Wednesday, July 13, 2011

One IPA to Rule Them All...

In the land of Mordor (near Candelaria and Vassar, you know, by where that old Blake's Lotaburger is), the first leg of the New Mexico IPA challenge will take place. La Cumbre Brewing Co. will play host to more than ten NM breweries vying to take the Challenge Cup away from two-time consecutive winner Il Vicino. This year's IPA Challenge figures to be the most hotly-contested event yet, with newcomers Mimbres Valley and La Cumbre going in against IBU powerhouses such as Chama River and Marble. As always, the IPAs will be served in a blind tasting format. There is one change this year, and that is adding a fourth day of tasting to meet the demands of the thirsty public. As stated, the first event will be held at La Cumbre on August 14 from 12-5. That's a Sunday, so don't hit the bottle toooo hard Saturday night. On the 16th, Mimbres Valley Brewing in Deming will host the second day of tasting. I'll most likely be skipping that drive, sorry to say. Thursday the 18th, Second Street in Santa Fe will be doing the pouring. Finally, Turtle Mountain hosts the finale on the 21st, where all votes from the previous three locations will be tallied to reveal the overall winner. I've been training for this event all year...bring on the IPAs!

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