Few local brands are as strongly associated with Santa Fe as Santa Fe Brewing Co., a brewery established 37 years ago.
Brian Lock, a native Oregonian who became the brewery’s sole owner in 2002, has overseen a period of tremendous growth for the company, highlighted by its 2005 move into its current headquarters.
The New Mexican submitted several questions to Lock about that move and how it altered the company’s future. Some of his responses have been lightly edited for clarity and style.
Question: It’s been 20 years since your company moved out of its original home and into its current headquarters on Fire Place southwest of Santa Fe. Can you tell us about the growth you’ve experienced since then in terms of production capacity, staffing, revenue, facilities and events?
Answer: Santa Fe Brewing Co. originated in Galisteo in 1988. Since then, the company has moved twice. The first move was in 1997 to Dinosaur Trail off N.M. 14, and the second move was in 2005 to our current location. Since moving into our newest brewing facility in 2005, SFBC has grown from producing roughly 2,200 BBLs (a unit of measurement for beer equal to 31 gallons) to just north of 40,000 BBLs in 2024. In 2005, we had eight employees and were able to brew all of our beers in what now seems like a tiny 8,000-square-foot building. Back then, we only had one tasting room!
Since 2005, our staff has grown to 95, the production area is 48,000 square feet, we have a newly built, three-story taproom and beer garden, and four additional off-site tasting rooms were opened. We also opened The Bridge event space in the existing 10,000-square-foot building that is across from the current main brewery location that we affectionately call “HQ.” The Bridge has the ability to host an array of events, private parties and concerts.
Our newly upgraded outdoor stage will give us the opportunity to host some amazing acts this summer such as Drive by Truckers, Iriation, Tennis and Father John Misty. At 1,500 capacity for outdoor concerts, we fill a niche market, making Santa Fe a viable stop for many up-and-coming artists. In addition to concerts, we are also able to host several large-scale fundraising events such as Spring Run Off and Oktoberfiesta, which is an important part of our community outreach program called 4NM.
Question: The move into the new space was a significant step up for Santa Fe Brewing and required a major investment. Did it take a leap of faith on your part or were you confident it would be a success?
Answer: There were elements of both. With the kind of growth that we have made on the production side, I knew we would be taking on some major debt. I was able to get a low-interest [Small Business Administration] loan, and the rest is history. I have an amazing management team and employees that have helped and supported the vision every step of the way. The loyalty of our local community also gave me the confidence it would be a success.
Question: You now have multiple locations scattered across the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas. Was it always your plan to have such a widespread presence or has the success of the company been a pleasant surprise to you?
Answer: There was never a “plan” to open and run five different taprooms, so it has definitely been a pleasant surprise. SFBC opened its first off-site taproom in Eldorado (Eldorado Tap House) in 2011, and it quickly became a popular spot for that neighborhood/community. In 2016, we decided to test the Albuquerque market and opened our second off-site location at Green Jeans Farmery, a multi-tenant facility built entirely out of recycled shipping containers. The support and encouragement of the Albuquerque community was flattering and gave us the confidence to open more taprooms.
In 2018, SFBC opened its third off-site taproom (Brakeroom) in downtown Santa Fe on Galisteo Street. The history and charm of what was originally a dormitory for railroad workers gives it a unique ambiance that I feel has helped make that location a success. Tin Can Alley in Albuquerque opened in 2020 as our fourth and newest off-site taproom. Its proximity to Balloon Fiesta Park and its family-friendly food court concept has made it very popular for the north side of Albuquerque.
Question: What attracted you to the craft brewing industry in the first place, and is there anything about the experience that has surprised you?
Answer: Growing up in Portland, Ore., craft breweries had such a large presence, so I always knew there was much more to beer than the normal, nondescript domestics everyone knows. After working in a few breweries, acquiring a taste for hoppy IPAs and seeing the craft trend catching on in other parts of the country, I took notice and felt like there could be a future career for me in the industry.
Shortly after making this realization, an opportunity presented itself when a former college classmate reached out to see if I wanted to move to Santa Fe to start a brewery. Within the first eight months, an opportunity came along to buy Santa Fe Brewing Co., and myself along with three other local dudes in our 20s owned Santa Fe Brewing! Back then, in 1996, the three of us ran the whole operation by ourselves and eventually, in 2002, I bought out my partners and continued the journey solo.
Question: What’s been the most challenging aspect of leading a craft-brewing enterprise with so many moving parts?
Answer: The most challenging aspect of leading a craft brewery enterprise is adapting to the market trends. Keeping up with the trends requires the ability to pivot and innovate in order to keep your customer base engaged. Constantly switching things up requires a lot of planning, organization and money, which can make things financially challenging.
Santa Fe Brewing Co.'s 'HQ' is shown in 2023.
Courtesy of Riley Russill
On the other hand, this is also the fun part — figuring out what our customer likes and watching a product evolve from an idea in our conference room to an actual product on the shelves of the store. Adaptation definitely keeps things interesting!
Question: Where do you see the craft-brewing industry in America going from here?
Answer: Over the last couple of years, the craft-brewing industry nationally has been flat to slightly down. As our customers rethink their relationship with beer and alcohol in general, it has forced us to think outside the box and beyond beer. My current innovation team is a well-curated group of beer geeks and industry experts that are passionate about giving our customers what they want. We are considering many options including ready-to-drink cocktails, nonalcohol beer and alternative healthy energy drinks. Honestly, nothing is off the table at this point.
Question: Do you have any additional expansion plans or changes in mind for the Santa Fe Brewing Co.?
Answer: There are no immediate plans for expansion with respect to taprooms, and the infrastructure currently in place will likely give us plenty of runway to continue innovating new package products. Fans of SFBC should stay tuned — we always have lots of ideas brewing (no pun intended) and hope the Santa Fe community will continue to support us along the way.
