Just in case you have been living under a rock or something, you might have missed that the world’s biggest sporting event is about to kick off this Thursday. The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins with Mexico vs. South Africa at 1 p.m., setting the stage for this 48-nation soccer/futbol extravaganza. So are the breweries down to host? Oh, you better believe it. Just about every brewery with a TV or two will be showing games, but a few are going a little bit beyond that. Starr Brothers will have the games on their eight large TVs, with beer and cocktail specials, and $1 from every beer sold will be donated to local youth soccer groups. Steel Bender is teaming up with 100.3 The Peak for Pitches & Pints, starting with that Mexico opener on Thursday. The Peak will be broadcasting live during the game and giving away New Mexico United tickets, there will giveaways by the brewery, plus $1 off all pints, $1 off beer to go, and 10 percent off appetizers during The Peak’s two-hour broadcasts. If you cannot make it Thursday, don’t fret, they will also be back (subject to change) at Steel Bender for Germany vs. Ivory Coast at 2 p.m. on June 20, and for England vs. Panama at 3 p.m. on June 27. Are any other breweries planning on doing more than just showing the matches? Let us know by sending us a DM on social media or emailing us at nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com.

New Draft:

Boxing Bear tapped Thunder Thiols Hazy IPA. Gravity Bound teamed up with Little Bear Coffee to create Sandia Slammer, a watermelon kettle sour steeped with Colombian hop-fermented coffee. La Cumbre is sticking with a theme by tapping English Brown and English Bitter on nitro, plus Session in Hell (Helles). Marble had a big tap turnover with Crispy Cascade Lager, Lager Du Blanc, Kiwanis Cabin IPA, and XPA now available. Painted Lady will release They’re All Going to Laugh at You, a bloody red lager brewed in collaboration with Thirsty Eye, for a special event Saturday. Steel Bender will tap Kicking & Screaming Cream Ale this Thursday for the start of World Cup play. Tractor will release Green Tea Shot Beer on Friday. Turtle Mountain tapped Tangerine Express (Kettle Sour), Por Mi Vida (Mexican Lager), and El Niño (WC Session IPL).

New Package:

Boxing Bear brought back Ambear Ale in cans for the first time in a while. La Cumbre has a double Friday release of PLS German Style Pilsner and Set a Timer, a new IPA collaboration with Denver’s Comrade Brewing, both in cans and on draft.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Thirsty Eye hosts Johnny Cash Tribute Night, featuring a bevy of local musicians doing classic covers of The Man in Black, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Comedy and Magic Pride Edition takes over Tractor Wells Park from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday — The Crypt Keeper’s Comedy Night returns to Painted Lady at 7 p.m.

Friday — Canteen hosts the 80’s and 90’s Dance Party at 7 p.m.

The Albucreepy Haunted Trolley Tour is back at Painted Lady at 7 p.m.

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

Saturday — Ponderosa hosts the June Market from noon to 5 p.m.

A number of breweries will provide the libations at the Heights Summerfest at Domingo Baca Park from 5 to 10 p.m.

Painted Lady hosts Scary Movie Bingo, featuring the original Carrie, at 7 p.m.

Flock of Moons welcomes local rockers Drive In Delinquents and The Burning Sensations from 7 to 10 p.m.

Sunday — Canteen hosts the Fruit Loop Fun from 8 to 11 a.m. Seek out the details on social media, this one is pretty creative.

Sidetrack hosts a Pride Party from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday — Beer for a Better Burque Night is back at Tractor Wells Park, this time supporting Nob Hill Main Street. It will technically be an all-day/night affair, from opening at 2 p.m. until closing.

Bow & Arrow hosts another edition of Astronomy on Tap at 6 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Boxing Bear has a special deal where you can get three four-packs of Backyard Lager for the price of two four-packs. Stock up on this crushable brew as the summer heat wave is inevitable.

For the month of June, Unhinged is offering $4 pints of all beers every Monday.

Calavida Cantina, in the old Boxing Bear location off Alameda, had to close their kitchen temporarily to make some needed repairs and upgrades. The bar and patio are still open, and you are welcome to bring in outside food until renovations are complete.

Second Street announced summer hours for both of their locations. Rufina will be open 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 10 on Saturday, and noon to 9 on Sunday. Railyard will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 9 on Sunday.

Sunday Service Motor Company once again extended their temporary closure for renovations through this Sunday. Normal service will resume next week, we (and they) hope.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Zeus Juice White IPA (8.3% ABV), loaded with Citra and Centennial hops, it is a big and flavorful seasonal IPA.

Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: BLU-82 Brut IPA (5.7% ABV, 80 IBU), a perfectly hopped ale that goes down well on warm patio afternoons.

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: Lager Shot First (5.3% ABV), a Star Wars-inspired lager made with Mandarina Bavaria hops, on tap for a limited time.

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: Smokey the Bearrel (9.5% ABV), that barrel-aged imperial rauchbier that we mentioned in the intro.

Calavida Cantina — Featured seasonal: Celtic Hermano (6.1% ABV, 42 IBU), this stout (not this batch) was the first one they brewed on the system in the old Boxing Bear space.

Canteen Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Trail Angel Pale Ale (6.7% ABV, 51 IBU), a crushable pale with a piney bite.

Casa Vieja Brewery — Featured seasonal: Duke’s Red Irish Ale (5% ABV), a brewery original back on tap for a limited time.

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.

Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Farm League (7% ABV), a classic West Coast IPA brewed in honor of baseball season, available in cans and on draft.

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

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Bride of Briars (7% ABV, 30 IBU), a maibock brewed in collaboration with Canteen, where it’s also still available.

Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Night Hike (5.4% ABV), a delectable Czech dark lager.

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Sünner or Later (4.7% ABV), a tasty kolsch that’s perfect for some patio time.

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: Lion Hearted IPA (5.9% ABV, 60 IBU), a quaffable English-style hoppy ale.

La Cumbre Brewing — Featured seasonal: PLS Italian Pilsner (4.9% ABV), a smooth lager with a little hop pop that’s perfect for the dawn of summer, available in cans and on draft.

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

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: The Parting Glass (4.7% ABV), an Irish dry stout that was one of the stars of the Cask Festival at Sidetrack. No really, it’s damn good.

Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty (10.2% ABV, 35 IBU), a big, beautiful Scottish Wee Heavy that was brewed for the recent 15-year anniversary.

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: Albucreepy (5% ABV), a proper Czech dark lager brewed in collaboration with Sidetrack.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — Featured seasonal: Bellamah Detour (6.7% ABV, 30 IBU), an imperial brown ale named for the recent road construction in the Sawmill District.

Quarter Celtic Brewpub— Featured seasonal: Ortmunder: The D is Silent, Fool! (5.8% ABV, 25 IBU), a perfect lager for the warming patio season.

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: Modus Touch (5.6% ABV), an English golden ale made with American hops.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Glass Dragon (6.7% ABV), a fruited sour brewed in collaboration with old friends Justin Hamilton (ex-Boxing Bear) and Rashan Jones (High Desert Flameworks).

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: Still closed for renovations.

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

Thirsty Eye Brewing — Featured seasonal: Huning Highlander Scotch Ale, the big old brew is back for another run.

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

Tractor Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Old Wizard Fingers Doppelbock (7.2% ABV), a delectable dark lager.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Turtle Claw Hard Seltzer (7% ABV), and yeah, they requested we highlight the seltzer, so that’s what we’re doing because we’re nice. It’s not our thing, but it might be yours.

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: Premium Pilsner, available in cans and on draft.

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: A reader tipped us off that this brewery in a travel bookstore has started rotating beers now, and currently on tap are Suelo Red Ale, Flaxon Ale, and Pale Ale.

Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery — Featured seasonal: Dry Irish Stout, a perfect brew for the season that you all need to drink up before the next season.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — Featured seasonal: Baltic Porter (7.9% ABV), a big beast of a beer that keeps thoughts of glorious winter alive.

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: Señor Lager, which as you may have guessed from the name is a Mexican-style lager.

Open Space Brewing — Featured seasonal: Skeleton Ridge (10% ABV), a Belgian dark strong named in honor of one of the more difficult, but totally worth it hiking trails in the Gila Wilderness. Welcome to the listings, friends! Open Space is located at 11990 U.S. Highway 180 in Santa Clara, just east of Silver City.

Red River Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for what seasonals are currently on tap.

Sierra Blanca Brewing  — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for what seasonals are currently on tap.

Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: 6-7 IPA (6.7% ABV, 67 IBUs), a collaboration with Tractor Brewing from the recent Beer Prom event at Ex Novo.

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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