It had been a minute since Boxing Bear had heard their name called during the Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony. Well, more than a minute, as it was 2017 when Featherweight Session IPA won a bronze.

Leave it to old reliable to end that drought, as Chocolate Milk Stout brought home a silver medal in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category last weekend.

“The fact that something like a house beer, Chocolate Milk Stout, that became a house beer because it medaled before (and now wins again) is really neat,” said Boxing Bear co-owner/director of brewing operations Justin Hamilton. “It’s awesome to have something we’re really proud of and still be good. That beer, it’s still a great seller, regardless of how it’s done in the past in general competitions. I don’t think people even look at the medals on the can. That’s our beer that has definitely pushed our brand a lot. It’s our golden child. It’s really fun, it will be great to get another medal up there (on the wall). We’ll order duplicate medals for all the staff so they can wear them around every day.”

Chocolate Milk Stout previously won a gold in 2016 and a silver in 2015. It also holds a 2016 gold from the World Beer Cup, making it the most awarded beer in the brewery’s history.

Hamilton and the Boxing Bear team did not attend GABF this year, but much like their compatriots over at Tractor Brewing (who took gold in the same category, as things would turn out), they did gather in their main taproom to watch the livestream of the ceremony.

“We make it a habit if we’re not at the event to have a watch party with the staff, specifically,” Hamilton said. “We showed up around 10 o’clock down here. It was just a nice, friendly, family kind of thing. We had entered five beers. Most of them were in the first 50 categories. We put three lagers up and an experimental IPA, which is right up there. Within half the competition, we’re like shit, but we’re hanging out and still having fun. Chocolate Milk Stout is in like category 84, right at the tail end. We’ve been here before, (and) it’s always like that, waiting anxiously for that last category.

“It’s nail-biting the whole time, so sometimes it’s nice to get it over with. Maybe next year we’ll enter (categories) one through 20 or something like that. So anyway, we’re hanging out, and it just shows up on the screen. I don’t even know who really noticed it first. Then everyone just explodes.”

Hamilton showed me a security video of the moment it happened, and it was exactly as he described, everyone milling about chatting, someone pointed at the screen, and then pandemonium.

“It was great, it was a good feeling,” Hamilton said. “We’re super psyched, and we tried to watch the rest of the competition, but at that point we were happy to get a win again. It was really a fun experience to have. I would have loved to have been in Denver, but at the same time I liked being able to share that moment with our staff and the brewers.

“There’s times where we have won in the past in Denver, and I can’t wait to get back, and at the same time I’ll be hungover and tired. So it was cool to be in the city to celebrate with my friends and family and not have to worry about a six-to-eight-hour drive home. That was a refreshing part of it, too. It was heartfelt to be with the people who made the beer and share that moment with them.”

Not every Boxing Bear staff member was present at the Firestone taproom, as four were in Red River for that town’s annual Oktoberfest extravaganza. Events coordinator Astrid Galarza was leading the team at the brewery’s booth, and she had spoken to New Mexico Brewers Guild executive director Ebbie Edmonston the prior day about keeping an eye on the GABF results.

“We were up in Red River and we had to finish that out,” Galarza said. “Ebbie, I hadn’t seen her since the day before and she was in her normal attire, suddenly these lederhosened-out woman comes screaming to the booth and she’s like you won, you won. I’m so confused, I don’t realize it’s her, this screaming woman. She explained and then we all erupted into cheer. I’m glad the Guild had our backs, we weren’t paying attention, we were busy doling out beers to the crowd.”

While Edmonston informed us that it was a dirndl, not lederhosen (but she was very amused by Galarza’s quote), the celebration did not end there for the Boxing Bear team in Red River.

“Later that day, we ended up winning the first double-blind beer tasting of Red River Oktoberfest,” Galarza said. “There was two categories, best Oktoberfest brew and best brew overall. We obviously submitted our Oktoberfest and Chocolate Milk Stout, and both won first in those categories, so that was icing on the cake, too.”

Oh, and then there is that other trophy that is sure to catch a few eyes as it now adorns the shelf behind the bar at the Firestone taproom. For those wondering, yes, it is a golden wiener (dog).

Galarza’s husband, Robert, won the bratwurst-eating competition, and brought home that award to the brewery.

“We can say a lot about the silver medal, but bringing home the brat, the golden wiener to Boxing Bear,” Hamilton said while laughing.

“Six brats in five minutes, including the bun,” Galarza recalled. “The closest to him had two brats. They literally told him, you don’t need to do anymore.”

“That’s what we’re talking about with Boxing Bear, we learn to stick it out,” Hamilton added.

“I told him (Robert) you could get really sick on potentially the busiest day of the festival,” Galarza continued. “He says to me, ‘I think that it will be great for us to promote if I win.’”

“He sacrificed his body for his wife and brand,” Hamilton said. “It was a really cool weekend. That’s always a weekend when so much is going on. It seems to always happen at the same time as GABF. We didn’t send anyone to GABF and we had less of a group up in Red River, but both obviously were successful. Astrid, and Nick, and Angie, and Robert just crushed it up there for a three-day festival. Those alone are just so grueling. To be happy on video dancing, it’s so cool to see.”

Hamilton said that his favorite part of winning the medal this time around was to not only celebrate it with almost his entire staff here in Albuquerque, but to do with so many of the new faces who have joined the team since that last medal in 2017.

“We’ve been in position to win medals before and be on that side of recognition, but this time meant so much more just because of the people involved with it,” he said. “My brew staff has been working so hard and doing all this work for the passion of beer. They know they make great beer, but every now and again it’s nice to have that pat on the back from the Brewers Association. Especially for the guys who haven’t felt it before.”

“It’s great to be a part of the big win for New Mexico craft beer in total,” Galarza added. “There were three of us that won. It’s just exciting to see New Mexico, we’re still out there, we’re still fighting.”

“It’s cool that one of these years New Mexico will win a whole category,” Hamilton said. “You see it with other states, California, Colorado, Ohio will randomly do that shit. It’s interesting to have that connection with New Mexico. We’ve been known for IPAs, and all of a sudden sweet stouts are killing it.”

Congratulations to everyone at Boxing Bear on the medal and doing such a great job of representing New Mexico!

DogtoBEARfest returns to close out fest season

While I was at Boxing Bear, I also talked to the team about Saturday’s DogtoBEARfest, which will take over the interior and exterior of the Firestone taproom from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, and yes, you can bring your dogs as long as they are on a leash, well-behaved, and can stay outside on the patio or in the back lot.

“DogtoBEARfest again this year will be hosted at the Firestone location, celebrating all things Oktoberfest and also our near and dear love for pets,” Galarza said. “In addition to having a vendor market, we’ll have live performances by Opera on Tap and Trinity Soul. We’ll have a series of festive games. You can also expect some festive food specials from the Bear Kitchen.

“We’ll be hosting a vendor raffle. All of the proceeds collected from that raffle are going to Cross My Paws Animal Rescue, which is the animal rescue that we’ve been working with for the last couple years. They’re local here, based out of the North Valley. They’ll have adoptable dogs here that day, as well.

“We’re just really looking forward to celebrating last weekend’s wins with the community, but also giving back to the rescue.”

There will also be a best-dressed contest for dogs and humans, plus a free photo booth to help you commemorate the occasion.

“People come out and get excited about it, get decked out,” Galarza said. “We’re going to hope that the weather cooperates. There might be a little rain or wind, but rain or shine, we always make our events work.”

There will be dog-centric vendors selling handkerchiefs, outfits, treats, and more, plus vendors selling items for dog owners. Opera on Tap will have a special interactive performance inside from 2 to 3 p.m., and Trinity Soul will then provide the music from 3 to 6.

There will also be commemorative glassware for sale, including some cool German-made ceramic mugs. Oh, and if you purchased a Boxing Bear German Alpine hat at any past event, wear it Saturday and you will get $1 off all your beer pours and 10 percent off all package.

A big thanks to Astrid, Justin, and social media manager Nick Bridges (who provided all the images herein) for meeting up on a busy week.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister