We kinda figured that the take-home edition of the 2020 New Mexico IPA Challenge was going to produce some surprises. The big surprise was the first-time winner, beating out two stalwarts of the hop-forward part of our local beer scene. Rio Bravo Brewing took home the trophy with 22 votes, followed closely by two-time past…
Tag: New Mexico Brewers Guild
How we all survived the take-home edition of the NM IPA Challenge
Only a band of complete lunatics would attempt to sample all 36 beers in this year’s New Mexico IPA Challenge. Well, we are those lunatics. Or, we were, since we did this two weekends ago. It just took us a while to process what we went through, how we felt about the entire setup, and…
Virtual Albuquerque Beer Week kicks off with multiple beer releases and events
Beer festivals and the like are among the many event casualties of the current pandemic. Gathering people in large numbers anywhere is not a particularly good idea, so it has forced event organizers to get a little creative in how to keep annual traditions going. Take ABQ Beer Week, the annual multi-day, multi-event extravaganza that…
Beer Notes: Broken Trail and Kaktus plan on returning this Friday
The number of breweries that have temporarily closed during this pandemic, eschewing the takeout-only model, is continuing to dwindle in the Albuquerque metro area. We have news on some planned reopenings, expanded hours, and more that just cried out for a Beer Notes. Broken Trail ready to return to action After shutting down its offsite…
New Mexico Brewers Guild goes virtual for Saturday beer festival
This era of stay-at-home has forced just about everyone and anyone to get creative when bringing people together. That includes state brewers guilds and other beer festival organizers, who cannot hold those festivals in the usual manner. A few state guilds have been experimenting with doing things online, and the New Mexico Brewers Guild will…
Breweries are exempt from latest state order that closes liquor stores
A moment of sheer panic among craft beer drinkers and brewery staff members occurred late Monday afternoon when new orders from the office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham included the closing of all liquor stores to in-person sales. After a few anxious minutes of waiting, we were informed by Alcohol Beverage Control, via the New…
Pandemic hits local brewing industry as hard as everything else
Never in our lives did we imagine that a story about a global pandemic’s impact on local craft breweries would ever appear on our site, but here we are. We will keep a constant listing of closings and event cancellations/postponements here, but please keep consulting individual breweries’ social media pages for updated information. We can…
Flix Brewhouse sneaks past Rio Bravo to claim 2020 Stout Invitational
Flix Brewhouse’s very good February continued on Saturday afternoon. The brewery/cinema followed up three medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards by taking first place in the fifth annual New Mexico Brewers Guild Stout Invitational, once again held at Bathtub Row Brewing. Mama’s Kitchen, a milk chocolate stout with cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, coconut, and…
Bosque North set to host screening of craft beer documentary and follow-up panel discussion
This Super Bowl Eve, consider making a short drive up to Bosque North in Bernalillo, to join some of your favorite beer people, and me, for a special screening of the documentary For the Love of Craft, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. The best part? It is all free, though you will have…
New Mexico Brewers Guild earns big legislative victory during year of transition
The New Mexico Brewers Guild accomplished a lot more than just hosting a few events during 2019. It pulled off a big win at the state legislature, changed executive directors, and continued to do its best representing each of its 81 members, big and small, urban and rural, throughout the year. To recap all of…
