Stoutmeister here with another of those haphazardly thrown together beer notebooks. In the midst of a strangely busy/not busy week, one of those times when you feel like you’re doing lots of things without accomplishing much of anything. Or something like that. Anyway, the beer gods have done their best to smile upon us of late, and I am not just talking about the trip to VALHALLA (the GABF, for those who have already forgotten). Between Halloween and house parties and the fact that the holiday being on a Wednesday has basically turned this into Halloweek (thanks, Evelyn, for the term), there have been plenty of opportunities to go out and drink beer.

First and foremost Halloween also marked the start of Tractor’s Beer Noir, in which blackened is not merely the end, but the color of (almost) all Tractor beers for a while. The event was created to coincide with the Guild’s film noir month across the street. As a dark beer fanatic (not that you could tell by my name or anything), I have been looking forward to this since Skye told me about it months ago. So with Shilling and Cryptogrind and Aimee in tow, I headed over to Tractor in the world’s cheapest costume (Flannel Man!) to sample the first round of Beer Noir (not every beer will be on tap at the same time).

In addition to the regular Double Plow Oatmeal Stout, new styles on tap (and old favorites returning) included Luna de los Muertos Imperial Stout, Adebisi black lager, Black Eyed P.A., and Milk Moustachio Stout. In addition, there were beers from La Cumbre, Santa Fe, Marble, and 2nd Street on hand.

If you go with two friends, you can get a sampler tray of all 12 beers; if you are alone, it’s four at maximum. Each sample checks in at six ounces, so be aware of how much you are drinking. This is a heavy police week around ABQ’s streets and highways, so watch out or make sure you have a designated driver.

For my four beers I went with the Adebisi, Black Eyed, Moustachio, and 2nd Street’s Cream Stout (which, surprisingly, I have never before sampled, mostly because every darned time I go to Santa Fe they are out of this style). The Adebisi is very light; give it to your friend who doesn’t like dark beers. It’s slightly sweet, but does not pack much flavor. The Black Eyed is a beast this time around; brewer David Hargis told us that he dry-hopped it in an effort to change things up. The result is a burly beer with strong roasted flavors and an aromatic hop burst that can blast your palate. This is not a beer for the week, but it is one that both dark beer lovers and hopheads can enjoy.

The Moustachio, was, well, its usual near-perfect self, a wonderful mix of creamy, sweet goodness with a strong stout backbone. The Cream Stout was fairly similar, but maybe with more coffee hints to make it just distinct enough from the Moustachio. I also tried a little of Shilling’s Imperial Stout. This is basically a stronger version of the Double Plow, with a lot of the same flavor characteristics, but more of a straight alcohol punch. It checks in at 8.5 percent ABV, so watch yourself.

Anyway, I’ll just throw the rest of the week’s tidbits below in bullet format:

There will be a Stone Vertical Epic Beer Dinner at O’Niell’s in December. When we get more details, we will be sure to share them.

Mayflower Stout, which is made with sweet potatoes and brown sugar, is now on tap at Broken Bottle. Sounds like a place to stop at after covering high school soccer on Friday! Also coming soon, in honor of Movember, is Tom Selleck Ale. Oh, boy.

The Crew will check in with the gang over at Bosque Brewing to see how their first full week of operation has gone. All the reports we are hearing have been great, so kudos to all of you that have visited and enjoyed ABQ’s newest brewery!

Snagged a growler of Witch’s Tit from La Cumbre for Franz Solo’s housewarming party this week. We saved it for dessert, which consisted of smores made over the backyard fire pit. It was absolutely perfect, a wonderfully spicy pumpkin ale that meshed just right with the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

Speaking of Franz Solo, he is working hard at work, so we might have to wait a while longer before he files reports on some epic beers he has found around town, as well as recaps of his recent trips to Indianapolis and Omaha.

Crew member Derek has brewed up a batch of his own pumpkin ale that we will be sampling later today. At some point we are going to sit him in front of a computer and get him to recount his homebrewing adventures, since he is the most experienced and accomplished of all Crew members in this venue.

The Crew will be attending a special tapping of The Maple’s Shade at Back Alley Draft House in the near future. Look for an interview with Goat Head brewer Majin Garcia next week in advance of this potentially awesome event.

And that’s about it from us for the time being. We will be around town, sampling beers, attending events, and the like. If you see any of us out there, don’t be shy, say hello and make sure to let us know if there are any beers we are missing out on.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister