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…

ABQ Beer Week returns with an even more local vibe than in years past

It is almost the end of May, believe it or not, and that means we have reached the annual stretch where ABQ Beer Week returns to celebrate all things craft in Albuquerque. This year’s version is scaled back from the pre-pandemic era Beer Weeks, and rather uniquely features a local brewery at every event. No…

Award-winning Ponderosa brewer leaves to take over CNM program

Another notable local brewer is on the move these days. He will not be going far, however, and this move could very well prove beneficial to the entire local industry and its future. Antonio Fernandez, fresh off winning back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for his Italian Pilsner,…

New Mexico breweries claim 5 awards at the 2022 World Beer Cup competition

A total of 10,542 beers were entered in 103 categories at the 2022 World Beer Cup, and five New Mexico breweries were able to bring home five awards out of that huge field on Thursday. Ponderosa Brewing (gold), Nexus Brewery (silver), Ex Novo Brewing (silver), Marble Brewery (bronze), and Second Street Brewery (silver) were the…

This guide to brewery Halloween happenings filled up awfully fast

Anytime Halloween falls on a weekend, and the world is not in full COVID restrictions mode, one can expect breweries to jump on board with a whole slew of parties, costume contests, and more. Well, Halloween is this Sunday, so the weekend is as chock-full as one would expect. Here is just about every Halloween-themed…

Four New Mexico breweries bring home four medals from GABF awards ceremony

A quartet of New Mexico breweries, including two first-time winners, captured medals at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony on Friday evening. Ex Novo Corrales and Ponderosa each won their first medals, and in both cases, those medals were gold. Ex Novo, whose sister brewery in Portland won gold last year for Perle…