The preliminary round of the New Mexico IPA Challenge is now a private event, not open to the public. However, that certainly does not lessen its importance. A total of 42 breweries will have their IPAs judged by their peers, and from that will come the 16 beers that the hoppy beer lovers will get to sample over the three upcoming public rounds.

Gravity Bound, which just happened to win the NMIPAC last year, will host Saturday’s private round. One representative per participating brewery will then take a seat amid carefully selected groups. No one in that group will taste their brewery’s beer. It’s a bit of an undertaking, but Santa Fe brewmaster Bert Boyce and his wife have the system down to a science at this point.

Yours truly will be a fly on the Gila monster wall during the proceedings, and will report back after the votes are tallied and the final field is announced. Here are the 42 breweries sending in their IPAs on Saturday.

• Bathtub Row Brewing
• Beer Creek Brewing
• Bosque Brewing (won in 2014-15)
• Bow & Arrow Brewing
• Boxing Bear Brewing (won in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)
• Brew Lab 101
• Canteen Brewhouse (won in 2004, 2005, 2009-12)
• Downshift Brewing
• Ex Novo Brewing
• Flix Brewhouse
• Gravity Bound Brewing (won in 2022)
• Hidden Mountain Brewing (won in 2013, 2018 as Blue Corn)
• High and Dry Brewing
• Icebox Brewing
• JUNO
• Kaktus Brewing
• La Cumbre Brewing
• La Reforma
• Late Shift Lager House
• Lauter Haus Brewing
• Lava Rock Brewing
• Marble Brewery
• Nexus Brewery
• Ponderosa Brewing
• Public House 28 Brewery
• Quarter Celtic Brewpub
• Red River Brewing
• Rio Bravo Brewing
• Rumor Brewing
• Santa Fe Brewing
• Second Street Brewery
• Sidetrack Brewing
• Sobremesa Restaurant and Brewery
• Spotted Dog Brewery
• Starr Brothers Brewing
• Steel Bender Brewyard
• Thirsty Eye Brewing
• Three Rivers Brewing
• Tractor Brewing
• Truth or Consequences Brewing
• Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery
• Turtle Mountain Brewing (won in 2003, 2007)

If anyone is wondering, the long-gone Chama River won the other three years (2002, 2006, 2008) not listed above.

A total of 14 New Mexico cities and towns will be represented, from Farmington in the northwest to Las Cruces in the south.

After the results are posted, it will be time to get those tickets to the public rounds. Those will take place July 15 at Bosque’s The Drinkery in Santa Fe, July 22 at Public House 28 Brewery between Las Cruces and Anthony, and finally July 29 over three rounds (noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.) at Flix Brewhouse. You can find ticket links to all the rounds on the NM Brewers Guild website.

May the best IPA win! Or, at least make the top 16 this weekend.

— Stoutmeister