American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
By Nathan Keffer – ACB Contributor & Founder of Bandito Brewing
The results are in on the 2017 IPA National Championships and New Mexico has claimed its fourth consecutive victory.
That’s right, for nearly half a decade this desert, Southwestern state – that many assume is still a part of Mexico – has “out hopped” the likes of Washington, Colorado and even Oregon.
Hosted by Brewing News, this year marks the 10th edition of the IPA Championships which means that with La Cumbre Brewing’s most recent win, New Mexico breweries have not only taken honors 4 years in a row, but have won 40% of the competitions since its inception in 2008 .
Not bad for a state that has an overall population less than that of the city of Chicago, right?
Size be damned the “Land of Enchantment” is now home to quite a few excellent breweries. The state’s winning streak all started when La Cumbre won for the first time in 2014 with their Project Dank IPA. The streak continued with Bosque Brewing Company winning two championships back to back in 2015 AND 2016 with their Scale Tipper IPA. Then this year La Cumbre won for a second time with their Project Dank, edging out companies like; Fat Head, Elysian, 10 Barrel and Ballast Point,- just to name a few – for the title of IPA Champion.
THESE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
PAST NIPAC WINNERS
2008: WEST COAST IPA, Green Flash
2009: WORKHORSE IPA, Laurelwood
2010: HEAD HUNTER IPA, Fat Heads
2011: TRIPLE PLAY IPA,Lawson’s Finest Liquids
2012: HEAD HUNTER IPA, Fat Heads
2013: PALLET JACK IPA, Barley Brown’s
2014: PROJECT DANK, La Cumbre
2015: SCALE TIPPER, Bosque
2016: SCALE TIPPER, Bosque
It’s no surprise though that New Mexico is at the fore front of the American hop craze; it has its own species of hop named after it after all. Humulus Lupulus var. neomexicanus , a wild hop variation that was only discovered in the last decade is now amazingly acknowledged as one of the only five recognized hop species around the world.
Best known for Breaking Bad, Holly Homes, Chile and aliens, could New Mexico be the country’s newest IPA mecca as well?
