An old strategy by Marble Brewery has certainly paid off over the years. Plenty of breweries have opened offsite taprooms, but Marble was particularly strategic when the former owners decided to first open a taproom on the westside and another in the northeast heights to complement the main brewery on the north end of downtown. That effectively helped Marble cover most of the city, and further expand its sizable presence. Believe it not, it has been 14 years since the Westside Taproom opened, and a full decade since the Heights Taproom debuted. Both taprooms will celebrate those anniversaries with parties this weekend. The older brother goes first, as Westside will invite everyone over Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Costumes are encouraged, there will be a contest, and there will be tarot card readings, music by DJ Xia, and everyone is invited to bring canned food for a donation drive. Oh, and there will be beer cupcakes, and a new Anniversary Rice Lager on tap. The Heights will follow Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. DJ Hunter will handle the music, Tantrum BBQ will provide the food, stand-up comics will be in the lounge, local vendors will be selling, and there will also be a costume contest.
Cool, right? And then, after I wrote all that, the brewery dropped the bad news that the Heights taproom will close at the end of this year. As we have noted before, the sale of Marble did not include the physical properties that the previous owners controlled. The rent on Heights has gone up too high for the brewery to still operate there. We’re planning to sit down with the current owners later this week to clear up any and all lingering questions.
New Draft:
Boese Brothers tapped Frankenstein, a pumpkin-spiced lager. Flock of Moons added The Fields Have Eyes, a rye pale ale. High and Dry decided it’s time to be Gettin’ Figgy Wit It, a new pastry tart. The 377 will release their Oktoberfest lager this weekend. Tractor will release Heller Bock on Friday.
Down south in Santa Clara, Open Space tapped fLow sTAte hAze, an IPA.
New Package:
Boxing Bear released Vienna Lager in cans and on draft. La Cumbre will release both Azul Oscura, a dark Mexican lager, and Skeletal DIPA this Friday in cans and on draft.
Notable Events:
Thursday — Canteen hosts Hops for Healthcare Pint Night from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Pour & Explore Lecture Series returns to Bow & Arrow from 6 to 7 p.m.
Wicked Whispers descends upon Painted Lady at 7 p.m.
Friday — Gin & Jazz is back at Tractor Wells Park at 5 p.m.
The aforementioned Marble Westside Taproom anniversary party runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Desert Darlings return to Kaktus for another edition of the Cactus Cabaret from 7 to 9 p.m.
Jordan Jonas hosts A Night of Haunting Magick at Painted Lady at 8 p.m.
Saturday — The aforementioned Marble Heights Taproom anniversary party runs from noon to 6 p.m.
Drag Bingo: Halloween Edition will be at Canteen from 1 to 3 p.m.
Boxing Bear on Tramway hosts Books, Brews & Boos from 3 to 6 p.m.
Tractor Wells Park’s annual Halloween party gets a new theme this year with the Spooky Island Carnival, and it will run from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Look for an extended preview later this week.
The Season of the Witch Celebration goes down at Painted Lady at 6 p.m.
Starr Brothers will host an all-day fundraiser for breast cancer.
Sunday — High and Dry hosts a Thrift Swap from noon to 3 p.m.
Ghostology 101 with author Cody Polston will be held at Painted Lady at 6 p.m.
Tuesday — Canteen hosts Carve It Up!, a pumpkin carving gathering, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Quick News Bits:
The Albucreepy Haunted Trolley Tour will depart from Painted Lady both Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Kolsch Service is back at both Ex Novo locations Friday through Sunday.
During the month of October, for every pint of Raspberry Dynamite sold at Steel Bender, $1 will go to Pink Warrior House.
Pecan Grill & Brewery in Las Cruces announced that they will be closing November 1. They had declined to renew their small brewer license back in February.
Albuquerque metro area breweries
Boese Brothers Brewery — Featured seasonal: Drunk Astronaut (8.1% ABV), a double IPA with a hefty amount of Galaxy hops (get it?).
Bombs Away Beer Company — Featured seasonal: Oktoberfest (5.9% ABV, 20 IBU), the traditional märzen that you have been waiting for this fall.
Bow & Arrow Brewing — Featured seasonal: Proper Pumpkin Beer (10% ABV), an imperial stout made with a whole lot of pumpkin, now available in cans and on draft.
Boxing Bear Brewing Company — Featured seasonal: OktoBEARfest (5.3% ABV), a crushable German lager available in cans and on draft.
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: Labtoberfest is back for the season.
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: Allora Italian Pilsner (5.2% ABV, 25 IBU), a lager option that isn’t a märzen or festbier, 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: Oktoberfest, tis the season and all for this collaboration made with Painted Lady.
Ex Novo Brewing — Featured seasonal: German Overalls (5.8% ABV), the traditional märzen is back in cans and on draft.
Flix Brewhouse — Featured seasonal: Flix Brühaus, their Oktoberfest lager, is back for the season.
Flock of Moons Brewing — Featured seasonal: Neumond (4.7% ABV, 26 IBU), an absolutely brilliant interpretation of the German schwarzbier (dark lager) style.
FMV Brewing — Featured seasonal: Stage 10 American Amber, the first house beer is now on draft at this brewery located at 2500 Yale Blvd SE near the Sunport.
Gravity Bound Brewing — Featured seasonal: Pistola (7.2% ABV), the classic West Coast IPA is back on draft and in cans for a limited time.
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: Woolly Slammoth IPA (7.3% ABV, 80 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: Marblefest (6.5% ABV), back for the season in cans and on draft.
Nexus Brewery — Featured seasonal: Festbier (6.3% ABV, 20 IBU), described by the brewery as “Prost to the season! Festbier Oktoberfest is moderately malty, toasty, and dangerously easy to drink. Blink once and your stein will be empty!”
Painted Lady Bed and Brew — Featured seasonal: Wake the Dead, an Oktoberfest-style lager brewed in collaboration with Dripline.
Ponderosa Brewing Co. — Featured seasonal: The Last Dance (4.2% ABV, 19 IBU), a black Mexican lager brewed in collaboration with Thirsty Eye.
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: Oktoberfest (6% ABV), a delectable märzen available in cans and on draft.
Starr Brothers Brewing — Featured seasonal: Therewolf (6.5% ABV, 22 IBU), the annual Oktoberfest release is back on draft.
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.”
Keeping Together — Featured seasonal: No Concept of Concept, a strawberry mild brown ale.
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: Oz’s Oatmeal Stout (5.4% ABV), a classic ode to the darkness.
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: Mining District Märzen (6.3% ABV), an excellent Oktoberfest for the season.
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: La Bete (15% ABV), a monstrous yet beautiful imperial brut saison.
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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
