Just a few hours after we published our story saying good-bye to ABQ Beer Week last Thursday, an email popped up from Tractor Brewing’s events and marketing director, Jeremy Kinter. While the main ABW is done, Tractor is bringing back some of its most popular events of years past and holding their own beer week.

“Yeah, so we’re doing Tractor Beer Week,” Kinter said when we met up Friday. “Despite there not being Albuquerque Beer Week, we still wanted to celebrate in our own way. Because we usually go big for beer week. We have some flagship events that still need to happen.”

Over time, and keeping with its reputation as one of the most innovative and fun events-focused breweries in town, Tractor had indeed become a hub for many ABQ Beer Week festivities. Kinter and his team decided that it was a no-brainer to keep the most popular events going, even without the ABW banner.

“So on Friday, May 24 we’re kicking it off with Sour Hour (at 5 p.m.),” he said. “That’s going to be here at Wells Park with Rowley Farmhouse Ales, of course. We’ll have three of their sours on tap and we’ll have our Key Lime Pie Gose on tap as well. The Key Lime Pie Gose will release that day to all locations. You’ll be able to do a flight for $15 for all four. Then we have Swing Magique playing at 8 p.m. for Beer & Jazz here at Wells Park.”

We will make sure to check in next week with Rowley Farmhouse Ales to see which three sours they will be bringing down from Santa Fe.

“The next day, Saturday the 25th, we’re doing Ciderday Night Fever, of course,” Kinter said.

That extremely popular event among cider lovers is set for the Nob Hill taproom from the minute it opens at noon.

“It will be only Tractor ciders, including some new ones that the brewers will be putting out,” Kinter said. “It’s cool because each of the brewers is coming up with their own flavor of cider. We’ll be serving those all day long. You can do flights of those, also, for $15.”

There will also be regular full-sized pours, and among the specialty one-off ciders that the brewers created, there will be a little bonus prize for a lucky customer, and a lucky brewer.

“We’re doing a Kill the Keg special, so whatever cider goes out first, the person who orders the (last) goblet, then they win a free Tractor T-shirt,” Kinter said. “The brewers have their own competition going for it. I tried a couple, they’re excellent, they have some fun flavors going.”

If you are not a cider fan, head over to Wells Park at 7 p.m. for Drag Queen Bingo Pride Edition hosted by Lady Hawk. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Elevated Roller Derby.

“Then, on Wednesday the following week, we have our Brew-lastic Book Fair with Books on the Bosque,” Kinter said. “They’ll be here selling books from 6 to 9. We’ll also have Cafe Nom Nom serving up Vietnamese fusion food. They’re a pop-up.”

The final event in the calendar is one that needed an adjustment, after the business that Tractor had previously partnered with sadly closed their doors.

“Then, I think it’s been for the past eight years, we’ve been doing Rebel Donut and beer pairing,” Kinter said. “But, now that Rebel is unfortunately no longer (in business), we’ve teamed up with Two Boys Donuts and we’re doing a donut hole and beer pairing. That will be available at all locations.”

Based on past years, we encourage everyone to head to your favorite Tractor taproom when this starts at 5 p.m., as the donut holes will sell out.

“And then, I think that’s about it,” Kinter said. “Those are the events. I know it’s not as robust as it is in the past, but it’s still nice to have that support. We had to play the hits, people seek these events out on a yearly basis. It also goes right up against Cocktail Week, and we’re doing that as well.”

Kinter also added that this current seven-day stretch, which has been dubbed American Craft Beer Week by the Brewers Association, will see the release of the popular Pistachio Cream Ale on Friday.

A big thanks to Jeremy for the interview, and to everyone at Tractor for keeping all of these popular events going.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister