For many years now, one of our favorite local events has been the New Mexico Brew Fest, held annually in the fall at Villa Hispana on the State Fairgrounds. Well, after the pandemic put it on hold for a couple of years, it’s returning this October 1 in all its outdoor glory, featuring only local…
Author: Stoutmeister
Former sports writer in Tucson, LA, and Burque. Now I write about craft beer, which is a totally reasonable way to support my hobby of spending afternoons and evenings indulging in the finest stouts, lagers, and more.
2022 NM IPA Challenge trophy goes to new winner thanks to 1st hazy champ
With more than 400 votes cast in the final round on Saturday afternoon, a single-round record, the 2022 New Mexico IPA Challenge was bound to feature some surprises at the end at the Santa Fe Brewing taproom inside Tin Can Alley. Of course, to the many loyal followers of Gravity Bound Brewing, was it really…
Dispelling a few myths ahead of the final round of the NM IPA Challenge
As everyone that follows this site should know by now, the third and final round of the 2022 New Mexico IPA Challenge is Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Santa Fe Brewing’s taproom inside Tin Can Alley. Some tickets are still available online. It’s been a bit of a tumultuous NMIPAC so far, and…
Nexus takes the lead after 2nd round of NM IPA Challenge in Farmington
The second-place finisher in 2021 will head into the final round of the 2022 New Mexico IPA Challenge with a slim lead as Nexus Brewery tries to win its first trophy. It was a clean second round at Lauter Haus Brewing in Farmington on Wednesday night, with Nexus picking up 14 votes to give it…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Oh please oh please let this be the first sign of fall
Anyone else really tired of it being in the 90s outside? We are especially, but that probably has something to do with our black clothing. Anyway, we are very, very hopeful that a fall beer tradition that arrives this Friday will finally convince Mother Nature that it is time for the seasonal transition. OK, fine,…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Stop for the hops to prep your palates
Since we received nary a complaint about the new format of Week Ahead, we are sticking with it. With that bit of news out of the way, we get back to our normal intro, which naturally focuses on the NM IPA Challenge, which starts this Saturday at Second Street Rufina. We included a just-the-facts preview…
Field of 16 finalists for 2022 NMIPAC set and ready to go after preliminary round
The “sweet” 16 entries of the 2022 New Mexico IPA Challenge has been finalized after representatives from 38 breweries met at Boxing Bear Firestone on Saturday afternoon and cast their blind taste test ballots. Rather than attempt some sort of long-winded recap first, here are the beers. Bosque Brewing (won in 2014 and 2015) Boxing…
Beer Notes: IPA Challenge returns, new brewery updates, brewer shuffle
Catching up on all the things we missed, and we are still probably forgetting a few, seemed like a prudent thing to do this week. Also, the feature I planned will have to wait until next week. These things still happen from time to time. NM IPA Challenge is back with a couple of changes…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Keep the key info, leave out the excess stuff
Welcome to the reformatted, more compact version of Week Ahead. It is a work in progress, so input is always welcome on what you all think. After all, this is for all of you as much as it is for all of us. Down below, New Draft, New Package, and Notable Events are the same…
Award-winning Ponderosa brewer leaves to take over CNM program
Another notable local brewer is on the move these days. He will not be going far, however, and this move could very well prove beneficial to the entire local industry and its future. Antonio Fernandez, fresh off winning back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for his Italian Pilsner,…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 