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Tractor Brewing has four locations throughout Albuquerque, including its Wells Park Taproom.
Brewing—Not Just for the Bros
The Pink Boots Society’s mission is to assist, support, and encourage female beer professionals through education. The Albuquerque chapter, with representatives from breweries throughout the city, annually collaborates on a brew they sell at a party every March celebrating International Women’s Day. The proceeds go toward scholarships to get more women into brewing. Last spring, the group made a Rosie the Riveter IPA.
An Alehouse Glossary
ABV: Alcohol by volume. Basically the amount of booze in your brew. A very good thing to know, especially if you plan on driving. A light beer like Boxing Bear’s delicious Body Czech Pils is 4.3 percent. A heavy Sunshine Stout, from Bosque Brewing, hits at 7.9 percent. A couple of those and you’ll be looking sideways.
Cask-conditioned: Unfiltered and unpasteurized beer served from a cask, without additional carbon dioxide pressure or nitrogen. Very smooth.
DD: Designated driver. The person in your crew enjoying the bubbly water so the rest of you get home safely. (Uber, Lyft, and taxis will also do.)
Flight: The pu pu platter of brews. You can’t decide, and you shouldn’t have to decide, so get the beer flight—a great way to sample a bunch of beers, usually in 2-to-4-ounce pours. Often in very cute glasses.
Growler: Typically a 32- or 64-ounce glass bottle one can fill with draft beer at a brewery and take home. Best if consumed that day. Ideal for sharing at picnics and parties. More affordable and eco-friendly than buying six-packs.
Hazy: Also known as New England style, hazies are basically really fruity, citrusy IPAs, so they’re hoppy, too. The beer is often cloudy as a result of the unique process. The best ones look like orange juice.
Hops: The flower of Humulus lupulus, credited for the fruity, floral, bitter flavor of beer. One of four essential ingredients in beer making, alongside yeast, barley, and water.
IBU: International bitterness unit. A chemical measurement of the number of bittering compounds. The more IBUs, generally, the more bitter your beer.
American IPA: India pale ale. Hoppy, flavorful, beers, typically 6–7 percent ABV.
Pint limits: Many breweries here have instituted a limit on the number of pints one can order—usually three—to promote responsible drinking while creating a safe, accessible space for all and preventing drinking and driving.
New Mexico Winners at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival