This is one of those weekends where things are kind of odd, because two notable holidays are colliding, and we do not mean Presidents Day for either one (though that happens, also, this Monday). No, we mean Valentine’s Day, which is Saturday, and then Mardi Gras, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday just 72 hours later. Since most places would rather celebrate on a weekend, that means the upcoming off-days for most people will feature a fun little combo of events themed for both holidays, or just whichever one a brewery prefers. The build-up to V-Day will include some special events (all listed below in more detail) at Ex Novo on Thursday, at Painted Lady on Friday, and then a whole lotta stuff Saturday from Canteen to Boxing Bear to Differential to Sidetrack to Tractor to La Cumbre to Painted Lady. The Mardi Gras fun includes special events at Tractor, Canteen, and Steel Bender, plus it’s pretty much an all-week thing up at Red River Brewing. So whichever holiday you prefer, get out and celebrate at your favorite breweries this weekend.

New Draft:

Boxing Bear brought back Super Cereal Hazy IPA, but this will just be on draft, no cans this time. Casa Vieja tapped Slowpoke Pilsner, a Czech-style lager. Ex Novo brought back their winter ale, Liquid Sweater, but we are uncertain if it’s also in cans. High and Dry rolled out two new beers for their recent eighth anniversary, Tropic Like it’s Hot, a passionfruit-and-pineapple tart, and Unbalanced Breakfast, an oatmeal chocolate stout. Marble brought back Rosa Amarilla IPA and also tapped Tarta de Lima and Tettnang Pilsner. Thirsty Eye added Betty Boooop!, an oatmeal coffee stout. Turtle Mountain brought back their tribute to an American classic pale ale, Sierra Nativo.

Up in Santa Fe, Tumbleroot brought back Honey Double IPA. Over in Los Alamos, Bathtub Row tapped Obsidian Ridge Stout, Nuevo Sake 2.0, and Tahoma Gold SMASH.

New Package:

Nothing announced yet, but we will update this if that changes.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Comedy and Magic Night is back at Tractor Wells Park from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday — The first Adult Coloring Night (see our article from last week) will be at both Canteen locations at 5:30 to 8 p.m. Click that link for more details.

Ex Novo welcomes lovers of the written word to Corrales for Literature, Lovers & Libations from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Crypt Keeper’s Comedy Hour returns to Painted Lady at 7 p.m.

Friday — The spooky goods market gets a holiday glam-up as the Valentine’s Day edition of Dead, Bath & Beyond starts at Painted Lady at 5 p.m.

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

Saturday — If barleywine is life, then this is truly a life-affirming event as Rowley Farmhouse Ales hosts a Barleywine Festival all day. Of all the times to not live in Santa Fe.

Canteen hosts the No Strings Attached Fun Run from noon to 2 p.m.

The SweetHeart Pop-Up Shops are at Boxing Bear Firestone from noon to 4 p.m.

Differential hosts a Valentine’s Day Market from noon to 4 p.m., and Sidetrack hosts theirs from 1 to 4 p.m.

Tractor Wells Park has a doubleheader of events with the Valentine’s Day Brewlastic Book Fair from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by the Desert Darlings performing Belly Nouveau at 8 p.m.

La Cumbre will have a Valentine’s Day event from 3 to 7 p.m.

Scary Movie Bingo returns to Painted Lady, this time with My Bloody Valentine at 7 p.m.

Sunday — Flock of Moons will host the Valentines Sip & Paint at 1 p.m.

Tractor Wells Park has a Mardi Gras party from 1 to 9 p.m., while Canteen celebrates from 4 to 7 p.m.

Tuesday — That crazy Swedish hot dog pop-up heads to Sidetrack from 5 to 8 p.m.

Steel Bender hosts Fat Tuesday fun all day long.

Quick News Bits:

In case anyone missed the big brewing news from outside New Mexico, follow this link to learn why the Great American Beer Festival is moving outdoors for the first time this year.

Rio Bravo has Candy Flights available again this year for February. The pairings are Dunk-a-chito and Snickers, Honey Ginger Blonde and Starburst, Love on Tap and Hershey’s, and Watermelon Tajin Gose and Watermelon Tajin Lollipops.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Double Dead Red, a seasonal favorite, is back on tap.

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: Midnight with a Chance of Coyotes (9% ABV), the flavor bomb of an imperial stout is back in cans and on draft.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Bounty of Jumis (8.5% ABV), a beast of a Baltic porter, 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 only 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: Siberian Silk (10.1% ABV), a burly Baltic porter that packs a smooth punch in cans and on draft.

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

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: Brickie American Stout (8.5% ABV, 80 IBU), back for the season and better than ever in cans and on draft. There are also cans only of the barrel-aged variant.

Sunday Service Motor Company — Featured seasonal: Gingerbread Stout (8,1% ABV), the latest dessert you can drink.

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: Mango Krush Hazy IPA (7.3% ABV), as popular a seasonal if there ever was one up in Los Alamos.

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