近距离内射合集

Santa Fe Brewing Co. has come a long way since CEO Brian Lock first joined the business.

At the time 鈥� 1996 鈥� the venture was 8 years old, a mom-and-pop operation with three employees producing 300 barrels of beer per year. Now, the brewer is New Mexico鈥檚 oldest and largest, producing as many as 40,000 barrels annually in recent years with a team of nearly 90 employees across half a dozen locations in the state.

Teamwork and grit have carried the company through 38 years of brewing, Lock said.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of ups and downs, but I think it鈥檚 just perseverance,鈥� said Lock, who grew up in Oregon but attended college in Texas. He discovered New Mexico through a friend who was also interested in running a brewery, and he quickly fell in love with the state, calling it the perfect place to lay down roots and build his passion project.

鈥淚f it means working 75-hour weeks, I鈥檒l work a 75-hour week. If it means a weekend that you have to work, it鈥檚 a weekend you have to work. It鈥檚 just your dedication and your passion behind really what you believe in, and that鈥檚 probably why we鈥檙e where we are today,鈥� Lock said.

When it comes to ups and downs, the latter seems to characterize the craft beer industry over the last couple of years, as and craft breweries are . Despite the contraction, Santa Fe Brewing continues to pursue growth opportunities.

A new Santa Fe Brewing taproom in Las Cruces, slated to support up to 15 full- and part-time employees, is aiming to open later this month. A Santa Fe Brewpub also opened in Albuquerque last month and celebrated its grand opening on Saturday after the company finalized a licensing agreement with a local business owner to operate the location earlier this year.

Lock described the expansions as 鈥渧ery deliberate and strategic decisions鈥� influenced by where the market is taking the business amid an industry-wide downturn.

Santa Fe Brewing has seen the greatest impact of the contraction in its off-premise transactions, which include its beer sales at grocery stores throughout the Southwest.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 really where a lot of the decline has happened,鈥� Lock said. As a result, Santa Fe Brewing鈥檚 production dropped from 40,000 barrels in 2024 to an expected 38,000 barrels this year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a challenge to keep growth; even flat is kind of the new win.鈥�

However, the company is seeing growth in its on-premise activity: selling its products at bars, restaurants and in its own taprooms. That鈥檚 part of what is fueling the company鈥檚 recent expansion.

鈥�(We鈥檙e) looking at opportunities that make sense from a business perspective and what鈥檚 currently working,鈥� Lock said. 鈥淥ur taproom models, they are working. So we鈥檙e embracing that.鈥�

Lock has also pondered a southern New Mexico expansion for years. He got close in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans. When a 2,900-square-foot space formerly occupied by Bosque Brewing Co. opened up in Las Cruces, Lock immediately took a look.

The decision wasn鈥檛 easy, however. In the current craft brewery climate, Lock said every factor 鈥� from the number of breweries already in an area to a city鈥檚 population and the expenses of running a new location 鈥� holds more weight.

With rising costs for aluminum and cardboard packaging, as well as fuel and shipping costs, and Santa Fe Brewing鈥檚 decision not to raise its prices, Lock said the profit margin the company once had 鈥渋s no longer there.鈥�

Lock said Bosque Brewing鈥檚 bankruptcy and closure of its taprooms after a failed reorganization attempt last year brought all of the industry鈥檚 current challenges to the surface. But what happened to Bosque 鈥� though unfortunate, Lock said 鈥� did not impact his decision to pursue the Las Cruces property.

That鈥檚 partly because the companies鈥� models are different 鈥� with Bosque鈥檚 focus on beer and food, and Santa Fe Brewing鈥檚 concentration on just the beer 鈥� but also because Lock trusts his approach to growth.

鈥淚鈥檓 very calculated when it comes to opening a location,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not looking to open three more next year. It鈥檚 just, in this particular case, it was the right time and right opportunity.鈥�

Lock isn鈥檛 the only one following the market where it leads. The same goes for Adam Krafft, the Albuquerque businessman behind the new Santa Fe Brewpub at 6601 Uptown NE.

Krafft owns the property鈥檚 other business, Uptown Sports Bar, which he鈥檚 operated for 24 years. During that time, he鈥檚 brought two different brewpub concepts to the property. The most recent, Alien Brewpub, was also a licensing deal with Moriarty鈥檚 Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., which has an Alien beer brand.

He operated that concept for a decade before approaching Lock about a Santa Fe Brewing rebrand last year.

鈥淭hey do a fabulous job of coming out with new beers all the time, and I felt that could be a really nice part of having the concept here,鈥� Krafft said, adding that Santa Fe Brewing鈥檚 7K product 鈥� an India Pale Ale known for its West Coast-style and tropical flavors 鈥� already sells well at Uptown Sports Bar.

With a spruce from renowned local speed painter Michael Ostaski, who also helped design Alien Brewpub, Krafft said the community鈥檚 response to the rebrand has been welcoming. The departure from Alien was also amicable, Krafft added, citing a good relationship with Sierra Blanca Brewing.

鈥淚 just like shaking it up and couldn鈥檛 resist,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 knew of (Lock鈥檚) reputation all these years, and his reputation is really solid as a person. Plus, they鈥檙e the No. 1 brand, which doesn鈥檛 hurt.鈥�

Partnering with an established brewer also doesn鈥檛 hurt during tighter times for the industry, Krafft said. Even amid contraction, he said he felt comfortable pursuing the rebrand because he thinks New Mexico is weathering the season well.

鈥淲hen everyone runs to an industry, it can get a little bit oversaturated, and this is kind of a normal market correction, but there鈥檚 still a great following of craft beer,鈥� Krafft said.

Through Santa Fe Brewpub, Krafft said he hopes to represent Santa Fe Brewing well and bring more exposure to the local brewer. Lock expressed excitement about the agreement and said he sees local partnerships playing a major role in the company鈥檚 vision for the future.

鈥淚 really value our support group in New Mexico. This is our backyard. This is where I want to win the most and be successful because this is home,鈥� Lock said. 鈥淪o really focusing on the New Mexico market is important to me and I鈥檇 like to see, over the next several years, more and more people discovering craft beer again.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.