The voters in Las Cruces had their say Wednesday night, and it was a close finish atop the standings as the first round of the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge was completed at Icebox Brewing.
Nexus Brewery and Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery tied atop the standings with 16 votes apiece, followed closely by host Icebox with 15.
A total of 91 votes were cast in this opening round. The second round will quickly follow this Saturday at Beer Creek Brewing south of Santa Fe, and then the final round a week after that on November 20 at Boxing Bear’s Firestone Taproom in Albuquerque.
Here are the final voting totals:
- Nexus Brewery 16
- Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery 16
- Icebox Brewing 15
- Second Street Brewery 9
- Thirsty Eye Brewing 6
- Three Rivers Brewery 6
- Canteen Brewhouse 4
- Sobremesa 4
- Lava Rock Brewing 3
- Red Door Brewing 3
- Ex Novo Brewing 2
- Hidden Mountain Brewing 2
- Palmer Brewery 2
- Boxing Bear Brewing 1
- Quarter Celtic Brewpub 1
- Turtle Mountain Brewing 1
The top three entries are all hazy IPAs, so this might be the first year a hazy wins an in-person NMIPAC (Rio Bravo won the take-home edition last year with their hazy Dice Roll IPA).
A huge thanks to Crew reader Tina L. McNeely for sticking around after the event and snapping that photo above. Yeah, we definitely owe her a couple pints the next time she is in Albuquerque.
Cheers!
— Stoutmeister
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 