Valentine’s Day on a Friday? We really, truly mean it when we say good luck to everyone in the restaurant industry. If your joint has been deemed romantic, you are about to get swamped. May the customers show you all a little love on the tipping front. For those not working Friday, there are a number of V-Day events at breweries. There will be live music and a mix of food and/or drink specials at Boxing Bear Firestone, Brew Lab 101, Kaktus, and more. Tractor Nob Hill will have their annual EX-orcism, which “celebrates” purging the memory of all those former significant others. Sobremesa has a Valentine’s Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. (reservations required). A couple breweries aren’t waiting until Friday, as Ex Novo and La Cumbre have events today (Wednesday). The former is hosting Brick the Night Away, a Lego-building date night at the Corrales taproom starting at 5 p.m. The latter has a Valentine’s Pre-Party at 5 p.m. that will include some sweet treats from Dough Boys, a special beer release (see below), and more.

New Draft:

Bombs Away recently tapped Countermine Coffee Stout and Black Ops Lager. Casa Vieja will tap Lazy Days Cold IPA on Thursday. Flock of Moons recently tapped their most excellent Moons of Mandalore, an oatmeal stout that defies its low 4.1-percent ABV. Gravity Bound added Model Citizen, a new sour made with oranges, raspberries, and vanilla beans. La Cumbre will tap No Heart to Break Milk Stout on nitro for that aforementioned Valentine’s Pre-Party. Marble added 505 Sesh, a West Coast session IPA, and Centennial SMASH. Painted Lady will release All of Them Witches, a grapefruit and rosemary XPA. Ponderosa tapped Dominator Doppelbock. Quarter Celtic brought back their multi-award-winning Vienna Lager. Sidetrack recently tapped a new batch of Updog Hazy IPA. (UPDATES) Bombs Away tapped High Order Hefe. Canteen added Cherry Work of Heart Chocolate Milk Stout. Gravity Bound tapped White Bronco, a juicy IPA.

Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Black Mesa Stout. Down south, Downshift recently added Irish Currency, a dry stout. Truth or Consequences Brewing will tap Choco Raspberry Porter on Friday. (UPDATE) Second Street tapped Symposium Stout, which is infused with strawberries and a little extra chocolate malt.

New Package:

So far, no one has announced a new packaged release for this week. If that changes, we will update this post as we always do. (UPDATES) Bow & Arrow released Southwesty, a new West Coast IPA, in cans and on draft. Ex Novo released a new hazy IPA, Strat Your Stuff, in cans and on draft. Gravity Bound released Pistola IPA in cans and on draft. Second Street brought back Absolute Magnitude Cold IPA in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — See above for the two pre-Valentine’s Day events at Ex Novo and La Cumbre.

Thursday — Trivia for a Cause: Parks and Recreation will be held at Bosque Heights at 6 p.m.

The Pour & Explore Lecture Series returns to Bow & Arrow at 7 p.m..

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

Saturday — Differential will be celebrating their sixth anniversary all day.

The Tumbleroot Wedding Expo will be held at the Agua Fria taproom from noon to 4 p.m.

The Third Annual Women’s Festival returns to Rio Bravo from noon to 5 p.m.

The Leon Looks Pop-Up will be held at Boxing Bear Firestone from 2 to 6 p.m.

Bosque West will host the Birds of a Feather Fundraiser at 2 p.m.

For anyone who forgot their V-Day gift, head to the Valentine’s Makers Market at Bosque Heights at 3 p.m.

High and Dry will host another Punk Rock Matinee from 3 to 5 p.m., featuring Sweet Nothin’ and Roadside Memorial.

Painted Lady Bed and Brew will host another Scary Movie Bingo night at 7 p.m., this time featuring the classic film Rosemary’s Baby.

Tuesday — Trivia for a Cause: Golden Girls will be held at Bosque Nob Hill at 6 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Kaktus Brewing had an update in their weekly newsletter that there will be some major road construction starting soon on South Hill Road, so they are asking folks for some extra support while that’s going on. But, the good news is it will be to build Sandoval County’s newest and largest animal shelter, and that also means that utilities will now extend out there, which Kaktus will be able to tap into and help improve even more aspects at the brewery (bigger bathrooms, better water resources for brewing/growing food, etc.).

We recently sat down with the new owners of Marble Brewery to talk about, well, everything.

There was some sad news recently as both Box Canyon Brewing in Socorro and Bossfight Brewing announced that they will close by the end of February, when their small brewer licenses expire. We will have more next week on Bossfight’s upcoming farewell party, which is set for February 28.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery  — Featured seasonal: Brown Ale (5% ABV), an English-style, sessionable brown.

Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Chuck’s Pilsner (5.4% ABV), a single-hop and single-malt lager made with malt from Schwebach Malz in Estancia.

Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Potato Cannon (6.3%), a sweet potato porter that won’t take a door off a car.

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: Frosty Mesa (5% ABV), a crisp German-style pilsner, is now available only in cans.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Scotch Rocket (7.5% ABV), a classic wee heavy, now available only in cans.

Brekki Brekki — Featured seasonal: Cherry Stout (5% ABV), on draft for a limited time.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Guatemalan Express, a coffee-infused Mexican-style amber lager.

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: Birra Italiano (5.1% ABV), an Italian-style pilsner, if you could not guess by the name.

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

Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Mint Porter (4.7% ABV, 35 IBU), which is way better than those little mint and chocolate candies they leave in fancy hotels.

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

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Nevermore (12.1% ABV), the barrel-aged black barleywine of your dreams is somehow still available on draft and in bottles, so let us rectify that ASAP.

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

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow (10.2% ABV), a big, sweet, not too yeasty Belgian dark strong.

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: Oktoberfest-ivus (6.9%), a hefty lager that everyone needs to help drink up, darn it!

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: Winter Doppelbock, a hefty lager to get you through the chilly season.

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: Reserve Ale (10% ABV), an annual barrel-aged strong ale favorite, is back on draft and in cans for a limited time.

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: La Madera Mild (5.5% ABV, 22 IBU), a chewy little biscuit of an English-style brew that is perfect before or after a day on the hiking trails around Cedar Crest.

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: Wakin’ Bacon (7.2% ABV, 20 IBU), a smoked maple brown ale brewed in collaboration with Boxing Bear, it’s quite the dessert ale.

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: Red Velvet Cake Stout (8.2% ABV), a not-too-sweet dessert beer that hides the ABV rather well.

The Tatted Bee Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Tatted Stout, a nice and chewy dark ale of decadence.

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: Tatooine Spring (7.8% ABV), the imperial amber is back for another run.

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: Second-String Loser (9.6% ABV, 26 IBU), a Belgian golden strong ale.

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: Red Hammer DIPA (7.8% ABV), red in color and hoppy as can be, this beer will stir the senses.

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