A quiet beer news week in terms of full-on features does not mean there was nothing worth sharing. Read on as we clear out a light beer notebook.

Beer Creek and Rumor step up to help

It was probably impossible to miss the news this week that federal SNAP benefits will end on Saturday due to the never-ending government shutdown. The follow-up news saw many New Mexico restaurants announce they were stepping up to at least try to help fill the gap.

Both breweries along Highway 14, Beer Creek and Rumor, have decided to lend a helping hand. The former is joining many restaurants in offering free kids pizza to anyone 17 and under. Children must be present and this limited to one per child per day. As Beer Creek noted in their release, like so many others, this is not about politics, it’s about being good to the community.

Rumor will spend November hosting a food drive for the East Mountain Food Pantry. The top items requested include rice, beans, peanut butter, cereal, pasta, canned goods, and side dishes (especially for Thanksgiving). Items can be dropped off at the brewery all month.

There will also be a donation event on November 23 with pantry staff at Rumor to collect fresh food for people to use in their Thanksgiving dinners.

We would also note that Steel Bender has a collection point for The Storehouse NM in their taproom lobby.

If other breweries are also feeling charitable in November, and we are going to guess that many will in their own ways, we will be sure to highlight as many as possible.

Turtle Mountain joins the list

Hours after we published this article, Turtle Mountain announced that they would also be offering free meals for children starting Saturday.

Per the rules: meals are only available to children 12 and under. Must be present with a parent, only one meal per day. This is for takeout only. Free meals are provided until SNAP benefits are restored. The meal consists of a ham-and-cheese sandwich, fruit snack, and juice box. Meals at the original location will also include carrot and celery sticks, while meals at the North taproom will include tortilla chips.

More Halloween tidbits

We did have most of the major Halloween parties listed for breweries in the latest edition of The Week Ahead in Beer, but a few smaller notes popped up. Oh, and make sure to also click that link for more new beers joining the list since it was originally published Wednesday. La Cumbre is bringing back La Negra in bottles and on draft today (Friday). Happy Halloween, indeed!

• Both Calavida Cantina and La Reforma are closed today. They will reopen with normal hours Saturday, with the former firing off their two-day Dia de los Muertos celebration.
• Canteen and Painted Lady are offering $1 off beers to anyone who comes in wearing a costume. Dripline went a step further and is offering $2 off beers for costumed customers.
• Thirsty Eye has a special beer-and-candy pairing flight for $13. Rented Tux Vanilla Porter is paired with Reese’s, Crantankerous is paired Watermelon Sour Patch Kids, Odin’s Eye is paired with Almond Joy, and Citrus Buzz is paired with Skittles. Those will be available today and Saturday, or until supplies run out.
• Ex Novo is selling four-packs of Spirits of the Dead Hazy IPA for $12 and cases for $55.

Any updates on future breweries?

Nope! All we know is that the small brewer licenses for Keeping Together in Santa Fe and Lasso Brewing in Albuquerque are active. This means they can start brewing anytime, or may have already started brewing, and the only thing keeping them from opening is waiting on those darn beers to be ready to pour. Or, other stuff is still happening, we honestly have no idea. All we can do is be patient and hope that they don’t open on the same day or anything so that we can welcome both into our brewing community.

We would also like to share that there is a dedicated soccer bar coming soon to a somewhat familiar spot in Albuquerque. More on that once we get the green light to share. Until then, well gosh, you can just gather with all the Bayern Munich fans this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Sunday Service to watch the big match with Bayer Leverkusen. Think of it as a warm-up to Saturday night’s New Mexico United playoff game.

Happy Halloween and Dia de los Muertos!

— Stoutmeister