I’m sitting in the relaxing, shaded beer garden of Ex Novo, another recent addition to the Albuquerque brewing scene, drinking a honey-lavender kolsch that is uniquely sweet and flowery. It’s got a fragrant head that reminds me of ‘relaxing bath soap’ and the lavender is the dominant flavor of this one. Slightly hazy in the glass, I’m looking forward to the herbal properties of Lavender to settle in, namely a sense of relaxation and calm. My move here has had some rough spots, but there’s hope because the vibe I get from the local brew scene has been excellent.
Transitions
Everyone was traumatized, but nobody talks about it; 4 years ago, we were in panic mode, worldwide. Most of the places I enjoy today, or before that, are still recovering, unable to regain the sales volume they had in the before times. Consumer habits changed so drastically that actual in-person, flesh-and-blood sales still reflect a shift of habits. When I go places and talk to people about ‘how things are going’, I’ve heard several pointed references to the long-term change in revenue over the last 5 years, often with a longing for the past. Things just aren’t the same, is what I hear.
The wind has picked up, as it often does in the afternoons here in ABQ. The low walls and shrubbery help knock the wind down, keeping the outdoor area habitable. The larger area, called the “Corral”, is closed today because of the windy conditions, but it looks open and welcoming for kids and dogs, as well as offering multiple relaxing corners to drink a pint. The brewery building itself sits a bit farther away, keeping random beer writers from getting a glance at their operation. I’m sure if I asked politely enough, I could wrangle a quick tour.
Destination breweries
This location, several miles into the villiage of Corales, isn’t really near much else of interest to the average person. There’s a lot of ‘authentic’ mexican or ‘New Mexican’ eateries , a couple of antique-type stores, and not much else. The single road that runs through town is two-lane and slow, so getting here is something you have to want to do – you’re not going to randomly be in the area. I’m curious about how they decided to be here, in particular, instead of someplace in Albquerque proper. It’s a large slice of land in an area with fairly narrow lots, and it’s not exactly the cheapest place to grab up a couple of acres. But I don’t know the whole story, yet, and there’s plenty of things to think about when moving a brewery from one state to another. Plenty of people out there would be interested to hear how things are going…
One thing that is markedly different here is distribution. After just a few questions, it’s apparent that the laws here make self-distribution an expensive effort – but the market here is fairly strong overall, with plenty of tap handles to fill and some can movement from the few local shops that carry local beer in quantity. There aren’t any ‘beer bars’ or beer-focused bottle shops (I’ve written about them before) and, when pressed about a good place to look, I hear through gritted teeth “TOTAL WINE” and I’m left silenced for a moment. There simply isn’t a place in Albuquerque where you can go to shop for just beer. You can physically drive to a brewery, and maybe pick up a 4-pack from the local grocery store, but there are breweries here who don’t plan on doing any distribution at scale because there’s no real place to move your beer. If I had a million dollars to spend right now on a business, I know what I’d do with it, I can tell you that much. Alas, I’m a writer, so I don’t have that kind of cash on hand.
The sprawl
I think, at first glance, that one problem here is that everything is pretty well spread out. It’s a quick drive from most points around town to others after ‘rush hour’, and plenty of parking. The population isn’t dense enough in any one place to force an evolution of the business styles here, and ABQ is pretty much the only market in New Mexico. The biggest brewers here have some wider distro, like Santa Fe Brewing Company and La Cumbre, with medium-sized players like Bosque Brewing and Tractor popping up on tap elsewhere – but if you want cans, you’re heading down to the brewery or taproom to pick them up. I’m given to understand that it costs extra for a brewery to be able to sell to restaurants and other bars, so the idea of opening a beer bar is dependent on the small breweries around New Mexico spending (several) thousands of dollars to be able to sell you their beer outside of the taproom or brewery itself. And since people don’t seem to mind making the journey to the taproom here, nobody seems to be trying to move the market much.
I’m convinced Albuquerque underrated, at least ad afar as the beer is concerned. Obviously, if the breweries here aren’t encouraged to package and distribute outside of the local area, nobody will ever know what’s beer going on here, despite the best efforts of the state to throttle actual small businesses serving neighborhoods and communities. There are legitimate breweries in the small towns all over the state (I’ve heard a great buzz about a spot in Los Alamos, for example) but the only way to find out is to physically go there and lay hands on a pint. Hopefully, they’re open on the day you visit. I spent a few days in Iowa last November, specifically to explore the beer scene in my hometown Cedar Rapids, and left the best for last. The brewery I kept hearing about was Clocktower Brewing, in downtown Cedar Rapids and a 10 minute walk from our hotel room. I never checked to see if they were open on Sundays, and I will always be upset with myself that I skipped the place intentionally on Saturday night and never checked to see if they’d be open on a Sunday. D’OH!
It’s technically a business meeting
There are a lot of laptops at the places I’ve been visiting in New Mexico. It’s a good thing, IMHO, that a lot of people with actual agendas are also working around the industry in general. When I rocked up to the taproom of Ex Novo and asked if they had anyone I might talk to about the business for my blog, I was directed to one of the 4 people sitting at the bar with a laptop. I’m not surprised to see multiple people working through the afternoon at one of these places, presumably on some project
It’s technically a month and a half later*
As I type this and attempt to edit and add photos, it is several weeks after my initial exploration of Ex Novo. Instead of trying to follow a thread that was lost some time ago, I decided to post this instead. It’s not exactly ‘professional’, but who said I was, anyways? Seriously, I’d like to meet someone who is clearly a fan. – Jeff