Keeping this intro short and sweet due to having to pick up a midweek day shift at work. Hey, at least it frees me up to go see Revocation at Launchpad. As for the big events of the week, it’s quite the mix. There are charity events at Canteen (x2) and Painted Lady, ArtWalk is back with Sidetrack participating, Tractor Wells Park has three of their most popular monthly events going, and one last Dia de los Muertos celebration is set for Boxing Bear Firestone. Scroll on down for the dates and times. November may be the start of the quiet season in the eyes of some, but it’s still churning out some fun times before the holidays arrive.
New Draft:
Boxing Bear tapped Dortmunderstruck. Flix Brewhouse recently tapped Great Scott-ish Ale for the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. Marble added Las Huertas, a pale ale, and brought back Dupy’s Dunkel. Sidetrack tapped Oaktoberfest, a version of their märzen aged on oak spirals. Turtle Mountain tapped Cosmic Campground, a black IPA, and At Wit’s End. (UPDATES) Bosque tapped Jalapeño Salt Money. Canteen will release No Schwarz, No Shoes, No Service on Friday.
Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Hilltop Helles. Over in Jemez Springs, Jemez Mountain Brewhouse (welcome to the listings!) added After Midnight, an American pale ale. (UPDATE) Santa Fe Brewing is teasing a Friday release of a special dark beer, and we’re as in the dark as the rest of you as to what it is (no, we don’t think it’s State Pen Porter 2.0 or anything like that). (UPDATE to the UPDATE) Dang it, it is State Pen Porter, back in cans and on draft for a limited time. Also, Second Street tapped Chill Pils, a German-style pilsner.
New Package:
Bow & Arrow already brought back Desert Standard – German Pils in cans and on draft, and this Friday will mark the arrival of the new Dos Arrows, a Mexican-style lager with pineapple, also in cans and on draft. Bow & Arrow also released their collaboration with New Belgium, Western Roots, a farmhouse ale in cans and on draft. Boxing Bear brought back Oso Otoño Oatmeal Brown Ale in cans and on draft. Ex Novo brought back V for Vienna in cans and on draft. (UPDATE) La Cumbre will release Vienna Lager on Friday in cans and on draft. Marble has White Out back in cans and on draft. Sidetrack released Stay Wild Cream Ale in cans and on draft.
Notable Events:
Today (Wednesday) — Tumbleroot Agua Fria hosts a Bao Pairing Dinner 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Poetry & Beer returns to Tractor Wells Park at 7 p.m.
Thursday — Painted Lady hosts Pints for Pink, their monthly fundraiser for Pink Warrior House, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Canteen hosts Family Caregiver Night from 6 to 9 p.m.
Friday — ArtWalk events are back, including Adobe Disco, at Sidetrack from 5 to 11 p.m.
Author Cody Polston hosts Albuquerque’s Most Haunted at Painted Lady at 7 p.m.
The First Fridays Comedy Contest returns to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m.
Saturday — The Lager Liftoff, a weightlifting competition benefiting Locker 505, starts bright and early at 9 a.m. at Canteen.
The Ponderosa Market is back from noon to 5 p.m.
Baile De Los Muertos also runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Boxing Bear Firestone.
Dripline hosts a Bocce Meet-up at 3 p.m.
Flock of Moons invites everyone to meet the author of the new book “Psalms from the Badlands” at 7 p.m.
The Desert Darlings return to Tractor Wells Park at 8 p.m. for another edition of Belly Nouveau.
Sunday — Tumbleroot is hosting a Beer Hike, time and further details still TBA.
Tuesday — Duke City Storm Slam returns to Canteen from 6 to 8 p.m.
Quick News Bits:
The 377 is offering 20 percent off food and beer to any furloughed federal employees. Just show your government ID. In other news, the brewery is no longer for sale and will remain operational under the founding owners.
Boxing Bear will also be hosting a food drive throughout November. Further details are available on their social media pages.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales will offering complementary sandwiches to anyone who was furloughed by the government shutdown.
Brew Lab 101 has added pinball machines in Rio Rancho and will soon do the same at their taproom in the Northeast Heights.
While Bosque Brewing and Smothered have separated as companies, they are still going to team up at the former’s Cottonwood location, with Smothered fielding the breakfast/brunch menu before things shift back to a Bosque food menu in the evening.
Beer Creek has shifted to winter hours, which are 12:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Drunk Astronaut (8% ABV), the annual seasonal DIPA is loaded with Galaxy hops. Get it?
Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Power Source Porter (6.7% ABV, 40 IBU), a delicious take on a Baltic porter, and one of the few dark beers still on tap this summer for those who like to defy the heat.
Bosque Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Dunks Not Dead (5.1% ABV, 18 IBU), a solid German dunkel that is a definite beer name of the year candidate.
Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Buffalo Plaid (7.5% ABV), the wonderful Baltic porter is back in cans and on draft.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: OktoBEARfest (5.3% ABV), the traditional German lager is back for another run in cans and on draft.
Brekki Brekki — Featured seasonal: Cherry Stout (5% ABV), on draft for a limited time.
Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Labtoberfest is back for the season.
Calavida Cantina — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery formerly known as Vision City for an updated list of seasonals.
Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Shogun Willie Rice Lager (5.1% ABV), a nice and light way to get your beer day started.
Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Hop the Casbah (6.2% ABV), a hazy IPA that doesn’t mean to get that song stuck in your head but kind of does.
Differential Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
Dripline Brewery — Featured seasonal: Super Bloom APA (5.4% ABV), a sweet, floral pale ale that goes quite well with the new lineup of tasty smash burgers from the kitchen.
Echoes Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: The Darkest Timeline (5% ABV), a delectable Czech dark lager available in cans and on draft.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Flix Brühaus, their version of an Oktoberfest lager, is back for the season.
Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Citrinitas (6.7% ABV, 29 IBU), a classic saison brewed in collaboration with the students of the CNM Brewing Program.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Maizey Train, a Mexican lager that actually seems to be able to stay on tap somewhat consistently because you all drink up the IPAs way too fast. Which is a good thing.
High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Jiminy Krispness, a tasty kolsch to help you get through the end of summer.
Hops Brewery — Featured seasonal: Hoptoberfest is back to help prep you for the upcoming fall season.
JUNO Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
Kaktus Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest Bier will get you in the right seasonal mood.
La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV), one of our favorite annual releases from the brewery, now available in cans and on draft.
La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: West Ghost IPA, the most appropriate spooky season beer.
Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Pumpkin Noir (8% ABV), the spiced porter is back for another run, though only on draft, so get it while it lasts.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Lush American Stout (6.9% ABV, 40 IBU), a hefty but still crushable stout.
Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: Buck-Toothed, Mop-Riding Firefly from Hell, the new version of Witches Brew, a spiced amber made with all-local ingredients.
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: Capri-derhosen (5.3% ABV), the award-winning German red lager is back on draft.
Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Psychedelic Decade (5.5% ABV), a mushroom brown ale brewed for their recent 10-year anniversary.
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: Shinobi Rice Lager (5.6% ABV, 18 IBU), a nice, end-of-summer crusher that’s perfect for warm days or cool evenings.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Prince of Dankness (7.4% ABV), we don’t know if this hazy IPA is a tribute to Ozzy or not, but knowing brewer Rob Whitlock’s love of metal, it might be.
Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Teddy Roe’s Policy IPA (7.8% ABV, 48 IBU), a new juicy version of the popular ale is available in cans and on draft.
Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: Burque Fest, a robust take on a traditional Oktoberfest.
The Tatted Bee Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Tatted Stout, a nice and chewy dark ale of decadence.
Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Tengu Black Rice Lager, a special collaboration with Painted Lady and Flock of Moons.
The 377 Brewery — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.
Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Traktoberfest (6.2% ABV, 15 IBU), the classic märzen has returned.
Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Oktürtlefest (5.38% ABV, 25 IBU) is back and it’s glorious.
Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Tatooine Spring (7.8% ABV), the imperial amber is back for another run.
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.”
Nuckolls Brewing — Featured seasonal: Laying New Tracks IPA, part of a whole series of railroad-themed names and we’re just gonna guess it’s because they’re at the Santa Fe Railyard.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales — Featured seasonal: Second-String Loser (9.6% ABV, 26 IBU), a Belgian golden strong ale.
Santa Fe Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (6% ABV), oh yes, it’s back in July, and we care not about the date because it’s still a tasty German lager available in cans and on draft.
Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Vienna Lager (5.5% ABV) and Brown Ale (5.9% ABV), both were gold medal winners at the World Beer Cup, and both are available in cans and on draft for a limited time.
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: Apricot Sour, one of several new brews for the summer menu.
Other breweries you need to visit
Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: DARKtoberfest (6.1% ABV), it’s like a regular Oktoberfest, only, well, you get it.
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.
Jemez Mountain Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Strange Occurrences, their take on an Oktoberfest. Again, welcome to the listings, this was long overdue!
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: Oktoberfest is back in bottles and on tap for the season.
Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV), the popular seasonal is back, and this time it warranted a full 15-barrel batch.
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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
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 
I’m curious about the “Brekki Brekki” listing in the weekly column. Even though their brewery is at the Albuquerque location, the beer is also served at the Rio Rancho location and three other restaurants with common ownership. You’ve reported in the past that Cantina Craftworks is the brand behind the brewing operation, so it seems like that would be entity that should appear in the list. Also, Brekki Brekki has started closing at 4pm, so the other locations (Poki Poki and two locations of Tamashi) are the only end-of-the-day choices available to sample the beer.
On a separate note, I want to express my sincere appreciation for what you folks do at Dark Side. The coverage is comprehensive, the writing is engaging and the information is accurate. You balance full disclosure with discretion, which serves the breweries as well as the reading public. Bravo!
I read every article every week in support of our Thursday night beer group, which visits a different Albuquerque brewery every week. I’m the keeper of the spreadsheet that helps us determine where we will go each week, so we can spread the love as evenly as possible. Our 10-year anniversary is coming up a week from today. Thank you for making it easy and interesting to do the weekly research! Cheers!
Beer Brian
Pardon the delayed response, but in regards to your question, since Brekki Brekki is the brewing site we listed it as such. But, you’re right, we should probably switch that to Cantina Craftworks. Other than that, thanks for all the kind words. We’re glad to have helped your group over the years.