Oh, big beer season is upon us, and it is glorious. Sure, the weather is weird and just can’t seem to move forward (though of course it may this weekend on all the NM United fans in Tulsa) into truly settling into a cooler pattern instead of these wild day/night temperature swings. The havoc it wreaks upon allergies is legendary. Anyway, back to the big beers, while we already downed a bottle or two of La Cumbre’s La Negra, next up on the docket is the release of Nevermore Black Barleywine from Ex Novo. That will be this Friday in Corrales (unconfirmed if downtown will get some bottles, but keep an eye out) from opening at noon until closing or whenever supplies run out. This barrel-aged beauty was brewed with smoked figs and cacao nibs, and then given proper time to age in bourbon, rye, and pinot barrels. There will be bottles, there will be draft, but beware it’s 12.6-percent ABV. If you have never had this beauty before, now is the time. To the darkness!

New Draft:

Bosque recently tapped Super Duper Premium Lager, Peel Out (a banana-cream-pie-inspired brew), and Nightclub Two-Step DIPA. Ex Novo also added Turbo Tang, a hazy IPA. Flock of Moons leaned into the darkness with Laumé, a Baltic porter, and it’s delicious. Marble rolled out West Coast Pilsner and Coconut Cream Ale. Quarter Celtic tapped the latest Leprechaun Libation, Viking Mead. Starr Brothers added Lieutenant Lager on Veterans Day. (UPDATES) Canteen will tap Industrial District Porter on Friday. High and Dry added Gettin’ Figgy With It, a fig and blackberry pastry tart ale. La Cumbre tapped Dedication IPA. Quarter Celtic will release Das Finchadore, a new German pilsner, and $1 for every pint sold at both locations will go to help friend-of-the-brewery Nikki Finch. Steel Bender will bring back Shimmy to the Bee Gees Rice Lager on Monday.

Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped okTUBerfest. Over in Jemez Springs, Jemez Mountain Brewhouse added Red Rocks IPA. (UPDATES) Down south, Downshift released Festivus, a holiday-spiced porter, and Dunkel.

New Package:

Boxing Bear brought back the 2025 IPA Challenge winner, Juice Boxer Hazy IPA, in cans and on draft. Ex Novo also has their American stout, Penguin Tuxedo, back in cans and on draft. (UPDATES) Sidetrack has a limited number of bottles of their barrel-aged Strong Ale. Second Street released Tangerine Dream, a new kettle sour, in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Thursday — Painted Lady hosts The Crypt Keeper’s Comedy Hour at 7 p.m.

Friday — The Painted Lady Spook Show, hosted by Jordan Jonas, starts at 8 p.m.

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

Saturday — Kaktus hosts a pet adoption event from noon to 3 p.m.

Both Canteen locations will hold a Book Swap from 1 to 3 p.m.

Want to learn about falconry? Head over to Flock of Moons from 3 to 5 p.m. for Birds of Prey and Pints of Plenty.

Tuesday — Bosque hosts Trivia for a Cause: Stranger Things at the Nob Hill taproom from 6 to 8 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Canteen will host a food drive for Roadrunner Food Bank from Saturday through November 23. Check their social media for more details on what to bring.

Tractor has teamed up with The Barrett Foundation for a food drive that will last until December 12. Check their social media for what items are sought.

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.

Brew Lab 101 has added pinball machines in Rio Rancho and 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.

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: Oso Otoño (6.4% ABV), the oatmeal brown ale 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: White Out (9% ABV), the big brother to Double White is back for a limited time in cans and on draft.

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: Oaktoberfest (5.5% ABV, 18 IBU), while the regular Oktoberfest has run out, this version that was aged on oak spirals is still available for a limited time.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Brown Chicken Brown Cow (6.8% ABV, 25 IBU), one of their original rotating specialties, this double brown ale is a chewy delight on colder nights.

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: At Wit’s End (6.7% ABV, 20 IBU), a classic Belgian-style witbier, with $1 from every pour donated to Storehouse West.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: Contact the far Westside 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.”

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.

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