IPA Challenge

 

Since living here I have really come to love the craft beer scene that New Mexico has. There are a lot of great breweries, and events you can attend to support these small businesses. But there was one event that I have always wanted to attend, and finally this year was the year. I love the concept that 16 breweries put forth their best IPA and leave it up to the fans to choose their favorite for a years’ worth of bragging rights. So, when it was announced that the finals would be in Albuquerque, I quickly got my ticket for the IPA Challenge.

The venue itself this year was very interesting as Flix Brewhouse was the host. I was expecting it to be in their bar area, but we were quickly ushered into one of the theatres itself. At first it seemed odd, but it was great with the comfortable chairs, the table for our flight, and a slide show on the big screen showcasing this year’s event and highlighting past winners. As for the flight itself, at first it seemed daunting looking at 16 different IPAs with a ballot, and pad for tasting notes to compare what ultimately turned out to be 16 unique beers ranging from hazy IPAs to the classic West Coast style.

There were two aspects of this event that I loved. The first was that it was a blind tasting which eliminated the temptation to vote for a brewery based solely on their name. The second is that one of the things I hear people saying a lot is that there are too many IPAs on the market and that they all taste the same. Well after this I can assure you that after you sample 16 in a row, they are anything but similar. Each one had a unique flavor ranging from pineapple, to floral, piney, orange peel, and grapefruit. Some were very light in body while others had a big malt flavor to balance the hops. Some had a clean aftertaste while others had a lingering bitterness. Some focused on a singular flavor profile, while others created a unique blend of hops to create a more complex drink.

After our flight and voting on our favorite guests were treated to a pint of their choosing. While this was a hard decision, and there were so many delicious options my favorite of the day happened to come from Ex Novo. It had such a big flavor, and a great balance between malt and hops. More importantly in my opinion it was the most complex IPA I had of the day. Each sip brought out a different flavor profile, and I found myself wanting more than the small pour from my flight. At the end of the day though, the voters thought that Bosque Brewing had the best IPA of the day and the tournament, and they will have bragging rights for the next year, and it was also a delicious IPA.

Without hesitation this is an event I would do again, and it will probably become an annual tradition. With so many great breweries in this state, and the fact that only 16 get represented in this challenge it guarantees that attendees will be treated to 16 high quality beverages that brewers put a lot of thought into. Even after looking at the list of who was in this challenge there were a lot of surprising omissions. But, most importantly this is a great event that allows craft beer lovers to get together and have a good time, supporting not only the brewer’s guild, but 16 great, local breweries. Until next year.

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