Boxing Bear Brewing gets their kicks with IPA Challenge win No. 6

In the end, the hosts had the most, well, votes. Boxing Bear won their sixth trophy at the New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge on Saturday afternoon, rallying from far back after the first two rounds. The hosts racked up 52 votes Saturday for a winning total of 63 across the three weeks of competition….

Downshift extends lead after second round of IPA Challenge

It was a good day to be a brewery from Southern New Mexico. The second round of the 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge was held at Icebox Brewing’s main location in Las Cruces on Saturday, with the hosts topping the round while another brewery from the region extending its overall lead. Icebox racked…

IPA Challenge heads south where brewery activity is ramping up

The second round of the New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge is set for Saturday afternoon at Icebox Brewing in Las Cruces. The Crew will not be braving the heat and driving down I-25, but we will do our best to get the results out when the Guild announces the voting totals. Last weekend, Downshift…

Downshift takes slight lead after 1st round of 2026 NMBG IPA Challenge

For anyone that missed it on social media, the Crew was present in numbers for the first round of the 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge on Saturday at Second Street Rufina in Santa Fe. Three of us joined in the first-round festivities, which were quite simple to enjoy in the spacious taproom, replete…

Savory 16 finalists set for 2026 New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge

Whomever controls the hops controls the beer universe. Or, something like that, but it’s getting to be time for the New Mexico Brewers Guild’s IPA Challenge, so we may be mangling more movie quotes before the winner is crowned on August 1. The preliminary round, where judging panels of brewers and chosen brewery representatives gather…