A lot of little random bits of beer-related news have been piling up over here, so we decided it was time for another emptying of the proverbial notebook.

To start things off, you will have to wait until the weekend to get your Gravity Bound fix. Co-owner Chris Frigon told us after Saturday’s IPA Challenge that they will be closed through Thursday, which was since announced on social media.

The brewery was down to just a couple beers last week, and those long-awaited patio renovations should be completed. Shade on the patio? Cross your fingers.

After winning their second NMIPAC title in three years, we figure that everyone at Gravity Bound deserves a few extra days off. Even if they will technically be working the entire time.

Oh, and speaking of the Challenge …

IPA entries identified

The New Mexico Brewers Guild has the names of 14 of the 16 IPAs that competed on Saturday, missing only Ponderosa (which is in the midst of changing brewers, more on that soon) and Three Rivers.

For those of you that either missed the Challenge or just want to go try one or more of them again, here are the 14 entries and their current status at their respective breweries.

• Bossfight: Rage Quit (WC) 6.9% ABV/65 IBU — sixth place, on tap
• Bosque: Patricipation Ribbon (Juicy) 7.8%/60 — fifth place, on tap at Nob Hill, San Mateo, Westside, Santa Fe Drinkery, both Las Cruces locations
• Boxing Bear: Bear Shark (WC) 7.6%/80 — fourth place, not on tap
• Downshift: Beach Season (Tropical Hazy) 6.2%/45 — tied 11th place, on tap/in cans
• Flock of Moons: Min Coranar (Hazy DIPA) 8.2%/58 — tied 11th place, on tap
• Gravity Bound: Monic (Hazy) 7% — first place, returns Saturday
• La Reforma: Five Times Hoppier (WC) 7.8%/70 — second place, unknown
• Marble: Alpha Acid Trip (Triple) 10.2%/92 — third place, on tap
• Nexus: NM Snow Storm (Hazy) 7.2%/36 — seventh place, on tap
• Quarter Celtic: Diva DIPA 8.5% (Pink Boots Collab) — tied 13th place, unknown
• Second Street: Coriolis Effect (SoHem) 7.3%/48 — tied eighth place, on tap
• Sobremesa: Chronically Juicy (Hazy) 7.5%/10 — 15th place, on tap
• Thirsty Eye: Nice (Hazy) 6.9%/42.0 — 16th place, unknown
• Tractor: Acreage (WC) 6.4%/100 — tied 13th place, on tap

Tatted Bee taps first two beers

Good news from the newest brewery in town, as The Tatted Bee Brewhouse has their first two beers now available.

Game On is an old-school pale ale, neither too bitter nor too sweet. Owner Scott Jeter said it has already become the brewery’s best seller, topping even the most popular guest taps like 7K IPA and Mass Ascension IPA.

French Kiss is a classic saison, checking in at a quaffable 4.5-percent ABV. There is a slight funk on the nose, a hint of floral sweetness, and a clean finish.

Jeter told us that up next are a hefeweizen and a session IPA as the brewery moves to having a full lineup available, though as always with smaller brewing systems (a 2-barrel in this case), please remember that availability is not guaranteed.

The Tatted Bee is located at Menaul and Juan Tabo, next to Mario’s Pizza. For a little more on the background of this sports-themed brewery, check out our early preview.

The next new brewery will be …

Brekki Brekki, the all-day breakfast restaurant, is scheduled to open August 12. Normally, that is not something that we would cover, but after taking over the former B2B Garden Brewery space on Comanche near Wyoming, we learned that Brekki Brekki kept the brewing system and brewer Julian Nunez.

Cantina Craftworks will be the official name of the in-house brewing operation. Per an article in Albuquerque Business First (it’s buried behind a paywall, or we would share the link), Brekki Brekki is just waiting on the small brewer license to arrive from the state.

We will keep a close eye on any future announcements from Brekki Brekki, and hopefully we can get over there to talk about the beers with Nunez either right before they open or right afterwards.

Oh, and there better be a coffee stout/porter at an all-day breakfast restaurant. There has to be, right?

Mark your calendars

One event that we have been waiting for to return (and waiting, and waiting) finally has a set date. Well, lots of things have to happen first, but for now, grab a pencil and write down Lagerhosen at Ex Novo Downtown on September 14.

We know, we know, the downtown location has been the prince that was promised for so long, but if Ex Novo is feeling confident enough to announce the festival date, we are going to go ahead and make our preparations.

Last held in 2022 at The Corral in Corrales, this celebration of lagers was a huge hit. There were 25 breweries on hand, including some from out of state like Austin Beer Garden, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Breakside, Cerebral, El Segundo, Fort George, Lakefront, New Glory, Our Mutual Friend, pFriem, Pinthouse Pizza, Ronin Fermentation, Templin Family, Von Ebert, and Wayfinder. Another 10 local breweries joined host Ex Novo to round out the list.

This year’s list of guest breweries is still being assembled, but fear not, one or two (or many) of those heavyweights will be back. If nothing else, scheduling out a big event like this for the new taproom should be further incentive to get it ready to open sooner than later.

All right, that’s all from us to kick off this week. If you ever come across some beer/brewery news that we have missed, please DM us on social media or send it over to nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister