The voters in Las Cruces had their say Wednesday night, and it was a close finish atop the standings as the first round of the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge was completed at Icebox Brewing. Nexus Brewery and Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery tied atop the standings with 16 votes apiece, followed closely by host Icebox…
The Week Ahead In Beer: IPA Challenge 2021 Arrives
Greetings all, Franz Solo here, returned from adventures in Chicago and a week lost to a lingering cold. As the “hop head” of our fair group (I have been known to brew 300+ IBU IPAs and if you’ve ever asked if you could add more hops to a beer, the answer is yes), I’m always…
Analyzing the field ahead of the first public round of the NM IPA Challenge
The haze has overtaken the clear. After years of West Coast-style IPA dominance, this year’s final 16 entries in the New Mexico IPA Challenge are primarily of the hazy New England style. So can one of them become the first winner of an in-person NMIPAC? Rio Bravo’s hazy Dice Roll IPA won the take-home edition…
Breaking News: Brewers Guild forced to cancel 3rd round of NM IPA Challenge
The 2021 edition of the New Mexico IPA Challenge was reduced from four rounds to three on Monday night. Due to a combination of low ticket sales and a possible new COVID-related lockdown for San Juan County, the third round of the competition set for November 17 at Lauter Haus Brewing in Farmington has been…
Preliminary round of NM IPA Challenge produces some surprising finalists
The brewers had their say Saturday afternoon, narrowing down a field of 35 IPAs to a final 16 for the upcoming public rounds of the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge. As one might expect, there were some surprises in the breweries that advanced, and those that did not. Here are the 16 finalists. Boxing Bear…
Downtown breweries appreciate all that Artwalk brings to their taprooms
The weather is sure cooperating with the organizers of the monthly ABQ Artwalk in downtown this Friday. The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. and run through most of the night at multiple places on Central and adjacent streets. From today’s events to all those in past months, Artwalk has provided a major boost for…
Gravity Bound’s new canning line provides yet another way to enjoy their beers
In a relatively short period of time, Gravity Bound Brewing has established themselves as an impressive player in the Albuquerque beer scene. They are now taking their presence to the next level with the addition of a canning line to their downtown facility, which is a step in the right direction for multiple reasons, co-owner/brewer…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Embrace the darkness in its many forms
A smooth stout appears in cans, an epic imperial stout returns in bottles, we celebrate the dead, dance to a certain spooky family’s theme, and blast our souls into oblivion with local metal. Yeah, it’s our kind of week. New Draft: Boese Brothers also joins this darker setting with Soul Stealer Extra Stout. (UPDATE) Bombs…
NM IPA Challenge preliminary round field of 37 entries is all set for judging
UPDATE: A brewery was left off the list of participants. Lots of edits to follow. Thirty-seven breweries enter. Only 16 will leave. OK, it is not exactly the quote from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but the preliminary round field for the 2021 New Mexico IPA Challenge is set for Saturday’s pro judging round at the…
Beer Premier brought out some truly delectable new brews for all to enjoy
The annual Beer Premier was a hit this Saturday at Nexus Blue Smokehouse. Twenty brews made their debuts from 21 breweries (one was a collaboration) for the crowd of assembled beer geeks and industry insiders, all presented with aplomb by the New Mexico Brewers Guild. The important question now is when will these delicious elixirs…
