Stoutmeister

Icebox Brewing uses home field advantage to take IPA Challenge lead

The second round of the 2025 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge just wrapped up at Icebox Brewing in Las Cruces, with the hosts leaving with the most votes. Icebox added 19 more votes to their first-round total of eight for 27 total. Another southern brewery, Downshift, tallied the second most votes of the round…

Beer Notes: Hiking for brews, hops go south, newcomer in cans, Flix wins

Oh, look at that, just enough stuff has piled up that it was time to empty the old beer notebook again. Let us dive right in, shall we? First up, a little while ago we were sent that book pictured up above. Beer Hiking Southern Rockies is part of a series of regional books that…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Canteen asks us all to run for Ruidoso

Unless you have been avoiding the news (not that we can blame you) for the past few weeks, you have probably seen that once again Ruidoso has been hit by some dramatic, and deadly, flash floods. The burn scars from last year’s big wildfires have left parts of the town especially susceptible to flooding, causing…

First round of 2025 NM IPA Challenge features a crowd at the top

Back during the preliminary round of the 2025 New Mexico IPA Challenge, a few brewers told the Crew that it would be awfully hard for any of the quality ales featured to break away from the pack. The first round of public voting Saturday proved that prediction right, as three breweries tied with 12 votes…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Multiple breweries step up to help doggos

Love dogs? We sure do. We love them just about everywhere, but it’s a little extra fun seeing them enjoying brewery patios alongside their humans. This Sunday will feature a new event called Adopt the Block, where four breweries and two distilleries along First and Second streets will all have dog adoption setups from Animal…

Bandolero becomes latest brewery on selling block as owners aim to retire

A while back, we wrote up on how the brewing industry in New Mexico is reaching a point where some owners are ready to retire and move along. It’s already happened in Angel Fire (Enchanted Circle was sold to the owners of Nuckolls), in Corrales (Casa Vieja was sold), and in Albuquerque (The 377, to…

Snazzy 16 finalists line up for competitive IPA Challenge field

Oh, sure, we could have used the obligatory sweet 16 in that headline, but we do not want to be sued by CBS and the NCAA. Anyway, the preliminary round of the 2025 New Mexico IPA Challenge was held this Saturday at Gravity Bound to narrow down a large field of competitors into the finalists…

Box Canyon Brewing keeps chugging along under new ownership

Back in the early part of this year, it appeared that another brewery casualty of the erratic beer economy would be Box Canyon Brewing in Socorro. Right up until the February 28 deadline for state licenses to expire, it appeared that the charming little brewery would be pouring a final pint or two. Then one…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Go forth on the Fourth and enjoy something local

Well, look at that, a national holiday finally falls on a weekend. After a year of Monday holidays (St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, etc.), it’s nice to have the Fourth of July on a Friday. Well, maybe for us regular folks, but it does put a slight crimp in things for breweries. Fridays are…

Steel Bender unveils new charity campaign with an IPA at its heart

A few weeks ago, the Crew was invited to stop by Steel Bender one morning to learn about an upcoming charity campaign. Well, upcoming then, almost here now, as it will kick off Tuesday. Working with M’tucci’s/Teddy Roe’s, plus Admiral Beverage, Albertsons Market/Market Street, and 100.3 The Peak, this new campaign will replace the former…