One of the highlights of September, going back all the way to when some of us were kids growing up here in Albuquerque, was the start of the New Mexico State Fair. It meant a day or two off of school, the midway rides, and copious amounts of tasty food treats. Back in 2020, the Fair was canceled by the pandemic lockdown, so the good folks at Rio Bravo decided to at least try to recreate some of the food favorites. They knocked it out of the park, and even after the Fair came back, the patrons at Rio Bravo kept demanding that they continue to roll out the turkey legs, donut burgers, ribbon fries, fried ice cream, and more. With the Fair starting in less than two weeks, Rio Bravo is picking this holiday weekend as the time to roll out their special food items. Stop by this Saturday and Sunday to enjoy some Fair food, live music, beer, and more all day. There is no cover, and plenty of room inside and outside (weather permitting). The parking is free, the lines will be short, and there is no judgment if you order a second funnel cake.

Oh, and since this is a holiday weekend, the beer releases below are few and far between (so far). If you are not traveling, now is a good time to catch up on any of the beers you may have missed in recent weeks!

New Draft:

La Cumbre tapped Mild Weather Ahead, an English-style mild ale. Nexus added their Festbier back on Monday. (UPDATES) Brew Lab 101 has Labtoberfest flowing at both locations. Gravity Bound tapped Critter, their fresh-hop IPA. Harmon Lane celebrates the start of college football with Wobble On Crimson Ale. Marble brought back Prickly Pear Gose. Rio Bravo rolled out their Oktoberfest lager. Sidetrack brought back Matching Stoutfits. The Tatted Bee added their new house IPA, I Bee Buzzing.

Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Sir Bramling’s Golden Ale. (UPDATES) Bathtub Row also added Patio Hopped Pale, made with the hops grown on the vines outside the brewery. Over in Santa Fe, Nuckolls tapped a new hazy pale ale, Hoppy Wife, Hoppy Life. Rowley Farmhouse Ales will release two anniversary beers, Black Dog IPA on Saturday and True to Caricature Sour on Sunday. Down south, Downshift tapped Giggle Bush Fruited Sour, and hey, no laughing at that name.

New Package:

Bow & Arrow will release their Oktoberfest lager in cans and on draft with a special event (see below) this Saturday. Downshift will release their Oktoberfest lager in cans and on draft this week.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Bosque Heights will host Trivia for a Cause: Bridgerton at 6 p.m.

Tumbleroot Agua Fria is holding Metal Wednesday with Suicide Forest leading a strong lineup that will take the stage from 7:30 p.m. onward.

Saturday — Turquoise Trail will be part of a Labor Day Celebration event in Moriarty. It starts as early as 9 a.m. and more details can be found on their social media pages.

Bow & Arrow’s Oktoberfest celebration starts at 5 p.m. and will include a stein-holding contest at 4 p.m. Check their social media for more details.

Bear Affair No. 5.2 starts at Boxing Bear Firestone at 6 p.m. The Bear Kitchen staff will handle the special dishes, with Boxing Bear beers and VARA wines paired up. Tickets are $25 apiece and seating is limited.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales will be celebrating their anniversary with two beer releases and more all day Saturday and Sunday. The first day will feature a dog adoption event, followed by music and food specials on the second day.

Sunday — Ex Novo will host a dog adoption event with Santa Teresa Rescue in Corrales from noon to 4 p.m.

Sunday Service Motor Company will host the Team Swap Meet from 1 to 4 p.m., featuring local vendors and artisans.

The Sip & Shop Mercado returns to Bosque North from 1 to 5 p.m.

The new First Sunday Market debuts at Tumbleroot Agua Fria at 2 p.m.

La Cumbre will host Pints for Pups from 4 to 8 p.m. at the brewery.

Quick News Bits:

Second Street Rufina will close at 5 p.m. this Sunday for a private memorial.

Sad news, as Ex Novo’s Lagerhosen has been postponed until 2025. There just wasn’t enough time to prepare the downtown taproom for an event of such magnitude by September 14.

Nuckolls Brewing has announced that it has 15 more taps (!) now online, so there will be even more beer (and wine) flowing at the Santa Fe Railyard.

Boese Brothers has a post on their website saying that the downtown taproom is closed for renovations until September 6.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery  — Featured seasonal: Drunk Astronaut (7.5% ABV), described as a “super juicy DIPA brewed with Galaxy hops and Cosmic Punch yeast.”

Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Tropi Kolsch (5.6% ABV, 20 IBU), a kolsch with lots of tropical-flavored hops.

Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Crimson & Clover (6.1% ABV, 10 IBU), a blonde ale with cherry and honey, now available only in cans, so get it quick before the supply runs out.

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

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Pearl Snaps (5% ABV), a tasty Japanese-style rice lager that is available in cans and on draft.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: OktoBEARfest (5.3% ABV), the annual favorite is back in cans and on draft at both taprooms.

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

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Citranova (6% ABV, 26 IBU), the popular tangerine oat lager is available in cans and on draft.

Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Lemon Black Tea Cream Ale (4.2% ABV), which is pretty much exactly as the name describes.

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

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: The entire Decem Series of beers, now available in cans and on draft, all of which are collaboration beers, including a pale ale, Italian pilsner, and cold IPA.

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

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Bonfires of Ganymede (7.1% ABV, 29 IBU), a smoked maibock with just the right amount of charring, balanced out by the sweet malts and hops.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Your Place or Stein, the delectable Oktoberfest lager is back for a limited time.

Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: Honey Do IPA, the perfect beer after getting that yard work done.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: None in the Chamber (5.3% ABV, 20 IBU), an Oktoberfest lager (dubbed Pt. 7) that is rather delightful.

Hops Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

JUNO Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Kaktus Brewing — Featured seasonal: Sweet Darkness Milk Stout, a nice treat for dessert after your pizza.

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Hop Drift Cold IPA (6.7% ABV), now available in cans and on draft.

La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: Five Times Hoppier IPA, the runner-up at the NM IPA Challenge.

Late Shift Lager House at The Craftroom — Featured seasonal: Goldmember (7% ABV), a golden strong ale.

Lizard Tail Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Citrus Sunshine IPA (6.8% ABV), part of the Alpha Acid Trip Series, now available in cans and on draft.

Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Festbier (5.8% ABV, 21 IBU), my personal runner-up among the beers at Marblefest, this is a lighter but flavorful German-style lager.

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: Danny’s Not Here Right Now, Mrs. Torrance, a watermelon wheat inspired by The Shining.

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: Rising Hope Collaboration (5% ABV, 40 IBU), an orange blossom pale ale with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

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

Sidetrack Brewing — Featured seasonal: Shinobi (5.3% ABV, 18 IBU), yet another Japanese-style rice lager to help us get through August, available in cans and on draft.

Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest, a festbier-style lager that pairs great with their bone-in pork schnitzel that’s also available for a limited time.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: St. Robby’s Girl (5.3% ABV, 26 IBU), a Dortmunder-style lager brewed in collaboration with Palmer Brewery.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfiesta (6.8% ABV, 25 IBU), the annual treat is back in cans and on draft.

Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: Cosmic Wave IPA (6.2% ABV, 67 IBU), a West Coast-style hop bomb with some fruity hops up front and a clean, bitter-free finish.

The Tatted Bee Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Game On, an old-school pale ale that is one of the first four house beers now on tap.

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: Pistachio Cream Ale (6.0% ABV, 20 IBU), a near-perfect melding of New Mexico’s popular nut and a classic cream ale.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Agent Orange Hazy DIPA (7.3% ABV, 17 IBU), which is infused with actual oranges, and not just citrus-like hops.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Vision City Brewstillery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Santa Fe breweries

Beer Creek Brewing — Featured seasonal: Temporada (6.1% ABV), a Belgian saison brewed with 100-percent New Mexico-grown pilsner malt and Neomexicanus hops. Described by the brewery as “crisp and dry with hints of bubblegum. Not a Brett beer.”

Chile Line Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Nuckolls Brewing — Featured seasonal: Spice Car, a farmhouse saison brewed with Thai chili peppers, guava, mango puree, and lime juice.

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: Tipsy Parrot (6.4% ABV), a piña colada-inspired beer now available in cans and on draft.

Travel Bug — Featured seasonal: This bookstore/cafe only has two beers on tap, Rough Draft Ale (4.5% ABV) and Second Draft English Bitter (6% ABV), but if any seasonals ever pop up, we will list them here.

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: Oz’s Oatmeal Stout (5% ABV), because if you are up in the mountains, it’s cooler, and stouts are appropriate.

Downshift Brewing — Featured seasonal: Gratitude Pale Ale (5.4% ABV, 40 IBU), brewed to support local charities, and right now $1 from every pint sold goes to helping in the recovery efforts from the South Fork and Salt fires.

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: Pecan Brown Ale, a classic offering from the brewery.

Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Robledo Rye (5.9% ABV, 46 IBU), described by the brewery as “a crisp golden ale with substantial hop bitterness and flavor. Malted rye adds a spicy, earthy quality, moderated by the subtle honey sweetness of Vienna malt. Warrior hops contribute smooth bitterness and flavors of pine, grapefruit, and pineapple.”

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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