A year before the Brew Crew came into existence, 2011 to be exact, a random gaggle of hockey-loving metalheads and burgeoning beer geeks found their way to a new taproom in the heart of Nob Hill. It quickly became a late-night refuge for us, and as it would turn out, for so many locals from the homes and apartments of that neighborhood. It was where the servers and cooks and everyone else from all the surrounding restaurants would go late at night. Its success inspired many other breweries to add taprooms of their own, going a little bigger than the Chama River Microbar downtown, but still keeping it cozy enough to make it feel like a true neighborhood pub. It was also the place where that success would inspire its parent brewery to make a huge move three years later. Fifteen years have passed since Tractor Brewing opened that spot on Tulane just off Central, and this Friday it’s time to celebrate. The Casey Mraz Duo will kick things off at 4 p.m., followed by the DB Gomez Trio at 6, Le Chat Lunatique at 8, and Barrio Hi-Fi at 10. There will be a special beer release (see below), Tiger Wraith’s flash tattoo pop-up, and a Hat Patch Bar pop-up. Mostly, though, there will just be a bunch of now older, grayer beer geeks and locals celebrating the past, present and future of our reliable old neighborhood pub.

New Draft:

Canteen will have a double tapping Friday with Oktoberfest and Allora Italian Pilsner. Sidetrack seems to be hinting that they will also tap their Oktoberfest at some point this week/weekend. Tractor will release Brew 66 Bohemian Pilsner on Friday.

Down south, Truth or Consequences Brewing will bring back La Bete (15% ABV), their imperial brut saison, on Thursday.

New Package:

Bow & Arrow will release Oktoberfest lager in cans and on draft this Friday.

Notable Events:

Today (Wednesday) — Boxing Bear on Tramway hosts a pet adoption event from 5 to 8 p.m.

Friday — Gin & Jazz is back at Tractor Wells Park at 5 p.m.

Painted Lady hosts both Horror House Trivia at 7 p.m. and the Albucreepy Haunted Trolley Tour at 8 p.m.

Saturday — Marblefest returns downtown with guest breweries pouring lagers, live music, a stein-holding contest, and more, starting at noon. Half of your $10 ticket will be donated to charity.

Ex Novo Downtown brings back Lagerhosen from 1 to 8 p.m., with 25 breweries present, including several from outside New Mexico. Tickets are on sale now online, and we will aim to have a more detailed preview by the end of the week.

Creepy Craft Night is back at Painted Lady at 6 p.m.

Quick News Bits:

Painted Lady will be closed Thursday for a private event.

Santa Fe Brewing is selling some Zozobra pint glasses at all of their taprooms to go with the Zozobra 102 Mexican Dark Lager that’s currently on tap and in cans. They’re just $10 apiece, but the supply is limited.

Good news, the Calavida Cantina kitchen is open again, serving up a whole new menu of delights. Check out their social media or click on the link below under Featured Beers.

Ponderosa now has 32-ounce crowlers, so you can take your favorite beers home without having to dig up and wash out that old glass growler anymore.

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: N/M38 Lager (4.8% ABV, 30 IBU), a Mexican-style lager made with all locally grown malts.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: I Like Big Buttes (8% ABV) not only has arguably the best beer name of the year so far, it’s also an outstanding classic DIPA available in cans and on draft.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: Old Grizzled Bear (5% ABV), an English-style pale ale, made for fans of the old school hop-forward brews.

Brekki Brekki/Cantina Craftworks — Featured seasonal: The beers made at Brekki Brekki are for the entire restaurant collective under the Cantina Hospitality Group banner. Contact each location for what’s on tap.

Brew Lab 101 Beer & Cider Company — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

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: Dangerous Goods (6.2% ABV, 40 IBU), a modern take on an IPA, courtesy of the combined forces of Canteen and Boxing Bear, and available in cans and on draft.

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: Matcha Ginger Blonde (5% ABV) is the current seasonal on tap.

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: German Overalls (5.8% ABV), the traditional märzen is back in cans and on draft.

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

Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Neumond (4.7% ABV, 26 IBU), an absolutely brilliant interpretation of the German schwarzbier (dark lager) style.

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

High and Dry Brewing — Featured seasonal: Unbalanced Breakfast (4.8% ABV), an oatmeal stout with a low ABV that still boasts a lot of flavor.

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: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV, 32 IBU), basically the local gold standard for a märzen, available in cans and on draft.

Lasso Brewing — Featured seasonal: Kolsch, which has recently been released for the first time in cans and on draft.

Marble Brewery — Featured seasonal: Lager Du Blanc (5.3% ABV), a single-hopped lighter lager that will help finish off summer.

Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Kyoto Gold Summer Lager (4.9% ABV), described by the brewery as a “Japanese-inspired refreshing (lager), Kyoto Gold combines flaked rice with subtle Lemondrop hops for a delicate citrus finish.”

Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: Boogedy Boogedy Boo!, a robust porter that’s excellent for spooky nights, now with Indonesian vanilla added for a limited time.

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: Vienna Lager, the most awarded one-off that keeps coming back because, well, it brings all the medals to the brewery.

Rio Bravo Brewing — Featured seasonal: Somos Brewnidos (5.2% ABV, 18 IBU), a New Mexican lager perfect for patio days or United games, with a portion of the proceeds from draft and can sales going to the Somos Unidos Foundation.

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: Dimestore Cowboy (7% ABV, 90 IBU), a delightful, kinda old-school hop bomb.

Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Tamale Wood Nights (4.8% ABV, 27 IBU), an international amber lager that goes great with World Cup matches this summer.

Steel Bender Brewyard — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfiesta (7% ABV), because autumn is a state of mind, and this beer will get you there early in cans and on draft.

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: Shut the Front Dort, a good lager with one of our favorite beer names of all time.

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: Oktoberfest (6% ABV), the classic German-style lager is back in cans and on draft.

Second Street Brewery — Featured seasonal: Butterfly IPA, a true session IPA with an ABV under 4 percent, 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: Festbier (6.6% ABV), a traditional German lager that was just tapped earlier this week.

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: Hidalgo (5.5% ABV), a classic hefeweizen to tide you over while waiting on certain other German-style beers to arrive on tap.

Red River Brewing and Distilling — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Sierra Blanca Brewing  — Featured seasonal: Contact the brewery for an updated list of seasonals.

Truth or Consequences Brewing — Featured seasonal: 6-7 IPA (6.7% ABV, 67 IBUs), a collaboration with Tractor Brewing.

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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