Yeah, we know, this is dark beer season and all, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. Instead, it’s been unnaturally warm this winter. How warm? The juniper is starting to pollinate. In January. The elder gods have clearly abandoned us. Now, while it is certainly not going to be recommended by any doctors out there, we have always found hop-forward beers to be a great way to combat those allergy sniffles that are threatening to hit us all like a freight train way earlier than expected. The good news is there are new IPAs being tapped at Marble and Bathtub Row, and released both in package and on tap at Ex Novo and La Cumbre. And yes, this is all a bit of a stretch as far as a lead goes for this weekly roundup, but it’s still pretty quiet out there as January rumbles and bumbles along. Achoo and all that.

New Draft:

Flock of Moons brought back Vollmond, their German pilsner. Marble tapped Piedra Lisa IPA and Juan Tabo IPA. Nexus brought back Chocolate Porter. Turtle Mountain tapped Dankle Dunkel and Burqueño Black, a schwarzbier.

Up in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Grapefruit IPA, made with rosemary.

New Package:

Ex Novo brought back Sons of Scotland and added Simple Solace, a throwback IPA, both in cans and on draft. La Cumbre will release Disco Flavor IPA in cans and on draft this Friday. Steel Bender brings back Pineapple Dynamite in cans and on draft, also this Friday.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — A special Comedy and Magic event comes to Tractor Wells Park from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday — Painted Lady hosts Pints with Purpose, benefiting Barrett House, at 6 p.m.

Friday — Painted Lady hosts their unique Open Mic, where everyone tells real ghost stories, starting at 7 p.m.

Saturday — Zane Lamprey’s comedy tour is coming to Boxing Bear Tramway. Head to their site for ticket information and more.

That wild Swedish hot dog pop-up will be at Lasso from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kaktus hosts a new event, “3 on a Match” Kabarett, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Canteen will be hosting another Blind Date with a Book on January 24, but to do that they will need some gently used books. If you drop off a book now through next Wednesday, January 21, you can get $1 off a pint for each book donated (up to three books).

Bosque Brewing has closed all of their remaining taprooms. The beers will still be brewed, for now, at Marble and sold in six-packs at stores. Restoration Pizza and Smothered, separately owned, will remain in business.

The former Sobremesa location is hoping to reopen some time soon under a new name and ownership. Blue Mesa, from the owners of Cocina Azul, will aim to be brewing beer again, though we will have to reach out to confirm the unique way they are preparing to do that.

Tickets for our favorite festival, WinterBrew, are now on sale. The 2026 event will take place January 23 in its usual spot at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.

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: Stockpile Stout (5.2% ABV, 52 IBU), an American stout that tastes bigger than its ABV.

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: Old Pugilist Barleywine (10% ABV), a delectable American-style barleywine now available in cans and on draft.

Brekki Brekki/Cantina Craftworks — Featured seasonal: As a reader pointed out to us, the beers produced at Brekki Brekki are sold at all the restaurants under the Cantina Hospitality Group umbrella, so we should note that here. Contact the various locations to see what they have on tap.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Singularity (10% ABV, 55 IBU), a barrel-aged stout perfect for whenever winter comes back.

Calavida Cantina — Featured seasonal: Dia de los Dunkel (5% ABV), a dark lager that can raise the dead, or so some folks claim.

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Industrial District Porter (6.6% ABV, 33 IBU), a devilish robust beast of a porter.

Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Coyote Brown Ale (6.9% ABV), one of two seasonals currently on tap.

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: Nevermore (12.1% ABV), a beautiful barrel-aged black barleywine, available for a limited time in bottles and on draft at both locations.

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

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Velé (8.6% ABV, 35 IBU), a special barrel-aged version of the Laume Baltic Porter available in bottles and on draft for a limited time.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Night Hike, a Czech-style dark lager.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Ace of Haze (6.2% ABV), a hazy IPA that’s become a favorite of the locals.

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: Through the Veil Pale Ale is one of several specialty beers available, though the others don’t rhyme as nicely.

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV), one of our favorite annual releases from the brewery, still available in cans and on draft.

La Reforma Brewery — Featured seasonal: West Ghost IPA, the most appropriate spooky season beer even if spooky season is over (but is it ever over?).

Lasso Brewing — Featured seasonal: Schwarzbier, the first beer brewed beyond the original four at Gravity Bound’s sister brewery/lager house.

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: Noche Negra (5.2% ABV, 25 IBU), a Mexican dark lager described by the brewery as “smooth and crisp with subtle toasted malt and caramel. Easy-drinking and well-balanced, it’s the kind of dark beer that shows up flavorful, behaves itself, and never over-complicates.”

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: A Naked American Man Stole My Balloons is not just a line from An American Werewolf in London, it’s also the name of their stout.

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: Mocha Hipster Bomb, one of the finest beers of the past year according to one of our Crew members.

Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Psychedelic Decade (5.5% ABV), a mushroom brown ale brewed for their 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: Midnight Zephyr (5.4% ABV, 23 IBU), a tasty schwarzbier that is even available in proper mugs.

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: Red Velvet Cake Stout, basically dessert in liquid form.

The Tatted Bee Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Biscochito Liquido (5% ABV, 13 IBU), the seasonal favorite is back on tap and also available on nitro.

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

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Turkey Drool (7.9% ABV, 20 IBU), the Crew’s seasonal favorite is still on tap.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Thunderbolt (9.3% ABV, 39 IBU), a powerful Belgian-style tripel.

Unhinged Brewing — Featured seasonal: A Ton of Fruit, a prickly pear wheat ale.

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: Coal Car (5.5% ABV), an oatmeal stout that’s just one of 11 house beers now available.

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), which continues to linger on tap and in cans until we drink it all up. Well, not just us, the rest of you have to help, too.

Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Superior Porter, a robust dark brew perfect for the start of winter, now available in cans and on draft.

Travel Bug — Featured seasonal: This bookstore/cafe only has two of its own beers on tap, Sweetheart Ale (7% ABV) and English Bitter II (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: Holiday Cheer Barleywine (9.5% ABV), it’s colder up in Los Alamos, so they gotta brew ’em big this time of year.

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: Red Rocks IPA, one of those beers perfectly named for the area in which the brewery inhabits.

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: Contact the brewery for what seasonals are currently on tap.

Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: Honey Winter Ale (9.5% ABV), described by the brewery as “a strong, sweet, deep amber beer, with rich flavors of caramel, toast, & dates. Fresh Rio Grande Valley honey adds a delicate floral sweetness to the beer’s malty foundation.”

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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