Archive for the ‘The Week Ahead in Beer’ Category

The Week Ahead in Beer: Make more room in the fridge for new can releases

Posted: December 12, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

They say giving is greater than receiving during the holiday season, but we rather enjoy receiving lots of new beers, especially the kind we can take home. In case anyone missed it, Second Street’s Jack Plane Porter, a wonderful cherrywood-smoked beer that was previously only available on tap, is now for sale in six packs. Joining this holiday treat on shelves this week and next are three more beers, with one hoppy/hazy favorite returning to break up the parade of beautiful darkness. First up, Marble is putting Imperial Stout in 12-ounce cans and selling them to all of us today. We will miss the bottles, but drinking one of those 22-ounce beasts tended to end our nights early unless we shared (and we never really wanted to share, it’s so good). It is also on tap, of course, at all three Marble locations, and there will be a food pairing around 5 p.m., if you can wait that long. Speaking of waiting, the lines should be back outside La Cumbre on Friday for the return of Big Door Prize, the tasty hazy double IPA that locals could not get enough of last year. In this case, show up at the brewery at noon, because it might not be there by sundown. Once those beers have gotten you through the weekend, make your way to Canteen on Tuesday for the release of six-packs of Panama Joe Coffee Stout. We already have a friend in North Carolina begging us to send her some, and we gotta imagine the local demand will be high for this award-winning elixir. Clear those beer fridges, people, for more delicious fresh beer has arrived!

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque leaves a little something on your pillow in the form of Chocolate Mint Stout. Dialogue keeps it light with Baby Wenzel Session IPA, while also teaming up with Rio Rancho’s 1933 Brewing on 70 Shilling Scottish Ale. Kaktus has a decadent Imperial Chocolate Stout available. Marble wants summer back with Raspberry Peach Pale Ale, while also getting tough with Vünderland, a Belgian strong. The 377 puckers up with Adalie, a strawberry sour aged 10 months in barrels. Toltec rolls out its first Double IPA on Thursday. Tractor brings back crowd favorite Blood Orange Cider, while also adding Belgian Winter White and bringing back Luna de Los Muertos in bottles. Turtle Mountain resurrects a classic in Mr. Hoover’s Steam, while also getting Darker Than Darkness, a new schwarzbier.

Up in Santa Fe, things are quiet, but likely not for long.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of December 10.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: It’s a bold strategy for La Cumbre on the Ocho

Posted: December 5, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

My, how time flies in these parts. It seems like just the other day La Cumbre Brewing had opened its doors and introduced us to Elevated IPA and Malpais Stout. This week, the award-winning brewery celebrates its eighth anniversary, introducing us to Ocho Anniversary Ale on Saturday. The Ocho is red wine barrel-aged sour brewed with cherries, plus it is totally fair game to unleash every quotable line from Dodgeball while you are drinking it (or so we declare). The all-day party will also feature live screen printing from Screen Kings from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by the band Moonhat performing from 7 to 10. Other events include tap takeovers at Fire & Hops in Santa Fe today at 5 p.m. and at Tap That in ABQ on Friday at 5. La Cumbre will also be selling One Albuquerque T-shirts starting today, with the potential for a special appearance by a certain metalhead around 5 p.m. (no, not just me, someone a bit more famous and well-liked in these parts). Happy anniversary, and thanks for all the brews, La Cumbre!

UPDATE: We missed this initially, but Second Street is also celebrating its anniversary this Saturday. From 5 p.m. onward, a special menu from all three locations’ chefs will be available, featuring dishes like New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp as an appetizer, plus seared blackened scallops with green chile risotto, 24-hour pot roast, chicken piccata, stuffed poblano pepper, and New Orleans beignets for dessert. Check the Facebook page of the original location for more details. There will also be the tapping of the 2018 Anniversary Ale, plus Half Broke Horses play the original at 7 p.m.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque drops two new brews in Gone Crazy Hazy DIPA and Three Point No, a fruited wheat. Bow & Arrow has a fresh batch of Cosmic Arrow Brett Saison, plus the burly new Buffalo Plaid Baltic Porter debuts Friday. Boxing Bear throws a combo with Murkito Hazy Pale Ale and then the CeleBEARtion on Saturday, with the latter being a hoppy, bourbon barrel-aged ale being released on tap and in bottles. Canteen tunes it up with Radiohead IPA. Kaktus has a slew of new brews including One is the Loneliest IPA, Bock, Oatmeal Stout, Brown Porter, Paleo Pale Ale, and Thurvaytha. La Cumbre also has some Limon Quercus on tap, plus bottles of the Pina Quercus. Marble can’t be stopped with the Doppelator. Quarter Celtic plays it up with Xylophone Rock, an American pilsner. Sidetrack shines a little light on some more Sunburst Pale Ale. Starr Brothers stays up late with Rock ‘n Roll Hazy Nights IPA, plus Zombies in the Manger, the biscochito stout, returns later this week. Steel Bender, by popular demand, brings back a limited amount of Figgy Pudding on Thursday. The 377 gets a little crazy with The Duke, a vanilla graham cracker porter sour. Tractor rolls out more Chocolate Milk Stout and adds some Veruca Salt, a gose.

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn brings light to the dark with Whiteout Stout on Friday. Rowley Farmhouse Ales spaces out with The Petit Blanche – Galaxy. Second Street soars through the sky with Red Comet.

Out in Moriarty, Sierra Blanca sticks with tradition and goes dark with more Whiskey Stout.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of December 3.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: 4 local breweries join Sierra Nevada for a good cause

Posted: November 28, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Giving Tuesday has come and gone, but the opportunity to support a good cause still lies ahead. On that day, Canteen, Marble, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, and Steel Bender joined breweries across the country in making a batch of Resilience IPA. (Edit: RFA is still awaiting the arrival of the hops, but expects to brew Thursday.) The recipe hails from Sierra Nevada, which temporarily had to shut down its main brewery in Chico, California, as the Camp Fire burned its way to the city limits. Seeking to help those who lost everything, particularly the residents of the now-destroyed town of Paradise, Sierra Nevada created this new IPA with all proceeds going to help rebuild the communities affected by the wildfire. We tip our hats to Canteen, Marble, RFA, Steel Bender, Sierra Nevada, and every other brewery to participate in this venture. When the IPA is ready to tap locally, we will be sure to let everyone know. Yeah, even we can take a break from the big, bold, beautiful stouts for a change this holiday season.

We could have led off with the grand opening of the Boese Brothers Brewpub on Tramway this weekend, but fear not, I am on my way to interview George and Sam Boese to preview that event and also complete the entire Look Back/Look Ahead Series article on Boese Brothers. Look for that on Thursday afternoon, which I hope to post in between my interviews with the (many) Marble command staff members for their upcoming LB/LA entry.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque was able to sneak in some Chai Hard and Autumn Red while we weren’t looking. Bow & Arrow has another bottle release this Saturday with Dream Mesa, a golden sour ale. Canteen has a fresh batch of North 14 Pale Ale. La Cumbre rolls out more Pecos Porter, Noche De Paz, and Gracias Por Fumar. Marble unveils Cryogenic Pale Ale and Ye’ Olde Ale. Nexus pours some dessert in the form of Blueberry Sweetart at the Silver Taproom only (for now). Ponderosa should have some fresh ESB by the weekend. Red Door will be Pining for Maple Breakfast Brown on Thursday. Sidetrack has a fresh batch of Pub Ale on tap. Steel Bender kicks off the 4 Casks of Christmas on Saturday, with each cask featuring a different version of Brickie American Stout, and this week’s version is Peppermint Mocha.

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn hops to it with Lord Lupulin IPA.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of November 26.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: From Black (Beer) Friday to Small (Brewery) Saturday

Posted: November 21, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Forget about self restraint this week, and we are not just talking about eating too much on Thanksgiving. No, Black Friday has become a beer holiday, enabling all of us sensible people the right to escape shopping madness and settle down with some delicious stouts and porters. We already previewed the awesome Blackest Friday event at Rowley Farmhouse Ales, so please click that link to refresh your memory and make that commitment to drive to Santa Fe. If you cannot leave ABQ for whatever reason, there are still plenty of local options. Starr Brothers has happy hour prices all day. Bosque is releasing its wonderful Fresh Start Breakfast Ale, a maple and coffee stout, in four-pack cans at all locations. Jubilation has its annual Black Friday cellar sale starting at 10 a.m. Line up early if you want to grab the good stuff, which will include the annual Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout release (plus variants) and should see other great beers including the ultra-rare Barrel-Aged Expedition Stout from Bell’s. I will be in line with the rest of the crazies before heading to Santa Fe. Again, though, if you are not headed to RFA, then Boxing Bear is going all out with its own selection of dark and malt-forward beers, including the release (finally) of Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout in bottles. Vantablack will also be on tap, in both the regular and 2-year-barrel-aged versions (whoa). There will also be Barrel-Aged Oso Otoño (2 years) and Chocolate Milk Stout (18 months) on tap, and yes, you can fill growlers of those. Iron Lung Smoked Porter is also back, and there is a limited supply of bottles of Barrel-Aged Standing 8 Stout available to take home as well. UPDATE: If you are headed south instead, stop at Truth or Consequences Brewing for a special release of six bottles. A kind person might be willing to pick up a bottle of the barrel-aged Truth Serum Barleywine and bring it back here for the Crew to sample.

In terms of hours, every brewery appears to be closed Thanksgiving except Blue Corn, which will be open and serving food and beer from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Red Door, which will be filling discounted growlers from noon to 4 p.m. at the brewery on Candelaria. Apparently everyone will be right back to normal operating hours Friday. As for tonight (Wednesday), a few breweries could close early if the crowds die down, so take note when heading out to fill your growlers or pick up packaged beer directly from the source.

Do not forget, all of our breweries count as small businesses, so keep them in mind when shopping on Small Business Saturday. They have plenty of merchandise beyond just the beer (our annual Merch Guide will be out soon, we promise). Marble Westside will have a holiday market at noon and Boxing Bear will have a pop up market at 1 p.m.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque is also feeling tropical with Guavango. Bow & Arrow has a limited supply of its barrel-aged barleywine, Thief of Time, back on tap. Canteen spices it up with more Sichler Chile Lager, plus Wee Bit Loco, a Scottish Wee Heavy. Marble put Joe Pumpkin on nitro, while more cans of Imperial Red will soon be available. Ponderosa brings back Hop-Mosa, a hazy IPA, on Saturday. Sidetrack has more Railhead Red available, plus the new C4 IPA. Starr Brothers quickly got Brown Chicken Brown Cow back on tap. Steel Bender has Ich Bin Cranberry Kettle Sour on tap (for real this time), plus this Saturday will see a double-bottle release of Ned’s Sour Pail and Ned’s Sour Pail with Boysenberry, as well as an on-tap release of The Whole Shoe, a Belgo IPA. Toltec has special new beer-and-food pairings every Wednesday, and today will feature the arrival of the new Vienna Lager. Tractor brings back a seasonal favorite of ours, Turkey Drool!

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn pops a new porter, Black by Popular Demand.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of November 19.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: Reserve a spot at the bar for this Marbleous release

Posted: November 14, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

It can be fun sometimes to look into the past and see all those beers that used to be on tap at our more popular breweries. While some stood the test of time and are still around, others faded into history. The specialty releases can be even harder to track, but we believe the good folks at Marble when they say that Reserve Ale is their oldest annual seasonal release. Every year since 2008, the first year Marble was open, this barrel-aged beauty of a strong ale appears again on tap and in bottles. With the weather taking a decidedly wintry turn, now seems like a perfect time to indulge again in this amazing, warming beast of a beer. Reserve will be back today (Wednesday) at all three Marble locations.

I will make sure to grab some Reserve before I trek north today to Red River Brewing. The staff invited me to come up and give a presentation on the history of brewing in New Mexico, so that is exactly what I will do at 7 p.m. If you are in the area, stop by for a history lesson and a Q&A afterwards. You can also enjoy all the great beer and food at RRBC, which I am certainly looking forward to trying at last.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bombs Away hits the mark with fresh Altbier. Bow & Arrow is releasing Tropic Rodeo Milkshake IPA on Saturday. Canteen has more Munich Helles for us all to enjoy. La Cumbre is also feeling its German roots with Munchner Dunkel and Weizenbock. Marble also has Northside IPA on tap at the Westside taproom. Nexus brings back Coffee and Cream at the Silver Taproom only. Quarter Celtic says damn the cold and dreams of warmer days with more Mangose. Red Door rolls out The Big DIPA and more New England IPA later this week. Rio Bravo released the new biscochito-inspired Imperial Dunkelweizen on Tuesday. Starr Brothers brings back Black Friday Dark American Lager this week. Steel Bender added more Cow Plow Brown Ale. Tractor hops to it with The Boot Girl and Ghost Ranch IPAs.

Up in Santa Fe, there are quite a few new additions at Tumbleroot, including Oktoberfest, Peach Dortmunder, Wet Hopped Amber, and Honey Double IPA.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of November 12.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: Kilt Check celebrates hard-earned 2nd anniversary

Posted: November 7, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Nothing has ever been easy over at Kilt Check Brewing. From the lengthy process of getting open as Drafty Kilt, to then having to change the name of the brewery due to a trademark issue with an Atlanta brewery’s beer, it has been a long road just to get to two years of operation. Hey, if any brewery has ever earned a big party, it’s Kilt Check, and that will be going down this week. Things kick off with an open mic tonight at 7, a blues jam with Rudy Boy on Thursday at 7, and live music by Chris Dracup on Friday at 7. The big day is Saturday, naturally, with everything kicking off at 3 and running until the wee hours. There will be food from Blazing Barn and ABQ Grill ‘N Que, live screen printing by Ink Theory, live comedy, the mobile axe-throwing unit by ABQ Axe, and live music by Daddy Long Loin, Broska Inc., Dave Holtkamp, Morning Mushroom, Let it Grow, and Lonn Collanca Band. There will be an outdoor beer garden, too. Head on over to raise a pint or two to Mike Campbell and his family!

After the weekend ends, however, things do not suddenly slow down. Instead, hit the road to Santa Fe for another Metal Monday at Tumbleroot. The City Different’s black metal maestros, Dysphotic, are throwing a CD release party for their new album, The Eternal Throne. Doors are at 8 p.m., with Street Tombs and Albuquerque’s finest metal band, Distances, opening the show. (Distances is also part of a local metal show Thursday night at Launchpad to open Red Mesa’s upcoming tour.) Horns up to start the week, New Mexico!

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Boese Brothers says ‘nyet!’ to the little beers with another round of Komrade Boese Russian Imperial Stout. Boxing Bear hits hard with Schwarzbier on the nitro tap. Canteen has another batch of Social Capital, a dry-hopped kettle sour, available. La Cumbre graces us with the presence of its maltiest, mightiest offering, La Negra, in bottles and on tap this Friday. Marble has four newcomers in Coconut Cream Porter on nitro, Eastbound and Brown, 111 Rosé, and Alpha Acid Trip. Rio Bravo is teaming up with the University of New Mexico to create El Lobo Rojo, a cherry wheat ale, starting this Monday. Sidetrack spins up another batch of Turntable IPA. Steel Bender unleashes a double bottle release Thursday with Viejo Agrio and Make Mine a Dubbel. Toltec has a tasty Ba-Dunkelweizen on tap today (Wednesday).

Up in Santa Fe, things looked quiet until SFBC released Adobe Igloo on tap and in cans.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of November 5.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: International Stout Day returns in triumph

Posted: October 31, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

The weather has turned dark and gloomy for Halloween, which is either a good thing (if you are like us) or a bad thing (if you have small children trick-or-treating). Since this is a blog for (alleged) grown-ups, we will focus on the good, because the day after Halloween just happens to be our favorite beer holiday, International Stout Day. The good news is our brewers have some awesome new stouts to go along with their award-winning regular darkest ales. Bow & Arrow is releasing Breakfast Bandit, an imperial stout (9% ABV) brewed with Cutbow Coffee Roastology’s Stone Lake Blend and more than 240 Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. Oh, the decadence, it calls to us. Bow & Arrow has been knocking it out of the park with these pastry stouts, and we expect that trend to continue Thursday. Up at Canteen, Thursday marks the release of Mustaches and Cream, a chocolate and vanilla stout brewed up for the Movember charity drive. Dialogue has also added a fresh batch of Dry Stout to its taps for the week. In addition to those specialties, there are of course the many, many great stouts on tap around town year-round. There is Boxing Bear’s award-winning Chocolate Milk Stout (World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival gold, 2016), La Cumbre’s Malpais Stout (GABF silver, 2011 and 2018), Marble’s Cholo Stout (GABF gold, 2017). There are also all the stouts that have won the Brew Crew’s annual Stout Challenge, including Canteen’s Dark n Lusty (2018), Chama River’s (now Kellys’) Sleeping Dog Stout (2016), Boxing Bear’s Standing 8 Stout (2015), Tractor’s Double Plow Oatmeal Stout (2014), La Cumbre’s Malpais (2013), and Marble’s Oatmeal Stout (2012). That enough dark beer for ya, New Mexico? Raise a pint or two to the style Thursday!

We would be remiss if we did not point out a couple additional charity beers going on tap this week. Steel Bender and High and Dry are tapping their collaboration, Wee Stache, a Scotch ale, for Movember on Thursday at the Brewyard. Portions of the sales will go to the charity all month long, plus the Thursday release will be accompanied with a food pairing featuring braised short ribs served with creamy polenta, wilted greets, roasted root vegetables, and a cranberry demi-glace. That special will be on all day until it runs out. Over at Bombs Away, the new Fusion Fuel will make its debut this week. A pale ale with white wine grape juice and peaches, it will see $1 from every pint sold donated to the EOD Warrior Foundation, which helps our nation’s wounded veterans. Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales will be honoring a close friend who lost her battle to cancer. Paul and Chantal McQuad were instrumental in helping the brewery during the buildout, but during that time she was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. The RFA brew team and Paul have now created a French saison called Chantal (10% ABV), hopped with Sorachi Ace and finished with whole red raspberries. For every pint sold, $1 will be donated to the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico. Props to all three of these breweries, Canteen, and all our other breweries who frequently step up for charities across the state.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bombs Away also hits the target with Light the Fuse! Lager and a new batch of Incendiary IPA. Canteen brings back Buffomundo, an amber lager. Dialogue gets a little feisty with Flipping Pigeons American Lager. Marble has more Pumpkin Noir available. Nexus puts its Beer Premiere entry, Strawberry Milk Shake IPA, on tap. Ponderosa does the same with Golden Graham Amber Lager, made with actual Golden Graham cereal from the General Mills plant here in town, plus Schwartzbier returns this weekend. Sidetrack defies the season with Forever Summer British Golden Ale. Starr Brothers hops on the Bandwagon Hazy IPA. Tractor adds its Beer Premiere entry, Apple Ale, while also brewing up some Cascade SMASH and Pumpkin Cider. Turtle Mountain unveils a trio of newcomers in Turbidity Majeure (New England-style IPA), Rise of Fall (Harvest Cold Brew Brown Ale), and Tomb of the Mutilated (Blood Orange Black IPA).

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn has more of its delicious Scotch Ale.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of October 29.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: Spooky beer events abound at Tractor and more

Posted: October 24, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Halloween falls in the middle of the week this year, so many breweries are choosing to celebrate this weekend. No brewery seems to be going as all-out as Tractor Wells Park, however. It starts Thursday night at 8 with the Rocky Horror Punk Show, as Adam Hooks and His Hangups are performing music from the cult classic. The cost is just $2 and you can also pick up discounted tickets to Saturday’s big event. Before that, stop by Friday night at 8 as Tom Foe performs a live score of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on his upright bass. Then comes that aforementioned big Saturday event. Starting at 7 p.m., the Stranger Things Arcade Carnival returns, taking over the entire brewery and the front parking lot. There will be arcade games and pinball, food specials from We Love Waffles food truck, special vendor booths, live music from Flo Fader at 7, The Despots at 9, and Prism Bitch to close it out. Oh, and of course Tricklock will be there under the big tent for a special edition of the ultimate improv show, The Reptilian Lounge! That kicks off at 10 p.m. Tickets cost just $15 and can be purchased online or at the brewery.

Of course, Tractor is not alone when it comes to celebrating Halloween a few days early. Up in Santa Fe, Second Street Rufina will host Nightmare on Rufina Street at 8 p.m. There will be local bands performing covers of some of their favorites, along with a Halloween art market. That event costs just $5. Just up the road at Tumbleroot, the All Hallow’s Eve Barn Dance with The High Desert Playboys also kicks off at 8. Back down here in ABQ, just around the block from Tractor, Bow & Arrow is again hosting Gothtoberfest starting at 8. DJ Garronteed will be spinning, and there will be a costume contest for the ultimate goth(s). One night earlier on Friday, Kaktus has the Desert Darlings dancing up a storm with Monster Mash at 7 p.m. Marble will then close it out Sunday afternoon with the annual Mutt Masquerade, where patrons can bring their best friends dressed up for a canine costume contest from 1 to 3 p.m. After the weekend, Steel Bender is hosting All Hallow’s Eve Eve on Tuesday from 6 to 9. There will be costume contests every 30 minutes, picked by the staff, and anyone in costume gets 10 percent off appetizers, merchandise, and mug club memberships. J.J. Raschel and Mystic Roots will provide the proper music.

Oh, and there is also The 377 Brewery’s second anniversary party, which runs all day Saturday, with plenty of beer and food specials. There will be a limited number (18) of bottles of Barleywine.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque once again fires the Moon Cannon, its out-of-this-world double IPA, before Neo Modern, a brut IPA, debuts in four-pack cans on Friday. Bow & Arrow puckers up with some Strawberry Amigo Sour on Friday. Boxing Bear is releasing bottles of Albu-Murky Hazy IPA on Saturday. Nexus gets in the season with Equinox Pumpkin Ale on Friday. Red Door has more Citra SMASH available this Friday. Steel Bender brings back Raspberry Dynamite after a short absence, while Perry Maison (Cider) is on tap. The 377 also has a new Sour Kolsch made with peaches. Tractor has a tripleheader of new releases with Prickly Pear Cider, Ebony & Ivory, and Milton’s Red Stapler.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales has new editions of Agent Scully IPA (Season Two, Episode Four) and Fields of Rye (Fall/Winter ’18). Further north in Red River, RRBC has brought back Amarillo SMASH.

Do not forget about the Great American Beer Festival medal winners. Currently on tap are Wooden Teeth (gold medal) at Turtle Mountain, Malpais Stout (silver) at La Cumbre, Germophile (silver) at Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Pistol Pete’s 1888 (bronze) at Bosque, Cherry Wheat (bronze) at Sierra Blanca, Lampshade Porter (bronze) at Starr Brothers, and the collaboration Mocha Hipster Bomb (bronze) at Palmer and Quarter Celtic.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of October 22.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: Anniversaries and fiestas galore

Posted: October 17, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Hey, remember when we thought last weekend was busy? Ha! It has nothing on this weekend. No, seriously, you all need to start planning now, because there is a lot going on around town and beyond the ABQ city limits. First up, we have a double dose of brewery anniversary parties at Dialogue and Kaktus. For the former, Grasstoberfest is the name of Dialogue’s second anniversary bash, which will take place Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. There will be live music all day, plus games, food, local art, axe throwing, and Roadrunner Food Bank will have a food drive going, so please bring a donation of a non-perishable food item in any contained except glass. Up in Bernalillo, Kaktus is spreading its five-year anniversary party over Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost just $5 and get you a silver-plated anniversary pint glass. There will be live music on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., plus food and beer specials. For Sunday, the Blues Jam takes over at 3 and the Desert Darlings take the stage for a special “Dripping in Gold” performance at 6. There will be special vendors on hand both days.

That, however, is not the entirety of the big events. Santa Fe Brewing is throwing its annual OktoberFiesta from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday at The Bridge, which is next to the brewery off I-25. There will be all sorts of outdoor fun and games from noon to 6, followed by live music inside from 6 to 10. There will be giant mugs of beer, all-you-can-eat sausages, and it all benefits several area charities. Of course, not to be left out, Second Street is throwing a three-day Oktoberfest food celebration at all three of its locations. Check the Rufina Facebook page for all of the delicious dining options to go along with copious amounts of beer. Of course, some would say it is a little late for an Oktoberfest, and that we should all be switching our focus to Halloween. Well, the Desert Darlings will also be at Tractor Wells Park this Friday night at 8 for Hops & Dreams: The Addams Family Edition, so you know that will be a blast. You can also trek out to Sierra Blanca for a Halloween Party on Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m., with a costume contest, games for kids and adults, food, live music, and more. All the staff asks is that you bring a non-perishable food item for donation to charity, and that will get you in the door.

Good luck getting through all of it! (And if we missed anything major, please let us know.)

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Boese Brothers brings back an old favorite in Double Dead Red. Bombs Away drops more Stockpile Milk Stout, plus A.S.B., an American twist on an English ESB. Boxing Bear goes double for its new Brut Strength DIPA. Canteen has a fresh batch of Irish Red ready to go. Kaktus turns over pretty much the entire lineup with Bourbon Ginger Beer, Pumpkin Schwarz, Innkeepers Nitro Ale, Helles Lager, and Oktoberfest now on tap. La Cumbre brings back a seasonal favorite in Witch’s Tit, while also adding Gracias Por Fumar, Honey Cream Ale, and Citra SMASH IPA on tap, and El Jugo cans are back on Friday. Marble brings back Cuvee Rouge today on tap and in bottles at all three locations, with a food pairing from Oni Noodles, plus it also has This is How We Brut It! available on tap. Red Door unveils Solo Saison, made with smoked pumpkin, on Friday. Sidetrack has more 3:10 to Belen Brown available. Starr Brothers visits Planet of the Ape-rricots, with Jack Tooth Grin on deck. The 377 rolls out Whiskey Strawberry Sour and Pumpkin Porter on Thursday. Toltec also gets in on the pumpkin theme with Basic Gourd on Thursday.

Up in Santa Fe, Blue Corn finally has its Brut IPA on tap. Second Street brings back one of our personal favorites, Preacher’s Share, an epic, barrel-aged imperial stout.

Do not forget about the Great American Beer Festival medal winners. Currently on tap are Wooden Teeth (gold medal) at Turtle Mountain, Malpais Stout (silver) at La Cumbre, Germophile (silver) at Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Pistol Pete’s 1888 (bronze) at Bosque, Cherry Wheat (bronze) at Sierra Blanca, Lampshade Porter (bronze) at Starr Brothers, and the collaboration Mocha Hipster Bomb (bronze) at Palmer and Quarter Celtic.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of October 15.

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The Week Ahead in Beer: Running with the brews

Posted: October 10, 2018 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
Tags: , , ,
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Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s seven breweries, one in Los Alamos, one in Moriarty, one in Red River, and one in Las Cruces also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Ready to get in shape while still enjoying a few pints? The Sixth Occasional Beer Run is going down this Saturday starting at 2 p.m. The course will begin on the Rio Grande and Paseo Bike Path where Rio Grande goes over Paseo del Norte (so take note to access the starting point via RG, it will be on the south side of the bridge). From there, participants will run east toward Second Street to Steel Bender Brewyard, about a 1.4-mile distance. After a pint or drink of your choosing, runners will then head north to Alameda and west to Boxing Bear (3.8 miles). Then it will be a quicker pair of jaunts over to Desert Valley on Ellison and Toltec on Old Airport Road. From there, make sure someone picks you up, because you probably should not drive. The run is open to anyone interested, and you do not have to run the entire course. Start and stop anywhere along the way. Mostly, though, it is just a chance to have some fun and get a little exercise in a way besides just lifting pint glasses.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque’s taps are moving quick these days, so a trifecta of newcomers are now available in Spoondriver DIPA, Bellbird Pale Ale, and Wheat, Pray, Love, plus this Friday you can get Open Space Haze in 4-pack cans. Canteen has another batch of Wet Hop Pale Ale available. Marble rolls out some Tangerine Gose, plus look for cans of Desert Fog soon. Nexus should have more Bird of Prey IPA available by this weekend. Sidetrack hops to it with Turntable IPA and Switchback IPA, plus Dark Engine Stout returns. Steel Bender is throwing a release party for Blackberry Dynamite this Thursday, with 6-pack cans available and a special cask with coffee added.

Up in Santa Fe, things are quiet. Too quiet. Get up there and drink those taps dry!

Do not forget about the Great American Beer Festival medal winners. Currently on tap are Wooden Teeth (gold medal) at Turtle Mountain, Malpais Stout (silver) at La Cumbre, Germophile (silver) at Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Pistol Pete’s 1888 (bronze) at Bosque, Cherry Wheat (bronze) at Sierra Blanca, Lampshade Porter (bronze) at Starr Brothers, and the collaboration Mocha Hipster Bomb (bronze) at Palmer and Quarter Celtic.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of October 8.

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