No, it is not technically winter as defined by the world’s meteorologists, but darn, it sure feels like it outside. It’s like that bit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where they just skip a season (fall, in our case). Anyway, not to lean into the doom too much, but at least we still have beer, and now we have a couple new places to drink at! One has been “quietly” open for a bit, while the other is brand-new, and both have their grand openings in the coming days. First up, Vision City Brewstillery will host their grand opening at the Corrales taproom (formerly the original Boxing Bear) off Alameda this Saturday from 11 a.m. until close. There will be drink specials, food, and giveaways throughout the day. Then, on Tuesday starting at 3 p.m., Dripline Brewery will host their grand opening. The newest brewery in the Wells Park neighborhood is located at Second Street and Summer, and they are inviting everyone to come on by and check them out. The Crew snagged a couple spots in an earlier invite-only soft opening this weekend, so we will have a look at the finished space in an upcoming feature before they open to the public.

We also wanted to highlight Rez Pubby Day at Bow & Arrow, a fun new event that supports our furry friends. Bring your besties all dressed up in their finest costumes and get a Polaroid photo taken between 2 and 4 p.m. Then, over a period of a week, everyone will be able to vote for the cutest/funniest/fuzziest pooch. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Rez Roads Rescue, a local pet rescue nonprofit. Of course, there will also be a special beer release (see below), and live music with Roma Ransom will follow at 6 p.m.

New Draft:

Bosque tapped The Pith Sense, a cirtus wheat, and Beer Meets Coffee, a frappuccino beer. Bossfight and Downshift teamed up recently to create Team Lift Wee Heavy. Flock of Moons recently tapped Packing Your Bags for the Misty Mountains, a cream ale served on nitro. High and Dry had a big tap turnover with BiPlane Jane (Light Lager), Siamese from Seychelles (Hoppy Wheat), Schmuck’s Unclusterable (Pilsner), Rapplelnzel (Blonde Ale), and Oktoberfest Pt. 0.5: Jung Been Fanklinstein (Amber Ale) now available. Nexus brought back their award-winning Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty. Sidetrack tapped a new batch of Southwestmalle Dubbel, a Belgian-style brew aged in oak barrels. Steel Bender has Italian Stallion, an Imperial Italian pilsner, on deck as soon as a tap clears. Tractor will bring back seasonal favorite Turkey Drool this Friday. (UPDATES) Canteen will release Power Play IPA on Friday. Thirsty Eye will have another small batch of Odin’s Monocle, infused with green chile biscochito tea.

New Package:

Bow & Arrow will release Rez Pubby Schwarzbier in cans and on draft this Saturday. Ex Novo will bring back Bury Me in Smoke, a hazy IPA with Pineapple Express terpenes, in cans and on draft this Friday. Steel Bender will release Deep Cuts DIPA in cans and on draft this Thursday. Santa Fe has brought back Adobe Igloo in cans and on draft for the season.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Tractor Wells Park is the site again for the monthly Poetry & Beer at 6 p.m., this time with a Dia de los Muertos-heavy theme.

Friday — Artwalk returns downtown from 5 to 9 p.m., so be sure to check out the art show at Sidetrack, with Adobe Disco spinning up the tunes.

Painted Lady will host The Outlaw, Lawman and Ghost Magic Show from 7 to 9 p.m.

Goth Night & Dark Market returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.

Saturday — The aforementioned Vision City Brewstillery grand opening of their Corrales location runs all day starting at 11 a.m.

Boxing Bear Firestone is hosting the after party for the Veterans Day Motorcycle Ride that benefits Paws & Stripes. That will run from noon to 3 p.m.

The aforementioned Rez Pubby Day starts at 2 p.m. at Bow & Arrow.

Boxing Bear Firestone will then host the Baile De Los Muertos Music Festival from 5 to 10 p.m.

Painted Lady will host a book launch for Handcrafted Careers, written by local author Eli Wilson, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Sunday — One of our good friends is in the local band Radio Free ABQ, and they’re holding a record release party at Canteen at 4 p.m.

Tuesday — As previously mentioned, Dripline’s grand opening starts at 3 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Marble Brewery posted on social media that they have found a local buyer and will not be closing. Hopefully more information will be posted soon, as we have no idea who bought the entire operation. But, hey, at least the second-largest brewery in New Mexico is no longer shutting down, as the rumors claimed last month.

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.

We will have a full update on the future of Lizard Tail Brewing, which shut down all of their locations on Sunday, later this week.

Nexus 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: T50 Vienna Lager (5.4% ABV, 25 IBU), a tasty amber lager that will help you get over the last of the delicious Oktoberfest running out.

Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Brewer’s Bruises (5.6% ABV, 10 IBU), a blueberry lavender gose, is back for a limited time.

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: Metal Head Stout (6.66% ABV), one of our seasonal favorites, back in cans and on draft.

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: Wet Hop Mountain IPA (7.2% ABV, 80 IBU) is exactly the kind of beer that needs to be consumed ASAP as those fresh hops won’t stay fresh forever.

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: Ruidoso Together Pale Ale (5.5% ABV), available in cans and on draft and benefiting the southern communities affected by the fires and flooding earlier this year.

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: Date Night Disaster (5% ABV, 10 IBU), a simple, no-frills stout that’s perfect for this weather.

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: La Negra (14.1% ABV), the beautiful beast of a Russian imperial stout is back in bottles and on draft.

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

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: Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty (9.3% ABV), the two-time World Beer Cup medal winner is back for the season.

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: Very Demure (6.7% ABV, 19 IBU), an apricot wheat with a clever name.

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

Sidetrack Brewing — Featured seasonal: Matching Stoutfits (5.8% ABV, 30 IBU), another one of our seasonal favorites, available on draft and (maybe) in cans.

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: Oktoberfest (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: Los Muertos Porter (12% ABV), a collaboration between the brewery and the Worthogs homebrew club, available on draft and there might be a little left of the special barrel-aged version.

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: Black Dog IPA (7.3% ABV, 50 IBU), a classic black IPA.

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.

* * * *

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