Ah, September. The month when I have to start accounting for 20 minutes of extra travel time because I always get stuck in 15 mph school zones. (Wouldn’t it make sense to up the speed limit in the zones of schools that are known for athletics? Those kids are pretty fast.)September is the month that I will travel to Denver to cover the Great American Beer Festival for the Alibi . Reserve your copy today. (Like my religious search for a mention in the Alibi’s I Saw You section, the joke never gets old … and never satisfies.) September is also the month Marble throws its homage party to Munich’s Oktoberfest, but, this being the USA, we do it one better: Septemberfest. Yes, our great country celebrates the marriage between Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen long before Germany does, since we are always the first to do anything. (OK, Iran, you got math. But you didn’t get to keep the name Persia, did you?)Set aside all your cares this Saturday, Sept. 11—at least from noon to 6 p.m.—as you will be at Marble Brewery (111 Marble NW) busily drinking samples from 12 New Mexico breweries. $20 gets you a week’s worth of beer: unlimited one-ounce samples, served in a commemorative pint glass. That glass is also good for one fill of the beer of your choice—and the choices stretch from Bavaria to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). If you need more than beer to make a fest festive, enjoy the musical stylings of Le Chat Lunatique from noon to 3 p.m., followed by The Porter Draw from 3 to 6 p.m. You will need a full belly in order to fully enjoy all the beer available, and Chama River will have food for sale without the hassle of tipping your server. Save it for “tipping” back nearly 40 of the state’s finest brews, including some special releases. Marble Brewery will debut Bourbon-barrel-aged versions of its already fantastic Quad and Imperial Stout, along with its standard offerings. Other breweries are pouring … Abbey: Monk’s Ale (the only one it makes) Blue Corn: Lokalweizen, brewer Brad Kraus’ celebration of his 20 years of brewing, uses “as local as I could get” ingredients, according to Kraus. The malt and yeast come from Colorado, and the hops were grown at Bosque Farms’ De Smet Farms. Kraus is still debating whether to bring his Dark Heart India Black Ale or last year’s crowd favorite Atomic Blonde Lager. Chama River: The standard IPA, Amber and Lager; either Summer Ale or Double Red Hallenbrick: It’s a surprise. The brewer never got back to me. Santa Fe: Freestyle Pilsner, Happy Camper IPA, State Pen Porter, Hefeweizen Second Street: IPA, Cream Stout, Belgian-American Pale Ale, Simcoe Pale Ale, IPA 1,000 Sierra Blanca / Rio Grande: 420 IPA, Pancho Verde Chili Cerveza, Sierra Blanca Nut Brown (Gold Medal winner at the Dukes of Ale’s 22 nd Pro-Am competition in August), Rio Grande Desert Pils (also a Gold Medal winner) Socorro Springs: Pickaxe IPA, Red Lager, Apricot American Wheat Ale Tractor: Haymaker Honey Wheat, Farmer’s Tan Red Ale, Sod Buster Pale Ale, Double Plow Oatmeal Stout Turtle Mountain: Only one sure bet for now: Hybrid IPA combines the recipes of its standard IPA with its Independence IPA.Put that list up against these sorry statistics: The famed Oktoberfest only allows the same six breweries each year. And the same style of beer (Märzen) is served by each brewery. See? We proud New Mexicans are doing ours earlier, and we’re doing it better.
Abq Beer Geek Marble Brewery Septemberfest
Marble Brewery111 Marble Ave NW(one block north of Lomas at the corner of First St. and Marble Ave.)505-243-BREWTickets are $20 and include entry, souvenir pint glass, unlimited beer sampling, and one pint.Buy your ticket in advance at the Marble Bewery and get a pint of your choice.
