This upcoming holiday weekend is very, very light on events, but there are a surprising number of new beers coming on tap or appearing in package. Hey, Merry Christmas to us all, right? One of those beers that stands out a bit is a light lager, being released smack dab in the middle of dark beer season. The story behind Village 66 Lager, which will be released by Steel Bender this Sunday, is what makes it unique. This is the 66th anniversary of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Route 66, so the Bender team decided to honor that with a special beer made with all-New Mexico ingredients. The grain bill is 100 percent pilsner malt grown and malted out in the Estancia Valley by Schwebach Malz. The hops are all Zappa, a varietal grown from Neomexicanus. It will be served on draft at the brewery, at Campo by Los Poblanos, and at Kelly Jo Designs by Wine.

Oh, and to help out everyone with those last-minute beer runs, or to help you if you need a Christmas pint, here are the holiday hours of operation for (almost) every brewery we cover. We will keep updating that list if any additional stragglers finally share their closing times, but we have most of them .

New Draft:

Differential recently tapped Mint Porter. Flock of Moons added their first Belgian dark strong, Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow. Marble tapped Mo Mo SMASH IPA and The Parting Glass, an Irish dry stout. Sidetrack made us happy and put a new batch of Matching Stoutfits on tap. Starr Brothers added Fog of War, a new hazy IPA. Thirsty Eye brought back Huning Highlander Scotch Ale. Tractor will tap Dusk Light Schwarzbier on Friday. Vision City added Winter Lager.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales brewed up a new doppelbock, Amber is the Color, and also released a barrel-aged version of their Steindock’d Barleywine. (UPDATES) Second Street tapped Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale. Down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing added Sparklebomb, a strong blonde ale derived from a Belgian golden strong recipe.

New Package:

No canned/bottled releases have been announced yet for this week, but as always, that can change after Christmas. (UPDATE) Ex Novo saves your beer fridge with the return of Liquid Sweater, a flavorful winter ale, in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Friday — Tractor Wells Park will host Gin & Jazz: Winter Cocktail Edition at 5 p.m.

Monday — Beer for a Better Burque Pint Night is back at all Tractor locations, with $1 from every pint sold from 4 p.m. onward supporting Indigenous Women Rising,

Quick News Bits:

After a reader tipped us off that Palmer Brewery beers are no longer on tap at Left Turn Distilling, we removed their entry below. We hope to have more on this story soon. And before anyone asks, Rob is fine. Nobody panic on that front.

Kaktus is taking their annual holiday hiatus from this past Monday through January 6.

Quarter Celtic’s Vienna Lager (returning soon) won another gold medal, this time at the European Beer Star competition. It previously won at the Great American Beer Festival in October. Congrats, again, to the QC brewing team!

Steel Bender is teaming up with a local radio station, The Peak, for Monday Night Football one last time this 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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

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: Driftwood (5.9% ABV, 35 IBU), the classic oatmeal stout is back in cans and on draft for a limited time.

Bossfight Brewing (formerly Kilt Check Brewing) — Featured seasonal: Dark Magic Baltic Porter, a beer so good it will double your usual pinball score. Well, maybe not, but it’s good.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Buffalo Plaid (7%), the annual Baltic porter release is back in cans and on draft, and we think this is the most flavorful version yet.

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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Singularity BBA Imperial Stout (11% ABV), the annual barrel-aged beast is back on tap.

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Grundy Thunder Porter (6.2% ABV, 25 IBU), a robust porter perfect for the season, 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: Chai Stout (5% ABV, 24 IBU), a darker way to enjoy your favorite tea spice.

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

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Kill the Sun, the annual release of four Russian imperial stouts in bottles and on draft, with the adjunct-free Grand Cru, and the decadent trio of variants — Pecan Pie, Almond Coffee, and Biscochito.

Flix Brewhouse  — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery/movie theater for an updated list of seasonals.

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, benefiting Ruidoso.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Subtitles On, the classic Munich dunkel is back for a limited time, just like every other beer tends to be at GB.

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: 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: 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: We were told that they are currently not brewing, with no timetable for that resuming.

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Turkish Style Coffee Stout (7.5% ABV) is once again 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: To The Brim With Fright, a dark Christmas ale that will keep the spooky in the season.

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: Stay Wild (5.3% ABV, 15 IBU), because sometimes you need a refreshing American lager as a break from (or warm-up to) all these big beers.

Sobremesa — Featured seasonal: Stout Seco, an Irish dry stout is now on tap.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Nuts and Nibs (6% ABV, 27 IBU), a special barrel-aged version of the peanut butter porter collab between SBB and Boxing Bear.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Italian Stallion (6.1% ABV, 65 IBU), a bigger, stronger, hoppier version of Esmerelda, now available 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: Biscochito Liquido, the annual holiday favorite is back on tap for a limited time.

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

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Turkey Drool (8.2% ABV), the Crew’s favorite seasonal from this brewery is an amazing holiday concoction.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Scarlet Letter (12.5%), the brewery’s first seltzer is an imperial one, made with cranberry and sage.

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: Winter Lager, a season-appropriate seasonal if we ever saw one.

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: Sin Barreras – Colkegan Barrel ’24 (13.5% ABV, 50 IBU), a little of this barrel-aged beast of an imperial stout is still on tap after Blackest Friday, so get it while it lasts!

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: Superior Porter (6.3% ABV, 34 IBU), a seasonal-appropriate robust porter, 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: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oz’s Oatmeal Stout (5% ABV), it’s back on tap after a short absence, because you need a stout after skiing at Pajarito, right?

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: Russian Imperial Stout (10% ABV, 30 IBU), which proves you just have to head north into the colder regions of New Mexico to find the big stouts.

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