Ah, late August, when the hints of cooler weather arrive, the kids go back to school, football (both American and international) revs up, and Hopfest takes over Isleta Casino. Hey, at nine years old, we can pretty much declare Hopfest an annual tradition. The largest beer festival in New Mexico returns this Saturday from 2…
Tag: Tractor Brewing
Beer Notes: A thousand posts and counting
A little while back, well, five stories ago, we hit our 1,000th post here on this site. There was no celebration or anything, but it was a bit of a milestone. We have written a lot about beer the last four-plus years, and we plan to keep this thing going as long as we are…
The Week Ahead in Beer: On metal shows, anniversaries and Oktoberfest in August
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. First things first, a huge thank you to everyone who…
The Week Ahead in Beer: Be still our dark hearts, a metal show at a brewery!
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. If you have been following the Crew for a while…
IPA Challenge 2016: Boxing Bear goes the distance for their first title
Another year, another IPA Challenge is in the books. Only for the first time in a while, there will be a new champion holding onto the trophy. Boxing Bear held off Canteen and 3 Rivers in the closest vote in NMIPAC history. The final round was decided by hundreds of beer lovers/hopheads on a (very)…
IPA Challenge 2016: The last-minute info for the final round
Bitter is ending! The 2016 NM IPA Challenge comes to a close on Saturday at Tractor Wells Park. The final round will start at noon and run until 4 p.m. These are the things you probably already know, but just in case there was any additional important info, we contacted the hosts to make sure…
IPA Challenge: Quarter Celtic wins the round, Boxing Bear leads the bout
The NM IPA Challenge continued Wednesday night at 3 Rivers Brewery in Farmington, with 80 people coming out to partake and vote for their favorite. The hometown brewery had a respectable showing with 11 votes to give it 22 through two rounds, but Quarter Celtic was the round winner with 18 votes (26 total). Boxing…
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…
Preliminary round of IPA Challenge produces some surprising results
And we are off! The preliminary round of the 2016 New Mexico IPA Challenge is complete, with 16 15 breweries advancing to the three main rounds that will begin next weekend at Santa Fe Brewing. This came out of the 28 beers that were sampled in a blind taste test Saturday afternoon at Rio Bravo….