For the vast majority of us, this weekend is basically Halloween Weekend, with all the ghoulish delights popping up from house parties to special events at breweries, bars, and restaurants all around town.

One of the best-looking new additions is the Zombie Crawl, a new event from the New Mexico Brewers Guild that combines elements of a pub crawl with Halloween and craft breweries. It will take place Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and tickets are available now online.

“What we were looking for is something to put to have in October that was fairly easy and a way to get people out earlier in the day,” said NMBG executive director Ebbie Edmonston. “Halloween doesn’t always fall on a Friday or Saturday. We wanted people to still be able to dress up, go to your local breweries, get some discounts, and possibly stay out at their favorite brewery.”

The true brainchild behind the Zombie Crawl was Jesse Herron, the owner of Painted Lady Bed and Brew, one of the seven stops on the crawl.

“Jesse from Painted Lady spearheaded this idea and brought it to the board (of directors),” Edmonston said. “It seemed relatively easy. Let’s go ahead and try it, see how it goes. He wanted to involve ABQ Trolley, which is another company he owns. We’re testing it out. We’re seeing how it’s going to be received.”

Herron said he wanted to do something that combined breweries and Halloween after he learned that the Beer Premier was not coming back this year.

“I, on the other side of the table as beer consumer, always loved Beer Premier,” Herron said. “I loved the beer and the costumes, a Halloween type of beerfest, which I appreciated. I said let’s do something that’s more on the nose as a Halloween/costume/fun thing. Painted Lady is not big enough to host that many people, so I pitched the idea that’s not confined to one brewery but an entire neighborhood, which Wells Park is (filled with) eight breweries within a 2-mile square radius in the neighborhood.”

The structure of the event is fairly straightforward.

“Basically, it’s a pub crawl,” Edmonston said. “You can go to one of the three check-in locations — Painted Lady, Marble, or Tractor — to check-in, receive your wristband and your (commemorative) glass. It lets the bartenders know that you receive the discount.”

The other participating breweries in the Wells Park area are Gravity Bound, JUNO, and Rio Bravo, plus Hollow Spirits is taking part for anyone looking to take a break from beer (but they also pour local brews). Every location will have specific discounts for participants.

• Gravity Bound: $2 off 10-ounce beers
• Hollow Spirits: $2 off drinks
• JUNO: $3 for a 12-ounce beer; plus Jig & Swig presents Hallowswing, free admission for Zombie Crawl participants from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• Marble: $2 off 10-ounce beers
• Painted Lady: $2 off 10-ounce beers, plus Scary Movie Bingo featuring Shaun of the Dead at 7 p.m.
• Rio Bravo: $3 for a 10-ounce beer
• Tractor: $2 off 12-ounce beers, plus Magic, Comedy, & Music featuring DJ Wae Fonkey at 8 p.m.

Herron added that Painted Lady will also be re-releasing You’ve Got Red on You, their hoppy red ale that was brewed back in the spring. Since it takes its name from Shaun of the Dead, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

“Now that we decided when we launch a beer to do bingo with it and show a movie, that’s a perfect beer and movie to watch at this time of the year,” he added.

The Guild mapped out the walking course, which is 2.1 miles in total, and would take someone on average 48 minutes to do all that walking (not counting time spent inside the breweries). For anyone thinking that might be a bit much, there is the aforementioned ABQ Trolley option.

“We also have a sponsor that is paying for the trolley upgrades,” Edmonston said. “Right now, the upgrade for the trolley would be free. That’s from Neighborhood Loans.”

Edmonston said she would recommend taking the trolley around, and we would have to agree that would probably be what would truly make this event unique for participants. You can walk off the beer later, right?

“Halloween is the biggest adult holiday in Albuquerque,” Herron said. “There’s a ton of stuff it competes with, so holding this from 4 to 8, I think this is something to do early and warm up for the rest of the night. Almost everyone (participating) is doing an event that day that kind of coincides with Halloween. A lot of them are giving discounts or including it in the price. Starting your Halloween a bit early is not a bad thing.”

As for those costumes, yes, going as a zombie would be event appropriate, but everyone is allowed to dress up however you want (or, just go as yourself, no costumes are required to participate).

“We do have a costume contest at Tractor that’s going to be more of a digital contest,” Edmonston said. “Go to Tractor, get your photo taken in front of your backdrop, tag us in your social media post, and we will announce a winner next week.”

This is the final Brewers Guild-sponsored event of 2024, and a great way to close the year on that front. Fear not, though, Edmonston is already working hard on setting up WinterBrew, which will be back in Santa Fe on January 24.

A big thanks to Ebbie and Jesse for taking the time to chat in the midst of a busy week.

Keep supporting (spooky) local!

— Stoutmeister