None of the Crew could make it over to Nexus for round one of the 2012 IPA Challenge on Sunday (I know, I know, bad beer bloggers putting work/life ahead of beer).

But thankfully the good folks at the New Mexico Brewers Guild posted the results on Facebook when all the votes were tallied.

A total of 14 breweries participated, with the most notable absentees including Sierra Blanca/Rio Grande, Eske’s, plus newbies Broken Bottle and Taos Ale House, and as-yet-unopened Boar’s Nest.

Anyway, of the 14 who did participate, two stood out above the rest. In the listing below we go by ranking, with the number in parentheses representing the number that the brewery was give in the blind taste test. Those numbers will not be the same for the next three legs of the Challenge.

1. (tie) Il Vicino (7) and Marble (6) with 28 votes

3. Chama River (13) with 14 votes

4. Santa Fe (12) with 13 votes

5. La Cumbre (3) with 12 votes

6. (tie) Tractor (2) and 3 Rivers (9) with eight votes

8. (tie) Turtle Mountain (10) and High Desert (11) with seven votes

10. Nexus (14) with five votes

11. 2nd Street (8) with four votes

12. (tie) Blue Heron (1), Blue Corn (4) and Mimbres Valley (5) with three votes

Il Vicino is the three-time defending champion and will play host to the final round (which the Crew will attend, we already have our tickets) on Saturday at noon.

If there is a surprise, it is award-winning La Cumbre only coming in fifth, but there are a lot of votes still to be tallied at the next three venues, so this battle for the coveted silver trophy is far from over.

And if anyone out there is attending either Tuesday’s event in Farmington or Thursday’s in Santa Fe, and you feel like sharing your experience, just contact us on our Facebook page or via the comment section below!

Until the next Isotopes road trip begins and I return to my natural habitat …

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister