Two New Mexico breweries earned a medal apiece at the 2024 World Beer Cup on Wednesday night, held in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas.

Both Nexus Brewery and Quarter Celtic Brewpub and Meadery were awarded silver at the annual competition. There were 329 medals handed out in 110 categories this year.

Nexus won for the second time in three years in the Old Ale or Strong Ale category with Beam Me Up (Higher) Scotty. It came in second out of 35 entries in the category. Nexus now has four WBC medals in their history.

Quarter Celtic made it back-to-back years with medals, this time for Kill or be Kilt in the Scotch Ale category. It was second out of 53 entries. Last year, the brewery won gold for Capri-derhosen in the German-Style Marzen or Franconian-Style Rotbier category. This is Quarter Celtic’s third WBC medal.

All told, 26 New Mexico breweries submitted 128 beers, per the Brewers Guild. This marks the second major competition in a row that only two local breweries earned a medal after the 2023 Great American Beer Festival. It’s a bit of a step down from prior years, but in this new era of breweries conserving funds wherever possible, it’s also probable that fewer beers are being submitted that cost a lot to make. The entry fees have risen significantly for both WBC and GABF, and many breweries may simply be opting out.

So, yeah, it sounds like we are coming up with a future story. That will have to be for another day, though. For now, congratulations to Nexus and Quarter Celtic.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister