The creation of local brews is a happy cultural phenomenon found in cities nationwide. Albuquerque has some great beers being made locally. Put these breweries on your radar screen and stop in for a visit to get a taste of what the Duke City is all about. And if you're a beer aficionado, don't miss the ABQ Hopfest in October and Albuquerque Beer Week in May.
ABQ Brew Pub
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The pub's handcrafted beers include the locally famous Alien Amber Ale, as well as pale ale, lager, IPAs, and the Pancho Verde Chili Cerveza, with a distinct roasted chile flavor. The pub features the beers from the Rio Grande & Sierra Blanca Brewing Company, listed below.
Bosque Brewing
Bosque Brewing has rotating seasonal specials and artisan brews available year round. They feature a pub menu and the space to sit and enjoy. They also donate $1 of each pint of special batch seasonal ales to the ABBA fund, which extends loans to families hoping to adopt.
Bosque Brewing has expanded its space and plans to open another location in town. It will also add lagers to the menu.
Boxing Bear Brewery
The brew pub also has a Southwest Grape and Grain next door for all your homebrewing needs. The pub has a big patio for sitting outdoors, and their keg growlers are awesome. They have lunch and dinner, and along with their own brews, they have other local beers from Turtle Mountain, Bosque Brewing and Chama River.
Canteen Brewhouse
The Il Vicino Brewery, Canteen Brewhouse, has been brewing beer for over 20 years and opened their taproom in 2011. The Il Vicino restaurants are all over town; find a location near you for some wood oven pizzas.
Cazuela's
The Rio Rancho Mexican restaurant is known for its seafood and enchiladas. It also has a craft brewery that produces special brews. Their Piedra del Fuego is a light cream ale that can be found at no other local brewery.
Kaktus Brewery
The brewery has several beers on tap and uses German brewing methods, though they don't brew German beers alone. The community atmosphere is family friendly, and has a dart board and Petanque court. For a bite to eat, they offer sausages from Alpine Kitchen. Take a self-guided tour of the brewery during operating hours.
Kellys Brew Pub
Kelly's offers over 20 in-house brews, from pale blondes to dark stouts. They serve traditional pub foods and have unique specials, such as ostrich and buffalo burgers. Kelly's also offers home brewers the chance to bottle and brew their own.
La Cumbre Brewing Co.
Head into the brewery for some New Mexico beers. They have Cerro Blanco, South Peak Pilsner, Pyramid Rock Pale Ale, Elevated IPA and Malpais Stout.
Lizard Tail Brewing
The small brewery opened in August 2014 with a two and a half barrel brewing system, with plans to eventually roll out twelve beers. Head brewer Daniel Berry has been perfecting his Honey Pale Ale and India Black Ale since college. For their opening, they have nine beers on tap. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. daily, with $1 off flights, pints, and food.
Marble Street Brewery
Find ten beers on tap at the 40-foot bar that looks into the brewery. There are booths and tables and an informal atmosphere. A menu offers a limited amount of sandwiches and snacks; the focus is on beer. An outdoor patio makes this a must-do destination in the warmer months when live music plays on weekends. Membership in the Marble Brew Club provides swag and discounts.
Nexus Brewery
The brewery features a place to sit and relax, network, and enjoy live music, food, and a range of brews. Nexus offers $3 pints all day.
Quarter Celtic Brew Pub
The pub offers up southwestern bar fare as well as British and Irish dishes such as bangers n mash, fish and chips and porter stew. There's indoor and outdoor seating in a neighborhood pub atmosphere. Tap into the house brews or pull a pint of a local favorite. The pub joins a group of other local Irish pub favorites.
Red Door Brewing
Grab a cold one after work at this centrally located brewery, the city's newest. They are the only brewery in Albuquerque that promises an environment free of rampaging gangs of rabid badgers. (You have to love a place that has a sense of humor!)
There's an outdoor patio and plenty of big screen TVs for watching the game. Every Saturday the taproom opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast and beer. They also have an original Nintendo, Super Mario Bros. and Punch Out. Beers include ales, cider, stout, IPA, and blonde.
Rio Bravo Brewing
The brewery is also a bar and grill and includes a viewing area and an upstairs conference room that can host 100 people for events. The menu is limited but includes pizzas, soups and sandwiches, hamburgers and German brats. There will be food trucks as well.
Rio Grande & Sierra Blanca Brewing Co.
Though the brewery is in Moriarty, the ABQ Brew Pub in Albuquerque Uptown has all the beers on tap. Pair the beers with pub fare. See listing above.
Tractor Brewing
The brewery in Los Lunas has a tap room in Nob Hill and Wells Park in Albuquerque. Taste their Farmers Tan Red Ale and their Double Plow, an award-winning oatmeal stout. Tractor has no kitchen, but there are always great food trucks pulled up nearby.
Turtle Mountain Brewing
The Turtle offers 12 brewed beers on tap and restaurant food that features wood-fired oven pizza.