Year-round beer lineups change all the time at breweries, as style popularity ebbs and flows with the public, or various other factors come into play. Still, it was a little surprising to see Red Iron Red, a staple at Steel Bender since the brewery’s beginning, disappear from the canned beer lineup. Coupling that with Marble’s Red Ale dropping out of their main lineup, and it seemed like the days of the hoppy red ale were ending in Albuquerque. Oh, not so fast, as Red Iron will make its triumphant return this week, only with a few changes to its description and packaging. The base recipe remains, but it will now officially be labeled as a double red IPA. In addition, it will now be sold in 16-ounce, four-pack cans, sporting a bold new look. Those cans will be available starting this Friday. Now if we could only get Marble to bring back Imperial Red, and all the ginger-loving hopheads would truly rejoice.

New Draft:

Bosque tapped Agavelandia, an agave wheat ale, and Lake Natron, an export stout. High and Dry released Damn Ryte!, a rye IPA. Marble added Wellfellers Tavern Brown Ale. Steel Bender will release a beer-name-of-the-year candidate, What We Brew in the Shadows Black IPA, on Thursday. Turtle Mountain tapped new batches of Get Bock Inside! and Burqueño Black, a schwarzbier. (UPDATES) Bombs Away added T50 Vienna Lager. Canteen brought back Irish Red. Ex Novo tapped Put the Bar in Barista, a coffee-infused version of their Vienna lager. Quarter Celtic added Dortmunder German Lager. Sobremesa brought back North Valley Brown. Sunday Service Motor Company tapped Flannel Season Amber Ale.

Up in Santa Fe, Second Street tapped Sloppy Sloth Sabro Hazy IPA and Superior Porter. Over in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row brought back Jemez Hazy IPA and Rancho School Rustic, a saison. Out in Moriarty, Sierra Blanca released Collective Good Mexican Lager, part of the campaign organized by Downshift to help Ruidoso recover from the wildfires and flooding earlier this year. Down south in Ruidoso itself, Downshift released their own beer-name-of-the-year candidate, Uphill in the Snow Both Ways Cold IPA. (UPDATE) Beer Creek released Bogtrotter Irish Dry Stout.

New Package:

Boxing Bear has a double-release party planned for Saturday with cans and draft available of both New Mexican Lime Lager and Dizzie Locz Double IPA. Ex Novo brought back Costume Party Hazy IPA and Penguin Tuxedo Stout in cans and on draft. La Cumbre has us extra excited for the double release of La Negra Russian Imperial Stout in bottles and on draft, and Azul Oscura Mexican Dark Lager in cans and on draft this Friday. (UPDATE) Boxing Bear also brought back Oso Otoño Oatmeal Brown Ale on draft and in cans.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Thirsty Eye will be the site of the EDO (East Downtown) Neighborhood Happy Hour from 4 to 7 p.m., with $1 off all beers.

Ponderosa will host their Halloween Bash from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Ghoulastic Book Fair will open at Tractor Wells Park at 6 p.m.

Thursday — The Gothtober Halloween Party returns to Bow & Arrow at 7 p.m.

Sunday Service Motor Company will host Spooky Trivia and Costume Contest at 7 p.m.

Hop on the Sky Railway in Santa Fe with Boxing Bear for the Fright Train from 7 to 10 p.m.

Nuckolls will host their Halloween Party at 8 p.m.

JUNO will host their Halloween Party with International DJs ($5 cover) at 8 p.m.

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

Saturday — The aforementioned Dizzie Locz Double Release Party will be at Boxing Bear Firestone from noon to 6 p.m., with a vendor market, live music, and more.

Marble will host their annual Muertos Fiesta from 2 to 10 p.m., also featuring a vendor market and live music.

Test your strength at Lager Liftoff, a weightlifting competition at Canteen at 4 p.m.

Night of the Railyard Reaper returns to Sidetrack from 7 to 11 p.m.

Bossfight will host a Day of the Dead Celebration from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Sunday — The First Sundays Art Market returns to Tumbleroot Agua Fria at noon.

Bosque North will host the Autumn Vendor Market from 1 to 5 p.m.

Tuesday — Bow & Arrow will host an Election Watch Party starting at 5 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Just in case you missed it, we had big news recently both on how Gravity Bound and Boese Brothers will be sharing the brewing space at Sixth and Gold, while GB will now take over the taproom portion with a unique twist. We also learned how Icebox is in the process of taking over Public House 28 Brewery down between Las Cruces and Anthony.

Both Nexus locations and La Reforma will close at 4 p.m. on Halloween, while Kaktus and Quarter Celtic (both locations) will call it early Thursday at 7 p.m. If any other breweries shorten their hours, we will update this part of the post.

Nexus also has new hours at the main location. The brewpub will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and will be closed on Sunday. Nexus Blue Smokehouse will remain open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Another new brewery? It appears so, but not in a place that has any others nearby. Prod-O Brewery and Distillery has an active small brewer license, and it will be located in the town of Reserve in Western New Mexico. Guess we’ve got a road trip coming up!

Steel Bender is teaming up with a local radio station, The Peak, for Monday Night Football games all season. There will be drink and food specials, and one of the hosts of the station will be there every game from 6 p.m. until halftime. Check their social media for more details.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery  — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.3% ABV), the popular seasonal lager is back for another run.

Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV, 20 IBU), one of the finest märzens around is still on tap for a limited time.

Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Resto Hazy Pale (5.8% ABV, 40 IBU), now available in cans at all taprooms, and still on draft at a few, including its namesake, Restoration Pizza.

Bossfight Brewing (formerly Kilt Check Brewing) — Featured seasonal: Power Up Coffee Stout, a small batch of goodness to keep you going for another round of Mario Kart at the brewery arcade.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Sunup, Sunburn, Sundown, Repeat (5% ABV), a fruited gose-style sour made with pomegranate, raspberries, and Cara Cara oranges, now 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.

Brekki Brekki — Featured seasonal: Vanilla Pumpkin Stout, the first specialty beer from the new all-day breakfast restaurant and brewery in the old B2B Garden Brewery space in the Heights.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Labtoberfest is now available for all to enjoy.

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: Festbier (5.8%, 19 IBU), a proper German lager to enjoy on the patio as the nights turn cooler.

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

Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Weiss Beer (4.8% ABV), a perfect patio beer for the lingering days of summer that just won’t go away.

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

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Fresh Hop Light Through the Trees (5.2% ABV), a pale ale available in cans and on draft.

Flix Brewhouse  — Featured seasonal: Vampyre Boost Imperial Lager, this year’s collaboration with Steel Bender.

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Dark Side of the Moons (7.7% ABV, 88 IBU), a little black IPA collaboration that the Crew brewed.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Garden Spot, the always popular cucumber basil gose, is back for a limited time.

Harmon Lane Brewing at Southwest Grape and Grain — Featured seasonal: Wobble On Crimson Ale, a nifty little red inspired by the brewer, who used to play football for New Mexico State.

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

Hops Brewery — Featured seasonal: Hoptoberfest (4.7% ABV, 25 IBU), the classic lager is on tap for a limited time.

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: Wiesn Festbier (5.9% ABV), Franz Solo’s favorite annual seasonal lager is 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: Pumpkin Noir (8% ABV), the popular fall specialty dark ale, 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. It is nearly out and will soon be replaced by the award-winning Beam Me Up Higher Scotty.

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: A new specialty brew is due out this Saturday (see above).

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.

Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Kitchen Sink DIPA (8.5% ABV, 60 IBU), a chewy hop bomb to enjoy in moderation.

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

Sidetrack Brewing — Featured seasonal: Fresh Hop IPA (6.6% ABV, 50 IBU), which is one of those beers we should all help drink up ASAP before it’s not fresh anymore.

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: Therewolf (6.3% ABV, 21 IBU), the annual Oktoberfest lager release.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Barrel-Aged Ale Witch (8.7% ABV, 15 IBU), they took the popular pumpkin ale and put it in rum barrels. Now it’s available 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 house beers now on tap.

Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktobefest (6% ABV, 20 IBU), a sweet and satisfying märzen lager.

The 377 Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Scotcholate, the cult favorite twist on a Scottish ale is back on draft.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Sierra Nativo (5.5% ABV, 37 IBU), as this is a wet-hop pale ale, its availability will be limited, so get it while it’s fresh.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest, the first lager in the young history of the brewery.

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: Hoppy Wife, Hoppy Life, a hazy pale ale and a possible contender for Beer Name of the Year.

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: Oktoberfest (5.4% ABV), our pick for the best of the best among all the great märzens currently available statewide.

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: Hilltop Helles (4.7% ABV), because it’s still warm enough during the day for a nice, crisp German lager.

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: Rio Rojo Red Ale (4.5% ABV, 30 IBU), a nice malty treat similar to the Irish red, but made with different malts and a German ale yeast that produce some distinctive differences.

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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