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New Mexico State Fair announces official 2024 beer
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Barrel Racer Blonde is the official beer of the 2024 New Mexico State Fair.
It is the second beer Ex Novo Brewing Company has brewed for the fair.
"It's light and refreshing but it has a lot going on," said James Gregory, sales manager at Ex Novo. "It's a little bit fuller bodied with kind of a note of honey that I get from the malt. The hop profile is kind of floral and peppery with a touch of bitterness at the end."
Barrel Racer Blonde will be available on tap and in cans at Ex Novo, 4895 Corrales Road, in Corrales, starting Tuesday, Aug. 6. The brewery, founded by Corrales native Joel Gregory, was voted Best Brewpub/Brewery in the 2024 Albuquerque Journal Readers' Choice awards.
Barrel Racer Blonde It also will be available on tap and bars and restaurant throughout the state as well as in cans at various New Mexico retailers beginning Aug. 6.
At the fair, it will be featured on tap inside its speakeasy and in cans in other parts of the event.
"The speakeasy is going to have a whole kind of different feel but (Barrel Racer Blonde) will be showcased as it should be," said Dan Mourning, general manager of the NM State Fair. "When I started this 10-11 years ago, it was to really showcase this great burgeoning industry. Now, these guys are national. They're getting recognized for what they do."
Last year, Ex Novo brewed the fair's official 2023 beer, Dusty Spur, which was an American pilsner
"Dusty Spear, it had the boot and kind of that cowboy feel," Mourning said. "We still wanted to keep that (with Barrel Racer Blonde). You've got to remember the State Fair is still an agricultural fair and we represent livestock and farming and all of those things that make New Mexico a great state. It's not just about the corn dogs and concerts so they made sure that they captured that spirit, not only in the actual product that they brewed, but in the can and the design. (It is) very thoughtful. A lot of love is put into that process."
The New Mexico State Fair takes place Sept. 5 through Sept. 15. Tickets are available at statefair.exponm.com
