IPA Challenge 2016: Boxing Bear takes slim lead after one round

More than 160 patrons packed The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing on Saturday afternoon to cast their votes in the first of the three main rounds of the 2016 NM IPA Challenge. The initial tallies suggest this is going to be a close one, though a lot can change between now and the final votes…

Nob Hill becomes beer epicenter of this weekend and beyond

Oh, Nob Hill. You wonderful little place, except for your lack of parking. Home to three taprooms, several beer bars, and that place with the nice patio. This Saturday, it will also be home to one small-but-awesome event, and one very large event. Then comes Tuesday, with another small-but-awesome. First up, Ballast Point will be…

The Week Ahead in Beer: Treat yourself and help others this Thursday

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s four breweries and one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos also joining the party. Our local breweries have always been good to us, bestowing…

Pajarito Summerfest: An alternative to Beer Week

So, you guys down in Albuquerque seem to be having a lot of fun with your “Beer Week” thing.  Lots of events all over town, lots of beer … I can appreciate that. But, some of us don’t get down to Albuquerque very often as we are stuck up in the mountains. Well, we don’t…

BearFest roars back to life this weekend at Boxing Bear

If last year proved anything, it is that Albuquerque has reached the point where it can support two beer festivals at the same time. There was much rejoicing about this, as the two events — BearFest at Boxing Bear and Blues & Brews at Sandia Casino — ended up attracting different crowds, thus not truly…

Local breweries bask in the glow of World Beer Cup gold

As soon as the World Beer Cup results were announced, we decided to do the impossible and get the six Albuquerque-based winning brewers to meet at the same place at the same time. It can be the hardest thing in the world to find even a sliver of free time for some of the busiest…