only craft beer options in Valencia County. We will follow up soon.

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!

The New Mexico Brewers Guild officially announced their next event, Fete de la Funk. It will be held at Rowley Farmhouse Ales this Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. You can buy tickets here and check out the lineup of breweries. Luke has a full preview of this brand-new festival.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

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 only.

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: Que Onda IPA (6.8% ABV), part of the Alpha Acid Trip Series, now available in cans and on draft.

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