We said it would be a battle to decide the best IPA of 2015. Some scoffed. Some were bewildered. Some guffawed, whatever that means. In the end, though, we were right. This was really, really hard to pick the best out of 15 samples. On a warm, crowded (but not too crowded) day at Boxing…
Tag: Ponderosa Brewing
IPA Challenge: All the details on the final round
The decisive final round of the 2015 NM IPA Challenge is set to kick off this Saturday at noon at Boxing Bear. The first two rounds of the NMIPAC have seen strong showings by current leader Blue Corn (48 votes), second-place and defending champion Bosque (42 votes), and local heavyweight Marble (41 votes). Can anyone…
IPA Challenge: Blue Corn moves into first after two rounds
The second round of the NM IPA Challenge went down at Pecan Grill and Brewery on Wednesday night in Las Cruces and it featured a few surprises. First-round leader Marble scored just three votes after racking up 38 in Santa Fe last Saturday and now drops to third place. Everyone that was shocked at La…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Things to do besides just indulging in hop bombs
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 a pair of newcomers, one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos, also joining the party. The big event of this weekend…
Drafts and Drives set to tee off for charity and the love of local craft beer
Albuquerque native Mark Ball was playing in a charity golf tournament a while back when he heard the magic words, “Free beer!” A craft beer lover, he was disappointed to learn it was all macro brews, but that in turn gave him an idea, one that he quickly shared with his wife. “He walks in…
The first MiniFest was a beer fest unlike any other
The weather was absolutely perfect on the patio Saturday at Cazuela’s for the first ABQBeer.com MiniFest. The sky was overcast, but only delivered brief and minimal sprinkles on occasion. My good friend and hop-centric beer tasting companion Paulette and I pulled up to Cazuela’s just about a half hour after the general admission start time….
Marble takes early lead in NM IPA Challenge
The results are in from Round One of the New Mexico IPA Challenge at Draft Station Santa Fe. A total of 188 beer lovers showed up, which very well might be a record for a non-Albuquerque round. As our headline says, Marble takes the lead with 38 votes. Tied for second were Blue Corn and…
Cazuela’s hosts a MiniFest they hope will be maximum fun
Attention West Side and Rio Rancho beer lovers, you can join ABQbeer.com this Saturday at Cazuela’s Mexican Grill and Brewery for their first ever MiniFest! A more intimate experience than some of the larger festivals around town, 250 attendees will be treated to patio party perfection, with garden-like surroundings, a dazzling view of the Sandias, local…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Santa Fe is having (almost) all the fun this weekend
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 a pair of newcomers, one down in Socorro and the other in Los Alamos, also joining the party. Remember how last week there were…
The VIPA Challenge shows it is going to be a battle for 2015 bragging rights
Well, that was fun! The Brew Crew was part of the 90-plus judges who took part in the inaugural VIPA Challenge on Sunday afternoon at the Sandia Casino. This preliminary round of the annual New Mexico IPA Challenge was designed to narrow what has become a crowded field of 25 IPAs down to the 14…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 