In the end, the hosts had the most, well, votes. Boxing Bear won their sixth trophy at the New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge on Saturday afternoon, rallying from far back after the first two rounds. The hosts racked up 52 votes Saturday for a winning total of 63 across the three weeks of competition….
Reigning IPA Challenge winners host final round but trail in standings
Prep your palates, the day of the hops is almost upon us! The final round of the 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge is this Saturday at Boxing Bear Firestone. Online tickets for all sessions (noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.) are still available, but if you want to get in on the last session…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Collabs are all the rage and we are here for it
Another week, another collaboration beer is due to be released. Damn, we live in great times. Back in the old days, collabs were a fairly rare thing. These days it feels like they are a becoming a constant. That’s a good thing. When breweries join forces, good things happen. This week the release is Dangerous…
Downshift extends lead after second round of IPA Challenge
It was a good day to be a brewery from Southern New Mexico. The second round of the 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge was held at Icebox Brewing’s main location in Las Cruces on Saturday, with the hosts topping the round while another brewery from the region extending its overall lead. Icebox racked…
IPA Challenge heads south where brewery activity is ramping up
The second round of the New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge is set for Saturday afternoon at Icebox Brewing in Las Cruces. The Crew will not be braving the heat and driving down I-25, but we will do our best to get the results out when the Guild announces the voting totals. Last weekend, Downshift…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Steel Bender goes all in at annual lavender festival
The 20th annual Lavender in the Village Festival will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday at Balloon Fiesta Park, and the (brewing) price of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque will be there in full support. Steel Bender will have a booth on site (No. 111) and will be offering up…
Downshift takes slight lead after 1st round of 2026 NMBG IPA Challenge
For anyone that missed it on social media, the Crew was present in numbers for the first round of the 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge on Saturday at Second Street Rufina in Santa Fe. Three of us joined in the first-round festivities, which were quite simple to enjoy in the spacious taproom, replete…
Carlsbad brewery plans to move into familiar location in Clovis
A little while ago, we noted that while there has been zero moves by any Albuquerque area brewery in terms of adding a taproom, Open Space Brewing in Santa Clara was adding a taproom in nearby Silver City. Well, this week, Carlsbad’s Guadalupe Mountain Brewing decided to join in on the fun, announcing that they…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Sending out soccer with a big brewery bang
By the time you read this feature, the World Cup final could very well be set. Spain beat France 2-0 on Tuesday in the first semifinal, and defending champion Argentina was set to battle England today (Wednesday). That final is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, and of course many breweries will be showing the game,…
Savory 16 finalists set for 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge
Whomever controls the hops controls the beer universe. Or, something like that, but it’s getting to be time for the New Mexico Brewers Guild’s IPA Challenge, so we may be mangling more movie quotes before the winner is crowned on August 1. The preliminary round, where judging panels of brewers and chosen brewery representatives gather…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 