This is one of those big party weekends, where we get the back-to-back double whammy of my birthday and then my hangover. Wait, no, that’s not it, at least not for the rest of you. It’s May the 4th Be With You and Cinco de Mayo, the back-to-back days of wildly different-yet-fun merriment. Of course the breweries are jumping on board, starting with Bosque’s Northeast Heights taproom hosting Trivia for a Cause: Star Wars on Thursday. Then, Beer Creek is hosting Big Brew Day on Saturday, with a definite Star Wars theme (you can dress in costume, but be careful not to get any Wookie hair in your mash). Bossfight (the former Kilt Check) will also have a full Star Wars party that day, so keep an eye out for more details. For Sunday, the food and drink specials will be prevalent at Sobremesa, Marble downtown, and other locales (we have not seen La Reforma’s plans, but rest assured, they will be up to something delicious), plus there will be a special vendor market at Bosque North. Just monitor social media for everything this weekend, and be extra careful driving about, of course.

New Draft:

Bosque levels up with Conflict Resolution Lvl 1, a hazy pale ale. Canteen brought back Sundance Kolsch. Flock of Moons recently tapped Bonfires of Ganymede, a smoked maibock. Gravity Bound added Serious Riz, a rice lager. Nexus has the two-time World Beer Cup silver medal winner Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty back on tap for a limited time. Sobremesa recently added Citrus Witt. Thirsty Eye brought back their Mexican lager, La Llagerona. Tractor will tap Blueberry Berliner Weisse on Friday. (UPDATES) Bossfight tapped Jawa Juice Ale, a Belgian ale conditioned on orange zest and coriander. Casa Vieja added Sonora Mexican Lager. Gravity Bound tapped Western Wear, a new WCIPA, and Spanish Brewm, a gose with basil and three types of melon. Marble is celebrating the entire month with the release of Maibock. Nexus has Oralé Mexican Lager back on tap for obvious reasons. Rio Bravo is celebrating the Kentucky Derby with the release of Talk Derby to Me, a ginger, lime, and mint Berliner Weisse aged in bourbon barrels. Sunday Service Motor Co tapped Kick Start Hazy Pale Ale. Turtle Mountain added El Cob-rón Rojo, a red corn Mexican lager.

(UPDATE) Up in Santa Fe, Beer Creek will release Temporada Saison on Friday. Down south, Downshift tapped Mild, Not Manored, an English mild on nitro.

New Package:

Ex Novo released Sumo Suit Yourself, a Japanese-style rice lager, in cans and on draft, and this Sunday will mark the return of But It’s a Dry Heat, their Mexican lager infused with lime and salt, also in cans and on draft. La Cumbre has a double release on Friday with Helles Lager and Hop Drift Cold IPA in cans and on draft. (UPDATE) Canteen is bringing back Cabana Mexican Lager in cans and on draft this Friday.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Trivia for a Cause: The Simpsons is set for Bosque Cottonwood from 6 to 9 p.m.

Poetry & Beer is back at Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.

There is quite the metal show going down at JUNO from 7 to 11 p.m. Check out Xoth, Atoll, Angelic Desolation, Atrae Bilis, and local standouts Await the Dawn.

Thursday — The aforementioned Star Wars edition of Trivia for a Cause is at Bosque Heights at 6 p.m.

Friday — ABQ Artwalk is back downtown from 5 to 9 p.m., so check on the social media pages for Boese Brothers, Red Door, and Sidetrack to see what they have planned.

Canteen is hosting Burque Bee, a team spelling bee starting at 6 p.m.

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

Saturday — They are rolling out the giant steam locomotive again to Tractor Wells Park for another Tracks, Tunes & Taps fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bombs Away will host a special ceremony to honor the fallen EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) Service Members starting at 10 a.m.

(UPDATE) Rowley Farmhouse Ales is hosting an Adoption Event with Española Animal Humane from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a Pulls for Pups tap, of course.

Get your shopping done with the Cheers to Moms Market at Canteen starting at noon.

Gravity Bound will host Spanish Broom Flamenco from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Our friends in Dust City Opera will be concluding their recent tour with an acoustic show at Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

And, though I know it’s not at a brewery, local metal stalwarts Red Mesa will have their album release party at Launchpad at 8 p.m. There is local on beer on tap, so that counts, right?

Sunday — Ex Novo is hosting a Doggo Adoption from noon to 4 p.m.

Bosque North hosts an artisan market from 1 to 5 p.m. in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo.

Marble will have live music downtown starting at 2 p.m. and Cerveza and Cerveza Light specials all day.

The Cinco de Mayo Party at Sobremesa kicks off at 4:30 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Sidetrack will now open at noon on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Taos Mesa Brewing main location will reopen this Thursday after undergoing some spring cleaning.

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: Thunder Mouth (8.5% ABV, 70 IBU), a new hazy IPA now available in cans and on draft.

Bossfight Brewing (formerly Kilt Check Brewing) — Featured seasonal: Way of the Samurai, a Japanese rice lager that will become a staple at the brewery.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Terra Helles (4.7% ABV), a tasty lager available in cans and on draft.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Sucker Punch DIPA (8.1% ABV), the big bad hop bomb is back for another run, 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: Little Farm on the Berry (4.7% ABV), a collaboration with Farm and Table, this sour features blackberries, lemon, and crushed sumac.

Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: Alebenezer, a seasonal barleywine that you need to help drink up as summer arrives.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Dawn Patrol Coffee Stout (4.5% ABV, 10 IBU), a light-in-ABV but not in flavor or mouthfeel dark brew, this is a collaboration with the coffee shop located next to the Nob Hill Stage music venue on Copper and Carlisle.

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.

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Miles from Cologne (4.7%), the supremely crushable kolsch, now available in cans for the first time.

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: Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty (9.5% ABV, 29 IBU), which just won its second silver medal in three years at the World Beer Cup, is back on tap for a limited time.

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: You’ve Got Red on You (5.8% ABV, 65 IBU), a delightful hop-forward red ale, named for one of our favorite movies, Shaun of the Dead.

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: Super Stoop Malt Liquor (6.5% ABV, 18 IBU), which does not have to be consumed on a stoop or in a paper bag.

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 — Featured seasonal: Desert Monk (6.8% ABV, 21 IBU), a Belgian-style dubbel.

Sidetrack Brewing — Featured seasonal: Disco After Dark (6.4% ABV, 75 IBU), a West Coast IPA brewed in collaboration with Adobe Disco.

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: El Nuevo IPA (7.2% ABV), a classic West Coast IPA now on draft.

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: Brown Ale (5.9% ABV, 38 IBU), an award-winning classic, 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