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Posts Tagged ‘Rowley Farmhouse Ales’

Rowley Farmhouse Ales relies on not one but two Unsung Heroes

Posted: June 26, 2017 by Luke in Unsung Heroes Series
Tags: Rowley Farmhouse Ales

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Tyler King (left) and Jami Nordby (step-ladder) are getting things in place back in December.

When we began our Unsung Heroes Series, we sent out feelers to all of the breweries, asking them to submit an employee who they feel goes above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. When John Rowley of Rowley Farmhouse Ales replied to me, he sent me not one, but two heroes he felt were deserving of the title, though he was careful to mention that it’s not only the two candidates that bust their butts every day to make RFA happen, it’s all the employees, friends, family, and the amazing community that come out to support this fine brewery. But, to Rowley, these two individuals, are 100 (percent) proof that not all heroes wear capes. And, don’t think I didn’t angle for that photo-op. So, before anyone runs into a phone booth, this is an ode to two hard-working guys with home-brewing roots, living out a dream of many of ours, but certainly not taking it for granted.

Jami Nordby (head brewer)

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Okay, so it was just luck that Jami wore his Superman shirt the day I dropped by for a photo.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales brought Nordby on board in October 2016. Before that, Jami had been home brewing since 1994. In Santa Fe, we all knew him well for running the only local home-brew supply shop in town. He had recently sold the shop around the time he was approached about commercial brewing full-time at Rowley Farmhouse Ales (not that the two are exactly related). Since then, he’s proved quite an asset to the team.

Besides the usual, everyday brewing operations (which is not a blanket statement at all at a brewery), Nordby takes on anything that the brewery and restaurant needs to have done.

“I’ve been on the roof; I’ve been in the basement,” Jami said.

He’s done it all, top to bottom, everything from electrical to construction and plumbing. And, as a bartender, who just happened to walk by during the interview, put it quite well: “He gets all the jobs that nobody else wants.” I’m sure it’s true.

On a typical day, Nordby rolls into work about 8:30 a.m. or so. He puts in a good eight hours Monday through Friday, with Saturday as needed. If it’s a brew day, he plans to spend about 10 to 12 hours at work. Though he puts a lot of time and effort into RFA, he doesn’t let it completely take over his family life. Either he picks up his son from school, or he makes arrangements with his wife. His kiddo has always been a priority, as we Santa Fe home brewers knew that the home-brew supply shop would be closed for an hour at peak pick-up times during the school year. (We never minded.)

At RFA, Jami has just followed his passion for home brewing. You can see his eyes light up as he talks about all the new equipment they have in the space now, from the keg washer he hand-built, to the new barrels, and the brand new/used walk-in cooler.

“It’s a homebrewer’s dream,” he said.

Maybe that was me who said that, but he didn’t disagree. I asked him what his favorite style of beer to brew was.

“Whatever the next one is, I think,” he said with a laugh.

Rowley said of his head brewer: “Jami has been a force since he came on. He’s able to do much more than just the brewing tasks. Just as one small example, let’s talk about the keg washer. Our plan, to start, was to rely on Santa Fe Brewing to contract clean and sanitize kegs as they do this for local smaller guys like ourselves. They have a state-of-the-art keg-washing system. Jami took the initiative to build his own keg washer, as he felt it would be more effective to do it in-house, as opposed to lugging kegs back and forth. And, it works great! Having Jami there while I am off at the lab working has been a huge plus for us. He’s able to work independently without direct supervision. He gets the job done, and I don’t have to second-guess his decisions at all. He’s a great guy and has proven to be one of our most valuable team members. Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Rowley also named their other brewer, Tyler King, as one of their Unsung Heroes, noting that he definitely deserves credit for all he’s done for RFA.

Tyler King (brewer)

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Tyler King said, “You can take a picture, but I’m not really doing anything right now.” My reply, “Maybe not, but it’s a Sunday, and you’re here at work. Smile for the camera, hero.”

Tyler is originally from Loveland, Colorado, and moved to Santa Fe about 14 years ago. After judging the Enchanted Brewing Challenge in 2016, Tyler spoke to John Rowley about a job. It proved to be pretty good timing, as he was looking to get into commercial brewing, and Rowley was just starting to talk about the brewery publicly. Even before construction started (which Tyler volunteered a lot of his time for), they’d had a bit of a verbal agreement. Prior to that, King had home brewed for seven years. He had a rocky start in college, like many of us have, but his interest was rekindled while having a conversation over a home brew at former Governor Gary Johnson’s son-in-law’s house. (True story!)

King’s big entrance into the NM brewing scene, however, came by way of the annual home-brew competition in 2014, the Santa Fe Open, put on by the Sangre de Cristo Craftbrewers home-brew club. The Dark Side has covered several of these great local home-brewing competitions, because we know for a fact that these kind of competitions yield future professional brewers. Come to think of it, that first competition is actually where I met King. He was volunteering a lot of his time then, too, as I recall.

Aside from brewing, King also does I.T. for a local art university in Santa Fe, as well as owning an independent film company. On occasion, he does freelance post-production audio work for independent film workers as well, because, as he put it, “You’ve got to stay busy!”

And, busy he stays. When he’s not at his 9-to-5 weekday job, for which he’s also on-call nightly, he works Saturdays and occasionally Sundays at the brewery, doing anything and everything that is needed on those days, much like Nordby. His primary focus at RFA is the 1-barrel small-batch system, where he gets to try out new recipes and make more of the fun one-off beers served in the taproom. Of course, he also helps Jami and John on the 7-barrel system when they need to fill barrels with new stuff, or make more of the core beers.

When I asked if King had much input in the recipes they brew at RFA, he replied, “The great thing about our size is we all work together. John usually makes up the actual recipes in the software and has final say. He is the brewmaster and it is his name on the wall. I wouldn’t expect anything less. That said, if I want to make a recipe, use a home-brew one, or improvise on the spot to fix a problem, I can. Colonel Citra was a scaled-up version of my award-winning home-brew DIPA by the same name. It seemed well received commercially! Who doesn’t like a well-balanced 9-percent, all-Citra hop IPA? I’ve been thinking of a funky brettanomyces version, too. On top of just recipes, I can give input on equipment we need, fruits to use, (and) if a beer is ready or not, et cetera. Best recent example I can think of is tasting the four chardonnay barrels we just bottled. Four of us got together to decide what fruits would go in what barrel. I pushed the group to swap the fruit choice in two barrels. Hopefully everyone will agree with me when they are for sale! 1,000-plus bottles are conditioning now.”

Rowley had this to say about King: “Tyler was instrumental in getting our small batches off, and running when we first started brewing after getting our licenses all lined up. He and I brewed every Saturday for the first five months or so. It was taxing, but he runs with it and doesn’t complain. He’s come a long way as a brewer and is a vital part of our team. Tyler played a big role in us getting the doors opened as well. He was there, every weekend, in 2016 while we worked on getting the taproom and patio ready for service. We were fortunate to have a lot of help from our friends, but Tyler was there every step of the way. I know my name is on the wall, but there really isn’t Rowley Farmhouse Ales without Jami and Tyler working hard to bring New Mexico the best possible beer we can. I can’t speak highly enough of the team we have in place right now. Over time, we hope to grow the brewery up, but we definitely have a great core now.”

I asked Rowley what took them above and beyond the call of duty.

“I really think that these guys are looking at what we are doing as less of a job, and more of a mission,” he said. “Anyone can have a job that they may or may not like going to daily. But, my feeling is both Jami and Tyler are passionate about our mission to create the best beer we can, and that translates to passion instead of a feeling of this just being a job. Sure, we all have days that we don’t want to do some less desirable work (washing kegs, cleaning tanks, whatever that might be), but I don’t feel any hesitation with these guys. They have the attitude that those things are necessary and they embrace these less than ideal parts of the job and charge at them, not away from them. That’s how I know we have the right people, and Jami and Tyler are those guys.”

* * * * *

There are many different kinds of heroes that work at our breweries. They come in all shapes, sizes, beard-lengths, boot-colors, and genders. They work at all different positions from bartender, to lab tech, to office manager, and brewer. There really are no small fires that these gals and guys put out on a daily basis. Everything they do, tweak, build, or fix, no matter how seemingly minute, makes or breaks the solid reputations of our great New Mexico breweries.

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These limited bottles will be available soon. Check your local beer geek shop.

Truth be told, if it were not for Jami’s patience and unassuming nature, and his store, of course, I may not have lasted through my first hop selection and recipe creation. I may not have brewed a few batches, joined the local club, and soon after leapt at the opportunity to write for the Dark Side. So, to all of you heroes, sung and unsung, whether your name is on the posters or simply on a pay stub, we in the Dark Side Brew Crew, salute you.

Cheers!

— Luke

Luke123 Steel Bender

For more @nmdarksidebc info, #CraftBeer news, and unabashed Untappd pics, follow me on Twitter @SantaFeCraftBro!

Get your BearFest beer lists here

Posted: June 15, 2017 by cjax33 in BearFest 2017
Tags: Ale Republic, Bathtub Row Brewing, Blue Corn Brewing, Bosque Brewing, Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Canteen Brewhouse, Chama River, Dialogue Brewing, Flix Brewhouse, La Cumbre Brewing, Marble Brewing, Nexus Brewery, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing, Second Street Brewing, Starr Brothers Brewing, Steel Bender Brewyard, Taos Mesa Brewing, Turtle Mountain Brewing

The variety in beers is impressive this year!

As most of you should know by now, BearFest returns this Saturday, now at the Albuquerque Convention Center downtown. VIP entry is at 12:30 p.m., general admission is at 2 p.m., and it all runs until 6 p.m. General admission tickets are still available online and VIP tickets are still available at Boxing Bear.

Much like any other beer festival, the biggest question of all remains what brews will be available. Well, 15 of the 20 participating breweries sent us their lists, and if the other six get theirs to us, we will add them here right up until the doors open.

Ale Republic: TBA
Bathtub Row: TBA
Blue Corn: Ginger Braggot, Back to Cali Common, Hella Humulus Collaboration IPA, Imperial Chocolate Porter
Bosque: Lager, IPA, Hefe, Driftwood Oatmeal Stout, Blonde Ale, EOP Fruited Wheat Ale, Grasping at Straws Extra Pale Ale, All the Rage IPA
Boxing Bear: Body Czech Pilsner, HairyMit Hefe, Ambear Ale, Paw Swipe Pale Ale, Uppercut IPA, Standing 8 Stout, Apple Bear Cider, Chocolate Milk Stout, Blood Orange Pale Ale, Barn Burner Wheat IPA, Guava Gose, New England IPA, plus maybe one more
Canteen: High Plains Pils, Exodus IPA, Tuttle IPA, Strawberry Basil Gose
Chama River: Kolsch, Maibock, Gose, IPA special
Dialogue: Biere de Mars, Berliner Weisse, BC IPA, Sour Rapsberry
Flix Brewhouse: TBA
La Cumbre: Project Dank IPA, Strwaberry Gose, Elevated IPA, Slice of Hefen, BEER
Marble: Double White, Pilsner, Cranberry Gose, Flower Digger Pale Ale
Nexus: TBA
Quarter Celtic: Pedro O’Flanagan’s Mexican Lager, Mangose, Blood Orange Hefe, Crimson Lass, Gondola Party Starter NE-style IPA
Santa Fe: Long Game IPA, Hefe’d Up, Nut Brown, Pale Ale, Freestyle Pilsner (cans), Happy Camper (cans)
Second Street: 2920 IPA, Eldorado IPA, Red and Yellow Armadillo, Summer Rain Raspberry Sour, 2920 Pils, Civil Rye
Starr Brothers: Starrgazm IPA, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, Starrphire Pilsner, Bloodshot
Steel Bender: Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, The Village Wit, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch
Taos Mesa: TBA
Turtle Mountain: Yum Yum Colada, Can’t Catch Me, Lil’ Shelly, Hopshell IPA, My Kolsche

That is a lot of beer to try. If you like the hazy, New England-style IPAs, you are in luck as Bosque, Boxing Bear, Canteen, and Quarter Celtic are all bring their editions. Fans of sours and goses are clearly in luck as well. We are quite excited to try some of the new beers from Blue Corn (Hella Humulus and Imperial Chocolate Porter) and Second Street (Red and Yellow Armadillo is delicious), plus we await whatever Bathtub Row and Taos Mesa will be bringing.

Now, if you are wondering where Rowley Farmhouse Ales went off to, do not fret. The difference between them and the rest is their jockey box only has two handles, so they will be rotating beers on the second handle every hour or so. The Citra dry-hopped Fields of Rye will occupy the first handle. Here is the second handle pouring schedule.

12:30-2 p.m.: Meier (Meyer Lemon Gose)
2-3 p.m.: Germophile (Berliner Weisse)
3-4 p.m.: Reinheitsgenot (Lime Kolsch)
4-5 p.m.: Ab Initio dry-hopped with Citra/Mosaic
5-6 p.m.: Ab Initio with apricot

So, yeah, pucker up, people! It is gonna be a heck of a day.

And, remember, yours truly will be signing copies of Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap, over at the NM Brewers Guild booth. It is only $20, cash preferred.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

BearFest roars back with new indoor location

Posted: June 13, 2017 by cjax33 in BearFest 2017
Tags: Ale Republic, Bathtub Row Brewing, Blue Corn Brewing, Bosque Brewing, Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Canteen Brewhouse, Chama River, Dialogue Brewing, Flix Brewhouse, La Cumbre Brewing, Marble Brewing, Nexus Brewery, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing, Second Street Brewing, Starr Brothers Brewing, Steel Bender Brewyard, Taos Mesa Brewing, Turtle Mountain Brewing

It’s time for the third edition of BearFest, only this time no one will get sunburned!

BearFest, the annual local-only craft beer festival hosted by Boxing Bear, returns for a third go-around this Saturday. The big change this year, besides pushing it back and away from ABQ Beer Week and Blues & Brews, is moving the fest out of the brewery parking lot to the Albuquerque Convention Center. Unless you are going to walk or bike to the event, leave the sunscreen at home!

The event will run from 2 to 6 p.m. for general admission, with a special 90-minute VIP period before that starting at 12:30 p.m. General admission tickets cost $25 in advance and can be purchased online here. They will be $30 at the door. VIP tickets can only be purchased in advance for $40 at Boxing Bear, going up to $45 the day of at the Convention Center.

To get the full story behind the change, I sat down with Boxing Bear head brewer/co-owner Justin Hamilton and general manager John Campi on Monday afternoon.

“A good thing for us will be that this has been a rain-or-shine event the previous two years and it almost got rained out the first year, we’re going to have a good attendance and a good time, either way,” Justin said. “That’s going to be one of the first things that’s a plus for us. But, I think that as far as what we’ve done in the past that we’re going to continue, and we’re going to expand on a few different things. We have 20 breweries, we have three wineries and two distilleries.”

The breweries, in alphabetical order, are Ale Republic, Bathtub Row, Blue Corn, Bosque, Boxing Bear, Canteen, Chama River, Dialogue, Flix Brewhouse, La Cumbre, Marble, Nexus, Quarter Celtic, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, Second Street, Starr Brothers, Steel Bender, Taos Mesa, and Turtle Mountain. The wineries are Black Mesa, New Mexico Hard Cider, and St. Clair, while Left Turn and Santa Fe Spirits are the distilleries on hand.

As John noted, the entire event is “100 percent local to New Mexico.”

“Yes, that’s another thing we really want to push here is that this is an absolute local event,” Justin added. “There’s no outside distributors. There’s no random (anything). This will all be from New Mexico, beers and vendors. It will be nice to share some of the other breweries that a lot of folks haven’t been up to see, (like) Bathtub Row and Rowley Farmhouse Ales, a lot of these guys are definitely part of that brewing community that a lot of the Albuquerque scene doesn’t get out to get and see.”

The vendors on hand will all be local as well, ranging from New Mexico Flameworks to Metal The Brand to YogaZo to Mother Road Mobile Canning. The New Mexico Brewers Guild will have a booth, of course, and a certain local author will also be on hand to sign and sell copies of his book, Albuquerque Beer: Duke City History on Tap, for $20 apiece (no, I will never stop with the shameless self promotion at this point).

Gamers Anonymous will have a booth as well, with video games for patrons to play, ranging from Street Fighter to GoldenEye to Mario Kart and more. Unlike last year, when it seemed like the chairs were half in the sun all day, it will all be inside and air conditioned. There will also be a cornhole tournament thanks to the owner of The Local Brewhouse, who donated his boards for the day.

There will be a charity that will benefit from the event as well.

“This is a benefit for the Animal Humane Society,” John said. “Animal Humane will be split into two sections. They’ll have a little adoption booth, if possible with actual, live puppies there. Then we’re going to have a booth set up with a little game (washer toss) and people will pay a dollar or so. That money will go directly to Animal Humane. They can win a prize, and I think every brewery is going to pitch in a shirt or a hat or something.”

Local bands will include Isaac Aragon during the VIP-only time (12:30-2 p.m.) and Pawn Shop Poster Boys after that. Another band is also expected to be announced soon.

“That and it will be nice that our music will have an actual audio guy this year,” Justin said. “Last year we were leaving it up to the bands, which isn’t a problem as far as the audio itself goes, but as far as the setup of the audio we hope to have seamless music throughout the event. Last year we had these breaks between our VIP and our start. We want people to be able to hear music (as they come in).”

The beer, though, is the biggest draw. The Crew should have full lists for all attending breweries no later than Thursday, but a few special beers of note have already been listed by Boxing Bear on Facebook.

Blue Corn, thankfully, goes to the dark side with Imperial Chocolate Porter.
Bosque is expected to bring a new variant in their Elephants on Parade specialty series.
Canteen will debut their Strawberry Basil Gose and bring back Tuttle IPA, a hazy New England-style hop bomb.
La Cumbre is bring Strawberry Gose and the latest batch of Project Dank.
Marble counters with a Cranberry Gose. Yes, there is a gose theme here.
Quarter Celtic has Mangose (yup, theme) and a new Blood Orange Hefeweizen.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales is bringing six beers, each of which will be served at special times (see our next story Thursday for that serving schedule).
Second Street will tap Summer Rain Raspberry Sour.
Starr Brothers is brewing a special batch of Starrgasm IPA just for the festival.
Turtle Mountain will have Yum Yum Colada and Lil Shelly Pale Ale.

Unlike other festivals, this is not an unlimited sampling event. VIP and general admission both get four 4-ounce samples and one full pint for free. Additional samples and/or pints can be purchased from the breweries.

“Most breweries, we kind of leave it up to them if they want people to purchase a sample or not,” Justin said. “Last year, just about every brewery was up for it, so my guess that will probably be the thing. Every now and then you’ll see a beer where if it’s a high-end beer or if it’s in a bottle, it’s just not going to be available for sample, which is understandable. I would say almost everything is going to be available for sample and purchase. We definitely don’t want to limit on what people are able to try, but what we want to do is not just turn it into a free-for-all.”

While bigger packaging breweries can often write off free samples as a marketing expense, that is almost impossible for the smaller brewpubs. This helps the breweries not feel as if they are giving away nothing but free beer.

“It’s one of those things where if we put multiple good breweries into a caravan (and) not only show them a good time, but if they get a little something back, they’re going to consistently show up every year for us,” Justin said. “That way we always get the best local breweries showing up consistently every year, which is great for the consumers. That was the original BearFest idea was going for, it’s for the patrons, it’s for the breweries, and it’s for everyone in between.”

Putting BearFest in a more convenient location is another way for Boxing Bear to give back to the patrons and attending businesses.

“It will also be in a nice central location, which is another good part about the Convention Center,” Justin said. “Other than competing with other festivals that were going on, it’s hard getting people to come across the river for anything. It will be right in downtown where people know, with quick access to (two freeways). Uber and Lyft, no matter where you are in the city, it will be probably be pretty affordable, and we always encourage that.”

For those looking to bike over, take note of your options in the area.

“Last year we did a bike valet,” John said. “We were unable to get that this year. The valet company had a prior event. However, there is still ample bike parking. Right now the Plaza is under construction and they have Third (Street) blocked off on both ends, but the Plaza is actually gated off because they’re doing the Shakespeare events with bike racks. There’s hundreds of spots over there.”

The Crew always encourages everyone to travel safely and responsibly to and from beer festivals.

We will have those full beer lists on Thursday. After that, we will see you at BearFest!

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

ABQ Beer Week: Get that farmhouse funk on Day Six

Posted: May 30, 2017 by cjax33 in ABQ Beer Week 2017
Tags: Broken Trail Spirits and Brewery, Canteen Brewhouse, Drafty Kilt Brewing, Firestone Walker, Jubilation, Marble Brewing, Nob Hill Bar & Grill, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Sister Bar, Tractor Brewing, Upslope Brewing

Day Five is the ultimate take-it-easy day for your body, but we will still challenge your mind.

Now that the holiday is over, Beer Week starts to crank back up again with nine big events.

Today will feature an epic tasting at Jubilation, but also a whole lot of beer-and-food combo events. There will be beer with Taco Tuesday, beer with food trucks’ offerings, beer dinners, hell, just beer and food everywhere. But, if that’s all too much, there’s also beer trivia, part two.

Hope you all brought your appetite! (And your trivia-loving minds.)

Featured Event

Every day we will pick what we consider the biggest, most interesting, most unique event. This does not mean you should go to only this event and ignore the rest. All of them deserve your attention, but realistically, you can probably only attend a few. So we will make our daily pick, and you can either jump on it, or declare the Crew is foolish (we kinda are) and pick your own.

What: Saison Tasting and Broken Trail Collaboration Tapping. Where: Jubilation. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge.

Details: Come get the funk! Jubilation is celebrating all things saison/farmhouse with a unique tasting from multiple breweries. In addition, they are releasing Sancho de la Sierra, a collaboration brewed between the staff of Jubilation and Broken Trail. It will also be available for growler fills. They added rye malt and the native plant Oregano de la Sierra to the original Sancho Saison recipe for an added spicy kick. The other beers available for sampling are Rowley Farmhouse Ales Saison du Sarlacc, Saison Dupont, St. Feuillien Dry-Hopped Saison, Thiriez Extra, Blackberry Farm Brewing Classic Saison, St. Somewhere Traditionnel & Serge, North Coast Puck Petite Saison, Prairie Artisan Ales Prairie Ace, Off Color Apex Predator, and Stillwater Artisanal Rockstar Farmer.

Why you should go: If you love this style, don’t you have to go? I mean, if you don’t, you’re out of the saison fan club.

All the other great events

What: Special Release of Social Capital. Where: Canteen. When: Noon to close. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The new release of the popular kettle sour was made with basil, lemongrass, and coconut. Why you should go: Pucker up and get your day started when they open at noon.

What: Upslope Canarchy at Taco Tuesday. Where: Sister. When: 4-7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Upslope takes over Taco Tuesday at Sister with cans of Citra Pale Ale paired up with some unique tacos. Why you should go: Tacos and beer are just such a true Burqueno pairing.

What: Central Biz Happy Hour. Where: Tractor Nob Hill. When: 5-7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Tractor wants to show some love to its fellow Central Avenue businesses impacted by A.R.T. If you have a receipt from any business on old Route 66 that’s less than a week old, bring it to the taproom and get $1 off your first pint. Why you should go: Support other businesses, support yourself with less expensive beer.

What: Cheese and Beer Pairing with Cheesy Street. Where: Tractor Wells Park. When: 5-9 p.m. Cost: $13 per tray. Details: This fan favorite event is back. Buy a tray of four assorted mini-grilled cheeses from Cheesy Street and they will be paired up with the proper beers. Why you should go: Do we need to really say more than beer and cheese? Gooey, melty cheese? Didn’t think so.

What: Four Peaks Beer Dinner. Where: Farina Alto. When: 5-7 p.m. Cost: TBA. Details: There don’t seem to be any details anywhere about this one, which is weird. Why you should go: Um, we’ll get back to you on that one if we ever find some information.

What: Beer and Food Truck Pairing. Where: Drafty Kilt. When: 5-9 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Illusion Food Truck will be creating some specialty dishes that pair up with the different Drafty Kilt beers. Why you should go: When the food is made specifically to go with the beer, that’s a win-win.

What: Beer Geek Quiz. Where: Marble Westside. When: 6-9 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: If you missed our trivia at Tractor Nob Hill on Monday, redeem yourselves across the river! There will be six rounds with eight questions apiece. Create a team of four that you can rely upon. There will be a limit of 20 teams, so register at the taproom in advance if you can. There will be prizes awarded to the top teams. Why you should go: Test your beer knowledge at the taproom with the most taps in town!

What: Firestone Walker Barrelworks Beer Dinner. Where: Nob Hill Bar & Grill. When: 6:30-9 p.m. Cost: $40 per person. Details: A delightful four-course meal will be paired with four special beers from Firestone Walker. The appetizer will be shrimp corn dogs with sweet chile dipping sauce paired with Krieky Bones. The salad will be paired with Leo vs. Ursus: Fortem. The main entree will be a stuffed pork loin over asparagus, caramelized onions, and polenta, topped with balsamic roasted peaches and au jus, paired with Luponic Distortion. The dessert of house-made gingerbread cake topped with vanilla bean ice cream, paired with Parabola. Why you should go: That just looks way too good. We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!

* * * * *

Got any questions, comments, complaints, send them to nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com, or leave them here on our site, on Facebook, or on Twitter (@nmdarksidebc).

Enjoy yourselves out there, but please, do it responsibly.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

ABQ Beer Week: Pucker up for Day Two brews

Posted: May 26, 2017 by cjax33 in ABQ Beer Week 2017
Tags: Dialogue Brewing, Jubilation, La Cumbre Brewing, Mother Road Brewing, Nob Hill Bar & Grill, Ponderosa Brewing, Red Door Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing, Tractor Brewing, Upslope Brewing

The sour power hour runs strong across Day Two!

Did you survive? Did you make it through all of it?

No, not Day One of ABQ Beer Week, but the Penguins’ double-overtime victory over Ottawa in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Just ask anyone at Quarter Celtic last night, half the Crew almost died several times over.

But, we digress, for it is time to get back to beer while taking a needed emotional break from hockey until Monday. Day Two features fewer events, but there are still some pretty awesome ones, especially if you love sour beers.

Read on, dear, um, readers!

Featured Event

What: Sour Hour with Rowley Farmhouse Ales and Hops & Dreams: Beer Week Edition. Where: Tractor Wells Park. When: 5 p.m. (beer), 8 p.m. (belly dancers). Cost: No cover charge.

Details: As we covered in our Tractor Beer Week preview, RFA is coming down from Santa Fe with some of their finest sours to pair up with some of Tractor’s best, including Flanders Red Ale, Berliner Weisse, and possibly a newcomer from the barrel room. It’s an awesome opportunity to taste these beers from two breweries, especially for all the folks down here who don’t make it up to Santa Fe often enough. Then, stick around as the spectacularly talented Desert Darlings shimmy up a storm.

Why you should go: Beer and belly dancers are a combination that simply cannot be defeated.

All the other great events

What: Blackberry Hefeweizen Release. Where: Red Door. When: All day. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The annual summer favorite is back at both locations. Why you should go: It’s the perfect lighter (ABV) beer with lots of flavor to start your weekend.

What: Beer and Tapas Pairing. Where: Ponderosa. When: 3-6 p.m. Cost: $7. Details: A different beer and tapas pairing will be available each day. Why you should go: You need some food in your belly to go with all this beer.

What: Mother Road Sampling and Special Keg Tapping. Where: Jubilation. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: The latest epic tasting at Jubilation features the full lineup of excellent beers from Flagstaff, plus there will be a keg of the Altbier brewed in Arizona in collaboration with Tractor. You can fill your growlers with it, too. Why you should go: Good beer, new beer, take-home beer, all for the win.

What: La Cumbre Sampling. Where: Whole Foods Carlisle. When: 4-6 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Taste the entire current packaged lineup while getting your grocery shopping done. Why you should go: Free beer!

What: Santa Fe Sampling. Where: Kelly Liquors on Wyoming. When: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Taste the entire current packaged lineup, buy your favorites, fill your fridge for the weekend. Why you should go: Free beer!

What: Upslope presents Loteria. Where: Monroe’s on Lomas. When: 5-7 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Play Loteria for prizes and indulge in some great New Mexican food paired with Craft Lager as the Upslope train rolls on. Why you should go: Feast and claim victory over all mortal men and women!

What: La Cumbre Tap Takeover. Where: Sister Bar. When: 5-8 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: There will be seven LC beers on tap including Gracias Por Fumar, Fievre d’Abricot, Ryeot on Bourbon (soooo good), Elevated IPA, Slice of Hefen, and the special Beer Week offering, Passionfruit Wit. Why you should go: Dear lord, that is an amazing lineup. Enough said.

What: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout and Cooper Project #1 Tapping. Where: Nob Hill Bar & Grill. When: 5-11 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: Enjoy pours of BCBS ’15 and ’16, plus a barrel-aged Scotch wee heavy. Why you should go: The power of the darkness compels you to ignore who owns this brewery!

What: New Belgium Rare Beer Alert. Where: Gecko’s (both locations). When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: No cover charge. Details: A special New Belgium offering will be tapped at both Gecko’s, but we don’t know what it is just yet. Why you should go: Solve the mystery and get something tasty to eat.

What: Sour Beer Flight. Where: Dialogue Brewing. When: 6-10 p.m. Cost: $8 per flight. Details: In a late addition to the events list, Dialogue is selling discounted flights of their entire lineup of sour beers. Why you should go: Pucker up, sour lovers, this is a good day for you.

What: ABQ Trolley The Hopper — Hop-on, Hop-off Brew Cruise. Where: 219 Central NW (starting point). When: 7-11 p.m. Cost: $20 in advance (buy tickets here), $25 day of. Details: The Hopper is back, visiting eight downtown-area breweries every 30 to 45 minutes. All you have to do is hop on, then hop off and enjoy a pint. The participating breweries/taprooms/beer bars are Duel, Red Door, Sidetrack, Back Alley Draft House, Boese Brothers, Marble, Rio Bravo, and Tractor Wells Park. Why you should go: If you want to visit multiple breweries, definitely let someone else do the driving, then just have Uber or Lyft pick you up at the end to take you home.

* * * * *

Got any questions, comments, complaints, send them to nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com, or leave them here on our site, on Facebook, or on Twitter (@nmdarksidebc).

Enjoy yourselves out there, but please, do it responsibly.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

ABQ Beer Week: Tractor sticks with tradition and rolls out multiple events

Posted: May 23, 2017 by cjax33 in ABQ Beer Week 2017
Tags: Mother Road Brewing, Palmer Brewery and Cider House, Red Door Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Tractor Brewing

Tractor is gonna be packed with events all throughout ABQ Beer Week, but then again, what else is new?

No local brewery dives into ABQ Beer Week quite like Tractor, which once again will load up on the fun throughout the 11-day series of events. To make sure I had all the necessary information, I was able to sit down with the incredibly busy dynamic duo of Jeremy Kinter and Carla Bryant to go over all 11 events at both Tractor locations.

Thursday at Wells Park

First up is the Big Sipper IPA can release. As I recently discussed with Tractor co-owner Skye Devore, this session IPA is the official beer of the upcoming Pork & Brew in Rio Rancho. The July event is a ways off, but Tractor is already releasing the new 16-ounce cans to the public. The event kicks off at 7 p.m., with the Silver String Band providing entertainment from 8 p.m. Onward. Nomad’s BBQ will be parked outside for all your culinary needs.

Friday at Wells Park

We have said before how much we love when our breweries join forces, but we have to admit, it has been a while (if ever) that we have seen one brewery host another. Rowley Farmhouse Ales will be bringing down some of its finest creations for Sour Hour starting at 5 p.m. There will be six featured beers from Santa Fe, plus Tractor will have some of their own.

“We’re going to be featuring our Flanders Red and Berliner Weisse and then we might have a special sour that we put on tap as well,” Jeremy said. “That will go until the kegs run out.”

After the sours have left everyone plenty puckered out, sit back and enjoy the rhythmic excellence of the Desert Darlings as they present Hops & Dreams: Beer Week Edition. If we haven’t sang their praises enough in the past, let us say again that these amazingly talented dancers put on one truly amazing show.

Saturday at Wells Park

Oh, collaboration beers, how much do we love thee? Tractor and Flagstaff’s Mother Road Brewing have joined forces to create two excellent new beers that will make their debut at 7 p.m. Look for an altbier and a unique take on a double IPA on tap throughout the night.

One of our longtime favorite local bands, Le Chat Lunatique (we first saw them at Septemberfest in Marble’s old back parking lot in 2010), will provide the tunes starting at 8 p.m.

Saturday at Nob Hill

In a late addition to the schedule, Tractor will be hosting another edition of Crafternoon starting at 3 p.m. Attendees will be making special beer cozies and coasters. The Yarn Store will provide the kits, or you can buy your own at their store across the street. This is a free event and open to crafty types of all skill levels.

Sunday at Sandia Resort & Casino

Tractor will join around 70 other breweries for the annual ABQ Blues & Brews Festival. We will have an in-depth preview of who’s taking what later this week.

Monday at Nob Hill

OK, it’s shameless self-promotion time again! The Dark Side Brew Crew is hosting Beer Geeks Trivia starting at 7 p.m. The event is free to all, and there will prizes provided by Tractor. There will be five rounds total, including a special tasting round in the middle where you get to try and correctly identify which Tractor beer you are drinking. Prior to that, Round One will focus on general New Mexico craft beer knowledge, Round Two will focus on national craft beer, and then after the tasting round, Round Four gets tough with New Mexico beer history, and Round Five caps it all with questions submitted by 10 different breweries around town.

Tuesday, May 30 at Wells Park

In what’s becoming an annual tradition, Tractor and Cheesy Street are teaming up for more beer-and-fried-cheese pairings. For $13 you get a tray of six different mini-fried cheese sandwiches, each paired with a different small pour of a Tractor beer. We promise, you will have a gouda time. (OK, wait, sorry, that was a terrible pun. Terrible.) It will start at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, May 31 at Wells Park

Tractor is teaming up with Gruet Winery and Cheese & Coffee for a special five-course dinner starting at 7 p.m. This is not a ticketed-in-advance event, so patrons can buy each pairing separately, meaning no one has to eat and drink more than they want.

“It’s no longer Beer vs. Wine, that was just a glitch,” Carla said of the renamed event, which is different than what is on the printed Beer Week fliers. “We’ll have for each course for sale individually the night of and we have them until they run out.”

Thursday, June 1 at Wells Park

The fourth annual Battle of the Beer Geeks takes center stage as the Crew (inaugural champs) tries to reclaim the title from two-time winner Babes in Brewland. Of course, you could all show up and end up voting for the Worthogs or Dukes of Ale or the other competitors, but hey, we’ll understand. (Maybe) This year we flipped it up a bit with a theme, as everyone had to brew to a style corresponding to a wheat beer. Don’t worry, the Crew still went ridiculously overboard, but I am happy to report that we did not clog the heat exchanger this year and cause head brewer Josh Campbell to lose any hair.

It costs $10 for a tray of the five beers, but you will not know who brewed what. You then get a pint of your favorite, which counts as your vote. The winner will be announced around 8 p.m.

Friday, June 2 at Wells Park

If you have never been to an Art Fight before, this is the one time to go check it out. It kicks off at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

Friday, June 2 at Nob Hill

Even we had to ask what the heck Night Out Cards was all about. Basically, as Jeremy explained it, it is a special deck of cards with “truth or dare” style questions. A deck and two wristbands costs $20, and you can add up to five additional players on your team for $5 apiece. Each wristband gets $1 off beers, and there will be special prizes and contests every 30 minutes. WhichCraft will also be on hand to help you choose which beers you want to drink.

“Basically they’re brewery truth or dare cards, you get a deck and you have to do things like fake a break-up in a bar and you get so many points,” Jeremy said. “The team with the most points at the end wins a big old prize.”

Saturday, June 3 at Nob Hill

The annual Cider Day Night Fever gets kicked up a notch this year, with Tractor bringing in guest ciders from Santa Fe Cider Works, New Mexico Cider Company, Palmer Brewery and Cider House, Skarsgard Farms, and Red Door. It all starts at 5 p.m., with DJ Wae Fonkey providing the dance tunes starting at 7 p.m.

“They’re bringing some cool stuff,” Jeremy said. “Red Door is going to have a blood orange cider and their Unhinged. There will be an Enchanted Cherry Cider from Santa Fe. We’re going to have a Cranberry Ginger Cider and our Golden Dry Cider. Those two will be very limited.”

Saturday, June 3 at Wells Park

Speaking of ciders, the Triple Berry Cider will make its debut in concert with the Jodie Herrera Art Opening and Glass Release. A touring band from California, The Blank Tapes, will perform starting at 8 p.m.

* * * * *

After all of that, we just hope Jeremy gets to go home and sleep. For a week. Thanks, dude, you earned it!

Carla will soon be moving on to the next chapter, and we thank her for all her time and patience with us over the past year. Her successor gets to start up just in time for all the fun!

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

2017 Outside Bike & Brew festival rides into town this weekend

Posted: May 16, 2017 by Luke in Beer in Santa Fe, Outside Bike & Brew 2017
Tags: Blue Corn Brewing, Duel Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing, Second Street Brewing

The crowds will be out in force again this weekend for the annual Outside Bike & Brew Festival in Santa Fe.

Hey, everyone! Luke and Julie here from Dark Side Brew Crew, Santa Fe squad. This weekend, the fourth annual Outside Bike & Brew Festival returns to Santa Fe with four more days of cycling and craft beer events.

This great week-long beer-meets-adventure bash officially begins Wednesday with a kickoff party at Santa Fe’s still-fresh venue, The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing, and continues with guided brewery bike tours during the day and beer dinners in the evening. Each event brings bikes and beers together in the perfect union of suds and sun (hopefully), and culminates this Saturday with a celebration of all things outside, with food trucks, music, and good breweries that love the great outdoors!

If you like beer, bikes, and getting outside, this event is not one to miss! While there are plenty of cycling events to choose from for the whole family, we know you’re here for the beer, so let’s get down to business. If you’re more interested in ABV than RPM, the following is a roundup of what you can expect from this week’s event.

Wednesday

Bike to Work Week with Second Street Brewery (all locations)

“Wednesday is Bike to Work Week, and all three of our locations are part of a “first annual” SSB scavenger hunt cooked up by new Rufina front-of-house manager, Mariah Scee, in cooperation with the City of Santa Fe. We will be having an outdoor area to gather in, along with souvenirs and snacks that will be given away at the Rufina location. The Railyard and Original locations will be the places to go for full service eating and drinking.” — Rod Tweet, Owner/President, SSB

Marble Brewery Tap Takeover

Fire & Hops Gastropub, 5 p.m.

Food specials and limited brews from Marble’s NE Heights Brewery

Benefit for Velo New Mexico, a nonprofit promoting and celebrating cycling in New Mexico

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Bikes, brews, and tunes, too.

Thursday

Bike & Brew Kickoff Party

The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing, 7 p.m.

Enjoy Santa Fe Brewing craft beers with dirty, organic California soul music from Orgone

Tickets can be purchased here.

Beer Dinner Feature: Bodega Prime featuring a selection from Rowley’s Farmhouse Ales

Enjoy a great beer dinner at Bodega Prime with beers from RFA, before heading out to The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing for the Kickoff Party!

On the menu:

Fields of Rye Saison with snapper, crab, peas & celeriac
Saison du Sarlacc with roasted carrots with harissa & pistachios
Ab Initio with spring duck, morels & grass
Ab Initio – Boysenberry with charred onion salad with walnut salsa
Agent Scully IPA with smoked bliss potato & egg yolk ravioli, pork & asparagus
Sin Barreras Nutella with chocolate bouchon with caramelized beer ice cream & coffee

Reservations are required. Call (505) 303-3535. The cost is $65 per person.

Bodega Prime is located at 1291 San Felipe Ave., Suite A, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Cowgirl Tap Takeover & Beer Dinner featuring Sierra Nevada

The Cowgirl is located at 319 S. Guadalupe St. For more information, call (505) 982-2565 or check out their website.

Loyal Hound Pub featuring a selection from Canteen Brewhouse

The Loycal Hound is located at 730 St. Michaels Dr. For more information, call (505) 471-0440 or check out their website.

Friday, May 19

Tour de Brewer

Start times: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.

Saddle up at the Santa Fe Railyard Park for a round trip ride with stops at Rowley’s Farmhouse Ales, Duel Brewing and the newest Second Street Brewery location in the Rufina District.

Rod also says lucky cyclists may indeed get to take a peek at the new brewing facility on Rufina, and sample a few of the new beers! What!? So, lace up those, um, bike shoes … and shorts!

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

Dr. Field Goods featuring Deschutes Brewery

Dr. Field Goods is located at 2860 Cerrillos Road, Suite A1. For more information, call (505) 471-0043 or check out their website.

Handcrafted Bike & Beer Show

Santa Fe Farmers Market Building, 5-9 p.m.

The first 500 people receive a custom Bike & Brew logo stainless cup.

Breweries include: Deschutes, Broken Trail, La Cumbre, Red Door, Santa Fe Brewing, Second Street, Starr Brothers

Tickets are $15 to $25 and can be purchased here.

Saturday, May 20

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2016 Tour de Brewer, SFBC

Tour de Brewer

Start times: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.

Saddle up at the Santa Fe Railyard Park for a round trip ride with stops at Second Street Brewery, Blue Corn Brewery and Santa Fe Brewing Company. Cyclists will speak with head brewers and sample beers along the way with a tour of the new Santa Fe Brewing facility and a cold beer fresh off the canning line.

Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased here.

Tour de Brunch

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

This tour includes stops at Ohori’s Coffee, CheeseMongers of Santa Fe, and Barrio Brinery to check out how the local artisanal food scene is evolving. We wrap up the ride at HQ Santa Fe for some savory bites and a beverage.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

Concert & Beer Garden

Bike & Brew 2015, Railyard Park

Railyard Park, 5-9 p.m.

This evening features food trucks, a bicycle expo, and music by DJ Spinifex and Hello Dollface. The first 500 people receive a custom Bike & Brew logo stainless cup.

Breweries include: Deschutes Brewery, Broken Trail Brewing, La Cumbre Brewing, Red Door Brewery, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Second Street Brewery, Starr Brothers Brewing

Tickets are $15 to $25 and can be purchased here.

* * * * *

Julie: A great way for locals to take advantage of this weekend’s events is to pick up a Locals Pass for $20, which allows entry to both Friday and Saturday night’s main beer events. The passes can be picked up at Whole Foods Market at 753 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. The beer dinners listed will likely require reservations, so we advise you to plan ahead.

In 2015, the weather stopped no one from pouring the good stuff!

Luke: I’ve been to three of these now, and I’ve always had a good time. One year I was even interviewed by the Beer TrALE, the first of the Drink it Interns, about New Mexico IPAs, and I said some mostly factual things. Don’t bother looking for the video. You probably won’t find it. Only now am I more interested in getting on a bike, especially with a chance to huff it between some new breweries (lookin’ at you, Rufina and RFA!). And, with no chance of a BUI (Oregon and Colorado, you know what I’m talkin’ about), I’m sold. Still, drink responsibly. Bike responsibly. Don’t be an asshat. Sadly, I don’t own a bike, but the beer side of these events has always been a great experience, and even if the weather hasn’t always cooperated, the outdoorsy type of folks that dig this particular brand o’ shindig don’t mind a little rain and mud while they get down with the gettin’ down.

Cheers!

— Julie and Luke

Full event listings are available at www.outsidesantafe.com/events.

Luke123 Steel Bender

For more #CraftBeer news and @nmdarksidebc info, follow me on Twitter @SantaFeCraftBro!

Charting out an early plan of attack for ABQ Beer Week

Posted: April 24, 2017 by cjax33 in ABQ Beer Week 2017
Tags: Marble Brewing, Nob Hill Bar & Grill, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Rio Bravo Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing, Tractor Brewing

Set your calendars!

We are T-minus one month and one day until the annual madness of ABQ Beer Week is upon us once again. The Crew received a copy of the final printed schedule that you will soon be able to find (almost) everywhere there is craft beer. More events figure to be added between now and May 25, but those will appear online only. Fear not, as we done every year since 2012, we will have full coverage every day, previewing every event and recapping the big ones.

As we have done in years past, we are also gonna unveil a way-too-early preview of the events that jump out to us. These are our picks, and merely suggestions. In the end, chart your own Beer Week path. Just enjoy it safely and responsibly.

Day One: Thursday, May 25

Event: Girl Scout Cookie & Beer Pairing Flight at O’Niell’s Nob Hill — Sierra Nevada beers paired with Girl Scout cookies? Uh, yeah, we’re down for that.
Others to consider: Pork and Brew Big Sipper IPA Can Launch with The Silver String Band at Tractor Wells Park; Beer, Coffee & Chocolate Pairings at Rio Bravo; Upslope Special Release Tapping and Beer Week Kickoff at M’tucci’s Moderno

Day Two: Friday, May 26

Event: Sour Hour with Rowley Farmhouse Ales plus Hops and Dreams Beer Week Edition at Tractor Wells Park — This is your opportunity to try RFA’s unique beers in ABQ, plus you can stick around and watch the Desert Darlings shimmy their way to glory.
Others to consider: ABQ Trolley Co. The Hopper — Hop-on, Hop-off Brew Cruise; Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout and Cooper Project tapping at Nob Hill Bar & Grill

Day Three: Saturday, May 27

Event: Beer Olympics at O’Niell’s Juan Tabo — We have no idea what a Beer Olympics looks like, but if it’s something like the movie Beerfest, the Crew may have to assemble a team.
Others to consider: (This day was insanely hard to pick just one event, FYI.) Mother Road and Tractor Collaboration Beer Release with Le Chat Lunatique; Pig Roast and Marble Special Release Keg Tapping at Freight House; Santa Fe’s ABQ Beer Week Bash at Green Jeans Farmery

Day Four: Sunday, May 28

Event: Blues & Brews — It’s back at Sandia Resort & Casino, and the best part this year is you do not have to pick between it and BearFest, which has been moved to June 17. You can do both, with plenty of time to recover in between!
Others to consider: Founders Barrel-Aged Beer & Cigar Pairing at Imbibe; Mother Road Sampling and Special Keg Tapping at Sandia Saloon (Whole Foods Academy)

Day Five: Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day)

Event: Beer Geeks Trivia at Tractor Nob Hill — Shameless self promotion time! The Crew is hosting this five-round test of your beer knowledge. There will even be a tasting round. It’s never too early to start studying. Our archives are a good place to start.
Others to consider: Memorial Day Music Fest at Marble Downtown

Day Six: Tuesday, May 30

Event: Beer Geek Trivia Night at Marble Westside — Just in case you miss us the day before, you can join the Marble staff for their version. We may even send a team to see if their questions are harder than ours!
Others to consider: Firestone Walker Beer Dinner at Nob Hill Bar & Grill

Day Seven: Wednesday, May 31

Event: Quarter Celtic Mini Cask Fest — We don’t know what constitutes “mini,” but it’s a cask festival, and those are far too hard to pass up.
Others to consider: Marble Brett IPA Tap and Bottle Release at all locations; Tractor Beer vs. Wine Food Pairing with Gruet

Day Eight: Thursday, June 1

Event: Battle of the Beer Geeks at Tractor Wells Park — OK, here we go again with the shameless self promotion. Come join us, The Babes in Brewland, The Dukes of Ale, and more local groups to see how our beers stack up against each other. The Babes have taken the last two titles after we won the first in 2014. This time around, there will be a twist, every beer will be a variation of a wheat beer. Be warned, we still went overboard.
Others to consider: Cascade Tapping of Sang Royal and Elderberry at Nob Hill Bar & Grill; Upslope Beer Dinner at Freight House

Day Nine: Friday, June 2

Event: Tower of Sour at JC’s NYPD Pizza and Back Alley Draft House — We know how much some of you love the beers that make you pucker up, so rejoice, this annual event is back. The organizers have already told us you should expect a very different lineup than what was at Tart at Heart 3, but equally good.
Others to consider: Oskar Blues Secret Stash at Nob Hill Bar & Grill

Day Ten: Saturday, June 3

Event: Yappy Hour with Watermelon Mountain Ranch at Cazuela’s — This is another brutally tough day to pick out one event, but then Cazuela’s went and held a fundraiser/adoption event for the animals rescued by the good folks at WMR and, well, how could we resist?
Others to consider: 3rd Annual Food Truck Battle at Red Door; Ladies Loving Beer Luncheon at Marble Westside; Quarter Celtic “Mangose” Release; Jodie Herrera Art Opening, Glass and Beer Release with Blank Tapes at Tractor Wells Park

Day Eleven: Sunday, June 4

Event: 9th Annual Brewers Guild Golf Tournament at Santa Ana Golf Course — Dust off those clubs and hit the links in support of the Guild. For more info, go to the official site.
Others to consider: Goose Island Sisters Brunch at Nob Hill Bar & Grill; End of Beer Week Brunch with Upslope at M’tucci’s Italian; Joe S. Sausage Super Sunday Sampler at Marble Downtown

OK, before any of you panic and scream “Where is the 505 Collaboration beer release?!” fear not! The exact release date has not been scheduled, but we have confirmed they will be brewing the 505 this coming Saturday at one of our local breweries. It will be back.

Once again, there are a lot of events still to be posted to the website. Keep checking back there or with us for more info.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Rock & Brews jumps into the beer festival fun

Posted: April 6, 2017 by cjax33 in Events
Tags: Boese Brothers, Ponderosa Brewing, Rio Bravo Brewing, Rio Grande/Sierra Blanca Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe Brewing

The taps will be flowing with some special beers this Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Rock & Brews)

It is spring, so slowly but surely the beer festivals are popping up. Our friends over at Rock & Brews are hosting a Spring Beer Festival this Saturday, with a mix of local and regional breweries in attendance.

The event kicks off at 2 p.m., and tickets cost either $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Participants get a commemorative sample glass and then a chance to try beers from 11 breweries, six local and five from outside the state.

Participating breweries from beyond our borders include Dogfish Head, Left Hand, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, and Upslope. The locals are Boese Brothers, Ponderosa, Rio Bravo, Santa Fe, and Sierra Blanca.

In addition to many of the usual favorites, Rock & Brews shared a few of the specialty one-off kegs that will be tapped.

UPDATE: Boese Brothers Zeus Juice White IPA
Left Hand Honey Saison AuMiel
New Belgium Tartastic
Ponderosa 200th Brew Baltic Porter and New England IPA (making its debut here before going on tap at the brewery)
Rio Bravo La Luz Lager
UPDATE: Rowley Farmhouse Ales Good on Ya (Motueka single-hop pale ale)
Santa Fe Western Bloc IPA

If we receive news of any additional specialty kegs, we will share them before the event kicks off.

There will also be live music from Chris Ravin (2-5 p.m.) and special door prizes and giveaways.

Stop in, have fun, and you will still have plenty of time to get to Isotopes Park for Dukes Retro Night and the Albuquerque Baseball Hall of Fame induction for pitching brothers Pedro, Ramon, and Jesus Martinez.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

The Week Ahead in Beer: Start April in a charitable way

Posted: March 29, 2017 by cjax33 in The Week Ahead in Beer
Tags: Marble Brewing, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Sidetrack Brewing, Tractor Brewing

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 six breweries, one in Socorro, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

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

Once again, our breweries are stepping up to help out various charities this weekend. One event is Saturday, the other three are Sunday. First up, Sidetrack is hosting the Downtown Grower’s Market Launch Party fundraiser from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday. There will be raffle prizes, multiple food trucks and other local vendors, and a full musical lineup including Kathleen Smith at 2 p.m., Kevin Herig at 4 p.m., and The Squash Blossom Boys at 6 p.m. For every Sidetrack pint you buy, $1 will go to the market. Then on Sunday at 1 p.m., Marble hosts the Casa Barelas fundraiser, also with $1 from every beer going to the charity, which provides classes in arts and culture to children and adults in the Barelas community. My Sweet Basil will be parked outside, and there will be live performances by DJ Halcyon, Baracutanga, and youth folklorico and guitar players. That same day, Tractor Wells Park hosts the Don’t Frack with Chaco Canyon fundraiser at 3 p.m. There will be food trucks, vendors, and live music. It costs $5, but all of the door proceeds will go to Environment New Mexico, an organization dedicated to protecting our state’s natural resources from the dangers of fracking. Innastate, The Jir Project, Rev The Music, and Kiko Villamizar will be performing. Not to leave Santa Fe out, Rowley Farmhouse Ales is having a Marble rare beer tap takeover on Sunday, and it will be combined with an adoption event for the Espanola Valley Humane Society from noon to 3 p.m. The beers will be available all day, including old favorite Double White, plus Bacon’s Best Friend, Blackberry Gose, The Golden Ape, Northeast by Northeast IPA, and Woodshed Double Red. A portion of the proceeds from the beer sales will go to the EVHS. Get out there and enjoy a couple beers for a good cause this weekend!

On the new beer front this week, there are a few additional options to check out. Bosque unleashes another lupulin-powder-powered beer, Sticky Fingers IPL. Boxing Bear brings back a gold medalist in The Red Glove, plus Black and Blue Sour returns Saturday both on tap and now in bombers. Canteen has a fresh batch of Exodus IPA, plus Malt Madness is underway again. Chama River recently added The Incredible Kolsch, while Seasoned Strop Belgian DIPA is back. La Cumbre sticks with its recent German theme with Ein Beer Bitte! Marble has Wheat Out on tap at two taprooms, with Brown Rye debuting at the Heights location. Ponderosa’s 200th beer, a Baltic porter, will be released this week. Quarter Celtic tells everyone to Czech it Bro. Sidetrack introduces Chinook IPA and Coal Bank Stout. Turtle Mountain hops to it with Good Ol’ Brown IPA.

Up in Santa Fe, Rowley Farmhouse Ales says Good on Ya. Santa Fe brought back Western Bloc IPA over the weekend. Second Street resurrects a hoppy favorite in Fulcrum IPA.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of March 27.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Albuquerque metro area breweries

Ale Republic — (505) 281-2828

(Mon–Thurs 2–10 p.m., Fri–Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Pine Juice IPA, Golden, Brune, Wheat Wine. The Strong Dark and Handsome has run out, but there are fresh batches of Brune (5.2% ABV, 22 IBU) and Wheat Wine (5.4% ABV, 17 IBU) available. Wheat and Wild will join them Saturday, with Blonde and Dubbel on deck.

Alien Brew Pub — (505) 884-1116

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Call the number above for details on any small-batch beers currently available. They change frequently. The rest of the lineup is from the Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande family of beers.

Back Alley Draft House — (505) 766-8590

(Sun–Weds 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thurs–Sat 4 p.m. to midnight)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Sundays are Service Nights at Back Alley, with $2 off all beers for service industry workers. Bring your server’s ID and you will be rewarded. All beers are $1 off on Tuesdays.

Bistronomy B2B — (505) 262-2222

(Mon–Tues 4-9 p.m., Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-9:30 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

The Blue Grasshopper — (505) 896-8579

(Noon to 11 p.m. most days, call for more info)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Live Music: Bands perform from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. Click the link for the schedule.

News: The Blue Grasshopper taproom on Coors, just north of Montano, is now open! We will have more soon.

Boese Brothers Brewery — (505) 382-7060

(Hours: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–midnight, Fri 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Sat noon–2 a.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Patriot Porter, La Onza White Ale, Dr. Strangehop XPA, Duke City Lager, Double Dead Ale, Comrade Boese, Cascade Grenade. Double Dead Ale and Dr. Strangehop are also available in bombers. Comrade Boese is an oak-aged Russian imperial stout, in case the name wasn’t enough to help you guess its identity. Zeus Juice White IPA will return Saturday on tap and in bombers.

Events: Saturday—Patio Re-re-reopening Party, 1 p.m.

Live Music: Saturday—DJ Speed One, 5-8 p.m., Alex Maryol, 9-11 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Boese will have a happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $3 pints. You can also get $3 pints all day Tuesday and $6 growler fills all day Wednesday.

Bosque Brewing Company — (505) 750-7596 (main brewery), (505) 508-5967 (Nob Hill Public House), (575) 571-4626 (Las Cruces Taproom)

(Main brewery on San Mateo: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-8 p.m.; Nob Hill: Mon–Weds 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun noon-11 p.m.; Las Cruces: Sun–Thurs noon-11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon-midnight)

Beers: Scale Tipper, Tropics via Brussels, Peated Scotia, Sangre De Coco, English Boot, Sticky Fingers IPL. The Sangre is an imperial brown infused with coconut and chocolate. It is quite the dessert beer. This batch of Scale Tipper is rather wonderful thanks to the addition of Citra lupulin powder. Get it on tap and in bombers.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Bow & Arrow Brewing — (505) 247-9800

(Mon-Weds 3–10 p.m., Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri-Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Flint & Grit (British Mild), Sun Dagger (Saison), Crossed Arrows (Scotch Ale), Hoka Hey (IPA), Jemez Field Notes Lager, Bucking Brown-co, Autumn Archer (Marzen), Wayward Arrow Hefeweizen, Radical Aim IPA, Bock in the Day, Chaco Sunrise. The most recent additions are the Bock in the Day and the Chaco Sunrise, a wine barrel-aged saison. Both were brewed for the recent first anniversary party.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bow & Arrow has happy hour every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Get $1 off pints. A new late happy hour starts Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.

Boxing Bear Brewing Company — (505) 897-2327

(Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.)

Beers: Vantablack Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Lung Smoked Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout (also on nitro), Simcoe SMASH, New Mexikolsch, Bearzen, The Red Glove. You can still buy bombers of Chocolate Milk Stout and The Red Glove, which both took home gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival back in October, as well as Sucker Punch DIPA.

Events: Saturday—Black and Blue Sour Release Party, all day

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8-10 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Every day at lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for just $10 you can get a pint and a panini of your choice.

Broken Trail Brewery & Distillery — (505) 221-6281

(Mon-Thu 3-9 p.m., Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Pepe the Mule. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. Look for it soon in package format. Double Black IPA is the first hop-forward beer from Broken Trail.

Weekly Events (main location): Today (Wednesday)—Cards Against Humanity hosted by 10 Drink Minimum, 7 p.m.; Sunday—Build-your-own Mule bar, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesday—All house beers are $2 a pint

Canteen Brewhouse — (505) 881-2737 (brewery), (505) 200-2344 (taproom)

(Brewery: Sun–Thurs noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight; Taproom: Open daily 3–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tuttle IPA, Nor14 Pale Ale, Exodus IPA, Irish Red, Schwarzbier. Say hello to the Nor14 and Schwarzbier, the most recent new additions. The Dougie Style Amber is also on nitro. Take note, Malt Madness is back, pitting Canteen’s beers against each in a one-on-one blind tasting each day until a final winner is crowned.

Events: Malt Madness, today (Wednesday)—Flashback IPA vs. India Pale Lager, all day; Thursday—Vienna Lager vs. Helles, all day

Live Music: Thursday—Lonn Calanca Band, 6-9 p.m.; Sunday—The Squash Blossom Boys, 3-6 p.m.

Cazuela’s Seafood & Mexican Grill — (505) 994-9364

(Open daily 8 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Papacabra (Double IPA), Acapulco Gold (Mexican Lager), Chupacabra IPA, Piedra del Fuego Stoned Cream Ale, Beer for My Horses (Oatmeal Stout). These are the regular house beers. Call the number above for an updated seasonal list.

Chama River Brewing Company — (505) 342-1800

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: The Lighter Fare (ESB), The Darker Fare (Nitro Irish Dry Stout), Seasoned Strop Belgian DIPA, The Incredible Kolsch. The Lighter Fare and Darker Fare are delicious collaborations made with Nexus. The Kolsch lives up to its name, a little crisp, mildly sweet, and just the kind of sessionable beer we needed before the weather flipped again.

Dialogue Brewing — (505) 585-1501

(Open daily noon-midnight)

Beers: Belgian Citrus IPA, Berliner Weisse, Dark Helmet (Swartzbier), American Dark Sour, Scarlet Beh-Gose, Helles Good, When in Doubt (Session Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Panza Mexican Vienna Lager, Micro Hands Session IPA, SCH Scotch Lager, Lloyd’s Extra Gloves, Dennis Hopper (Hoppy Wheat), Filth Peddler (Sour Lager). The last two there, Dennis Hopper and Filth Peddler, are the most recent additions to the unique lineup.

Weekly Events: Monday—Service Industry Night, 6 p.m.

Drafty Kilt Brewing — (505) 881-0234

(Sun 11 a.m–10 p.m., Mon 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Tues–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight)

Beers: Groundskeeper Willie Cream Ale, Wee Beastie Scottish Ale, McWabbit Pale Ale, Campbell Toe IPA, Obliviscaris Oatmeal Stout. Brewer/owner Mike Campbell has five of his own creations on tap at 4814 Hardware Dr. NE, including the Campbell Toe (no snickering). The Obliviscaris is a burly throwback to the stouts of old.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Flix Brewhouse — (505) 445-8500

(Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight)

Beers: January Embers English Barleywine, 50 Shades of Schwarzbier, Stuntman Lager, So It Gose, Mr. Cutty Fingers, Saison de Walt. January Embers is a delicious, hefty (9.9% ABV) beast of a beer. Get it while it lasts. Mr. Cutty Fingers is a loganberry IPA brewed up for the movie Logan, if you could not guess.

Kaktus Brewing — (505) 379-5072

(Bernalillo hours Mon-Thu 2-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-10 p.m., Sun 11:30-9 p.m.)

Beers: Umlaut Stout, ESB, Blonde Ale, Helles Lager, Imperial Stout, Honk Ale, Oaxford IPA, D’Golden Amber, Walnut Cider, DjinnJar Kombucha. The most recent additions are the D’Golden Amber, Honk Ale, and the burly Umlaut Stout, which is not for the faint of heart, er, palate.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Thursday—The Desert Darlings, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Bernalillo): Sunday—Brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., The Desert Darlings, 6-8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Kaktus has several new weekday specials in Bernalillo, including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

La Cumbre Brewing — (505) 872-0225

(Open every day at noon)

Beers: Ein Beer Bitte!, Munchner Dunkel, Ekuanot S.M.A.S.H. IPA, Gracias Por Fumar, Pogue Mahone (on nitro). Before anyone asks, yes, the batch of Project Dank bottled on March 6 is the one that won the National IPA Challenge. If you cannot handle that many hops, grab a brandy-barrel-aged Gracias, or keep St. Patrick’s Day alive longer with some Pogue Mahone.

Live Music: Saturday—High Desert Playboys, 6-9 p.m.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Lego Night Build Off, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lizard Tail Brewing — (505) 717-1301

(Mon–Weds noon-9 p.m., Thurs–Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-7 p.m.)

Beers: Contact the brewery for an updated list.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Lizard Tail’s happy hour runs seven days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. You get $1 off food, flights, and pints.

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.; Thursday—Karaoke, 8-11 p.m.

Marble Brewery — (505) 243-2739 (downtown), (505) 508-4638 (Westside), (505) 323-4030 (Heights)

(Downtown: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.; Westside: Mon–Thurs noon–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.; Heights: Mon–Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10:30 p.m.)

Beers: American Porter, India Wheat Ale, Stout Americano, Steel Maverick, Saison de Burque, Woodshed Double Red (Downtown and Westside), Dark Strong (Downtown and Westside), Golden S.M.A.S.H. (Downtown and Westside), Dang Pale Ale (Heights and Westside), Choco Mole Lager (Heights and Westside), The Golden Ape (Heights and Westside), Wheat Out (Heights and Westside), White Out (Downtown only), NitrOatmeal Stout (Heights only), Brown Rye (Heights only), Northeast by Northeast IPA (Westside only), Paddy McNitro (Westside only), Bandelier Brown (Westside only). Some recent additions include Woodshed, a barrel-aged version of the Imperial Red blended with the regular hoppy Red Ale, plus of course Stout Americano, on tap and for sale in bombers. Steel Maverick is a Belgian-style red ale made in collaboration with Steel Bender Brewyard.

Live Music (Downtown): Thursday—Jahman Braham, 7-10 p.m.; Friday—Zillaphyst, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Zoltan & the Fortune Tellers, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Heights): Friday—Leftover Soul, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday—Sloan Armitage, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music (Westside): Friday—Alex Maryol, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday—Jade Masque, 8-11 p.m.

Events (Downtown): Sunday—Casa Barelas Fundraiser, 1-5 p.m. (see our intro)

Weekly Events (Downtown): Saturday—Brewery tours, 2 p.m.

Nexus Brewery — (505) 242-4100 (brewery), (505) 226-1055 (Silver Taproom)

(Brewery: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Silver Taproom: Mon–Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Milk Stout, Strong Ale, Irish Red, The Lighter Fare, The Darker Fare. Just about every beer on tap has come online in the past couple weeks. Malty goodness in spades! The Lighter Fare (ESB) and The Darker Fare (Irish Dry Stout on nitro) were brewed in collaboration with Chama River.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Monday–Friday, $5 appetizers, 3-5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Silver Taproom): Saturday—a live DJ will perform; Sunday—a live band will perform at 2 p.m.

Palmer Brewery and Cider House — (505) 508-0508

(Tues–Sat 3–9 p.m.)

Beers: MWA (Malt With Attitude), Guero (Belgian Wit), Pale Ale, Cockness Monster (Scotch Ale), Palmergranite Wit, Cafe Pale Ale, Switch Stance Stout. Palmer shares a building with Left Turn Distilling on Girard south of Candelaria. We got the full story on their origin and what’s to come in 2017.

Ponderosa Brewing Co. — (505) 639-5941

(Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: Oud Bruin, Schwarzbier, IPL, Imperial Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Simcoe Single-Hop Pale Ale. The Oud Bruin, a brown sour, is now on tap and for sale in bombers. You can also still purchase bombers of Sour Saison, Big Belgian IPA, and Preacher’s Daughter (Belgian Golden Strong) at the taproom or at liquor stores around town. Look for Ponderosa’s 200th beer, a Baltic Porter, this week.

Live Music: Today (Wednesday)—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.; Saturday—The Bus Tapes, 6 p.m.

Quarter Celtic Brewpub — (505) 503-1387

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Beers: A Pale Ale Named Desire, MacLomas (Dry) Stout, Phat Tiery, Kill or be Kilt, Czech it Bro. The last beer there is a new Czech-style amber ale, similar to a Marzen.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League viewing party, 8 a.m.

Red Door Brewing — (505) 633-6675 (brewery), (505) 990-3029 (downtown taproom)

(Brewery hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Downtown taproom hours: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Ottobrau Pilsner, Bock to Basics, Peach Patersbier, Calypso SMaSH Pale Ale (downtown taproom only). The Peach Patersbier is a Belgian dark ale brewed with peaches.

Weekly Events (Brewery): Monday—The Draft Sessions, 7-9 p.m.

Weekly Events (Taproom): Tuesday—Geeks Who Drink, 7-9 p.m.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company — (505) 900-3909

(Mon–Thu noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–9 p.m.)

Beers: Rio Bravo Amber, Weizen, Randy’s Shandy, Dirty Rotten Bastard IPA, Snakebite IPA, Randy’s Red Ale, La Luz Lager, Old Town Porter (regular and barrel aged), Barley Wine, Cereza Loco (Cherry Sour), NM Pinon Coffee Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Barrel-aged Belgian Strong Golden, Marzen, Level 3 IPA, Grab ‘Em By the Putin, Lemongrass Wit. The Level 3 (7.5% ABV, 120 IBU) should satisfy any hophead. The Putin is, in case you could not guess, a Russian imperial stout, checking in at a whopping 13-percent ABV. Lemongrass Wit is the most recent addition.

Live Music: Thursday—Thomas Zachary, 7 p.m.; Friday—The Blunts, 8 p.m.; Saturday—Nathan Fox, 8 p.m.

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Movie Night, 7 p.m.; Friday—Philly Friday, all day; Tuesday—$2 Taco Tuesday, all day

Sandia Chile Grill — (505) 798-1970

(Mon–Sat 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–6 p.m.)

Beers: Call the brewery for an updated list.

Sidetrack Brewing — (505) 288-6468

(Mon–Thurs 3–11 p.m., Fri 3 p.m.–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: Young Thatch English-style IPA, Chinook IPA, Sidetrack Pilsner, Gandy Dancer Irish Red, Barrel-aged Pub Ale, Coal Bank Stout. The Chinook and Coal Bank are the most recent additions. The barrel-aged version of the Pub Ale was made with a barrel donated by Marble.

Cask: The Irish Red and Young Thatch are in the firkins.

Events: Saturday—Downtown Grower’s Market Launch Party, 2-10 p.m. (see our intro)

Weekly Events: Tuesday—Taco Tuesday, all day

Starr Brothers Brewing — (505) 492-2752

(Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day)

Beers: Starrstruck IPA, L.A. Woman (Blonde), Thunderr Ale IPA, Red Zepplin, Roisin Dubh (Irish Dry Stout), SCH Scotch Lager, Lampshade Porter, Phantom Limb Black Rye IPA, Electric Sun American Wheat, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, The Green Manalishi. The most recent additions are the Brown Chicken, a double English-style brown ale, and Manalishi, a Mosaic single-hop pale ale.

Weekly Events: Saturday—Premier League Viewing Party, 8 a.m.

Steel Bender Brewyard — (505) 433-3537

(Sun–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: (house) Skull Bucket IPA, Red Iron Red, Sparkfitter Amber, Lloyd’s 3 O’Clock Kolsch, Blue Bullet Stout, The Village Wit; (seasonals/specialties) Steel Can Porter, Steel Maverick. Yes, folks, Steel Bender is open and off to a great start. They have the full beer lineup on tap, a full menu, the patio is ready to go, the driveway off Second Street is finished, basically everything we said would happen in our preview. Get over there and enjoy!

News: Next up on the beer list is the Village Idiot, an American hops saison.

The 377 Brewery — (505) 934-0795

(Open noon-11 p.m. most days)

Beers: English Best Bitter, Session IPA, Black IPA, Robust Porter, Kolsch, Hefe, Imperial Cream, IPA, Fully Booty Oatmeal Stout, Funky Punky Swartzbier, Red Horse NM Lager, SCH Scotch Lager. Holy moley, they now have multiple house beers on tap, which we recently reviewed. The most recent additions are the Red Horse (4.5% ABV, 14 IBU), IPA (7.2% ABV, 98 IBU), Oatmeal Stout (7.5% ABV, 62 IBU), and Funky Punky (5.5% ABV).

Tractor Brewing Company — (505) 433-5654 (Nob Hill), (505) 243-6752 (Wells Park)

(Nob Hill: Sun–Weds noon–midnight, Thurs noon–2 a.m., Fri–Sat noon–2 a.m.; Wells Park: Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–close, Fri–Sun 1 p.m.–midnight)

Beers: Vulgar Display of Porter, Chocolate Milk Stout, Turkey Drool, Goathead Hador Doppelbock, Golden Ale, Stein Wine, Barnstorm Ale, Ebony & Ivory (Nob Hill only), Farmhouse Saison (Nob Hill only), Flanders Red Ale (Wells Park only), Cowgirl Coffee Stout on nitro (Wells Park only). That there Vulgar Display of Porter (8.8% ABV) is a Baltic made in collaboration with a certain group of beer writers. We hope you all enjoy it. The most recent additions are the Ebony & Ivory (pale stout) and Flanders Red Ale.

Live Music (Wells Park): Thursday—Stanlie Kee & Step In, 8 p.m.; Friday—Singer/Songwriter Competition, 7 p.m.; Saturday—Still Closed For Repairs Album Release, 7 p.m.

Live Music (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Sloan Armitage, 8:30 p.m.; Saturday—Miners Like Astronauts, 5 p.m.

Other Events (Wells Park): Sunday—Don’t Frack with Chaco Canyon Fundraiser, 3 p.m. (see our intro)

Other Events (Nob Hill): Saturday—Rachel Harris-Huffman Art Opening, 5 p.m.

Weekly Events (Wells Park): Monday—Monday Night Film Club, 8 p.m.; Tuesday—Kamikaze Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Weekly Events (Nob Hill): Today (Wednesday)—Writing Wednesdays, 5 p.m.; Monday—Tractor Tune Up, 7:30 p.m.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Turtle Mountain Brewing Company — (505) 994-9497

(Kitchen hours: Mon–Tues 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Wed–Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Reminder: TMBC closes early when business dictates. Please call.)

Beers: McSmack, Good Ol’ Brown IPA, Oaked Depravity, Marzen, Consensual Sensations DIPA, Snakedriver (on nitro). Depravity (10% ABV) is a beast of a barleywine, and the version is the last one on tap. The Snakedriver is an Irish dry stout, in case you couldn’t guess. Consensual Sensations (8.2% ABV, 125-plus IBU) is a beast of a DIPA, brewed up for TMBC’s 18th anniversary.

Cask: Tuesday—TBA

Events: Today (Wednesday)—Brewmaster’s Dinner, 6 p.m. (for full details, click here)

Santa Fe breweries

Blue Corn Brewery — (505) 438-1800

(Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Tiny Mighty Session IPA, Imperial Stout, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Pale Ale. We eagerly await the Imperial Stout making a trek down to the Draft Station in Albuquerque. The two Belgian beers were brewed for the recent 20th anniversary party.

Chili Line Brewing — (505) 500-7903

(Mon–Sat 4–11 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.)

Beers: El Jefe (Rauchweizen), sIPApu (India Pale Lager), Antonio Bandito (Dunkelweizen), Llorona Lager. The sIPApu is back, now as an IPL. The Llorona Lager is the other recent addition to the lineup.

Live Music: Every night at 7 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Reverse happy hour after 9 p.m. includes $1 off pints, $6 appetizers, $10 entrees and pizzas.

Duel Brewing Company — (505) 474-5301

(Brewery: Mon–Sat open at 11 a.m., Sun open at 1 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 2 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sun noon–midnight)

Beers: Bad Amber, Pulp Fiction (IPA), Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Cezanne Verite, Rye Goya (Imperial Stout), Stocious (Wee Heavy), Suor Nelli (Barrel-aged Scottish Sour), Manikin (Scottish), Monomyth (Imperial IPA). The most recent additions are the Pulp Fiction, Cezanne Verite, Manikin, and Monomyth.

Live Music: Saturday—Rudy Boy Duo, 8 p.m.

Happy Hour/Discounts (Brewery): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 4-6 p.m. (discounts for all draft beer), Growler Saturdays ($3 off growler fills).

Happy Hour/Discounts (ABQ taproom): Happy hour Mon–Fri, 5-7 p.m.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales — (505) 428-0719

(Open all week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Beers: Fields of Rye, Stout-ish (with coffee), Saison du Sarlacc, Agent Scully – Season One, Colonel Citra, Biere de Mars, Good on Ya. The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Colonel Citra is another IPA made with, well, you can probably guess.

Events: Sunday—Marble Rare Beer Tap Takeover and Espanola Valley Humane Society Adoption Event, noon (see our intro)

Weekly Events: Today (Wednesday)—Special guest beer tapping, 4 p.m.

Santa Fe Brewing Company — (505) 424-3333

(Main taproom: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 2-8 p.m.; ABQ taproom: Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m.)

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Western Bloc IPA, Hipster Union Red Rye, Adobe Igloo, Nuevo (Blonde Ale), Dysphotic Stout (ECS), Red Dawn Saison (ECS). The latest entry in the Ever Changing Series, Red Dawn Saison, will have you yelling “Wolverines!” or something of that sort. Western Bloc IPA is back, now part of a series of seasonal-themed IPAs called the In-and-Out Series. Freestyle Pilsner is back on tap and in six-packs.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Second Street Brewery — (505) 989-3278 (Railyard), (505) 982-3030 (original location)

(Mon–Thurs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.)

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Boneshaker Special Bitter, Rod’s Best Better, Fulcrum, U2 Dry Irish Stout, Imperial Stout, Jordy’s Irish Red. With a red, two stouts, and two bitters, Second Street is all about March Malt Madness. For hopheads, Fulcrum is back to keep you company.

Live Music (Original location): Friday—Bill Hearne Trio, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—TBA

Live Music (Railyard): Friday—Zoltan & the Fortune Tellers, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday—TBA

Weekly Events (Railyard): Today (Wednesday)—Geeks Who Drink, 8 p.m.

Other breweries you need to visit

Bathtub Row Brewing — (505) 500-8381

(Mon–Weds 2–10 p.m., Thurs 2–11 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–10 p.m.)

Beers: The Tripel Lindy, Wit Rock, Crazy Mother IPA, Betty on Brett, Spearmint Stout, Jarrylo Pale Ale, Beedle’s Apple Ale, Catcher ‘n the Rye, Double Barrel Bourbon Brown. The most recent tap turnover went down in Los Alamos with Crazy Mother, Betty, Spearmint, Jarrylo, Beedle’s, and Catcher making their debuts. The Bourbon Brown (8.7% ABV) has now joined them.

Sierra Blanca Brewing — (505) 832-2337

(Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri –Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Beers: Barrel-aged Whiskey Stout, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat. The Whiskey Stout is back for a short time. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Cherry Wheat will also now be available in bottles.

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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.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister

Dark Side Brew Crew

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