Bosque Brewing Co. leads the pack after round 1 of the 2023 NM IPA Challenge

Today, 134 beer lovers cast their votes on 16 New Mexico IPAs in the first round of the NM IPA Challenge at The Drinkery, Bosque’s beautiful new taproom on the south side of Santa Fe.

After the votes were tallied, host Bosque Brewing Co. leads the pack with 19 votes.

Hidden Mountain is in second place with 13 votes, followed by IPA Challenge final-round host Flix Brewhouse with 12.

Of the 16 beers that made it through the elimination round of the competition, it appeared that at least 10 were of the New England hazy IPA style. And, of course, six were of the West Coast variety. With former champ Gravity Bound, having won the competition with the first hazy IPA on record, it seems as though hazy was the style to beat. But, as Gravity Bound was eliminated early in the industry-chosen round, it may have paved the way for other breweries with the cloudy concoctions to grab up some votes.

Below is a brief reminder of the participating breweries:

Bosque Brewing
Bow & Arrow Brewing
Canteen Brewhouse
Ex Novo Brewing
Flix Brewhouse
Hidden Mountain Brewing
Icebox Brewing
Marble Brewery
Quarter Celtic Brewpub
Rio Bravo Brewing
Santa Fe Brewing
Second Street Brewery
Sidetrack Brewing
Sobremesa Restaurant and Brewery
Steel Bender Brewyard
Three Rivers Brewery

At the end of the day, Guild executive director Ebbie Edmonston said she was happy with how the first round played out.

“I feel like it went really, really well,” she said. “Now, there was a rush at the beginning as there always is. And, it caused a little bit of a line. But, people are willing to wait to try the 16 of the best IPAs in the state.”

From the numbers alone, she believed this is going to be a very successful challenge year for the Guild.

“I was looking at numbers from last year, and I really think Santa Fe needs to be more involved in beer events. I love that they really showed up,” Edmonston explained. “I think it worked out well with how much advertising we did and how much marketing we did. And, you know, props to Gravity Bound for making a sick logo this year, because people wanted those shirts and they wanted the glass.”

For the next round, Edmonston said she is just looking forward to seeing how people vote and what they’re into.

The Guild and Guild members work hard to keep the beer trays moving!

“There was a lot of hazy (IPAs) this year,” she said. “I feel like there were a lot. I don’t have specific numbers. But, you know, poring through the flights, I could see that there were a lot of hazy. And, I am a hazy IPA girl over the West Coast, so I approve.”

The next round will be held at the Public House 28, just south of Las Cruces on the way to Anthony on Hwy 28.

The final round will be held (across three sessions), as always, in Albuquerque, this time at Flix Brewhouse.