The city boasts 26 breweries and brewpubs, with reports of more on the horizon this year. Local businesses like Marble Brewery received national attention, taking home the Small Brewing Company of the Year award at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, but where does the city rank on the national level?
Bart Watson, economist at the Brewers Association, said that while Albuquerque cannot be defined as a microbrewery hotspot, it has a craft beer culture to be proud of.
“There are certainly denser concentrations of breweries (in other cities) than in Albuquerque,” he said. “But Albuquerque is one of those places that has a vibrant scene and growing scene that we are going to continue to see grow.”
Chris Goblet, head of the New Mexico Brewers Guild, said it is important to account for the variation in state laws when assessing the ‘hotspot’ question.
“In the state of New Mexico we’re allowed to have one on-site brewery plus two off-site locations,” Goblet said. “If we add in taprooms, we’re looking at a lot more locations.”
Watson said that for the industry to keep expanding in Albuquerque, brewers will have to continue to produce beers that set them apart from their competitors and keep incorporating unique and appealing flavors into their brews.
“The opportunities for growth in Albuquerque are going to be the same for anywhere in the country,” he said. “You need to differentiate yourself from existing offerings ... maybe that’s based on styles of beer people aren’t making, maybe it’s marketing or branding, or maybe it’s incorporating local ingredients in a new and interesting way.”
Ted Rice, Marble’s brewmaster and president, said Albuquerque’s craft-beer industry is flourishing, and added that it is overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement.
“It is great that we are building this really strong community of brewers and loyal customers and becoming a destination location for craft beer in this country,” Rice said. “We are making our mark on the map, and people are taking note traveling here to taste our great breweries.”
Rice said creativity is the defining element of Marble’s success.
“I think creating flavors and just always pushing the envelope is what sets Marble apart from the pack in town and across the country.”
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Watson said national microbrewery hotspots include Boston, San Diego, Boulder and Portland. For example, he said Boulder, which has a population of 300,000, has more than 30 breweries.
The steady growth of the industry in Albuquerque and other cities makes it hard to determine whether Albuquerque will be able to compete with stronger microbrewery markets nationally. Regardless, Watson said Albuquerque brewers should focus on fulfilling the growing demand for quality beer.
“I think that there is still a lot of run room for small, independent breweries and their place in the marketplace,” he said. “I think we are going to see them grow for years to come.”
Breweries are opening all over Albuquerque, and some of them, like Lizard Tail Brewing Company in the Northeast Heights, are striving to have the same success as Marble.
Six-month-old Lizard Tail’s head brewer and co-owner Dan Berry said innovation is also the key for future success.
“I think there’s a lot of room for creativity; there’s obviously a niche, customer-driven right that people want to try new things, and there’s an interest in beer,” he said.
Though Watson said Albuquerque is not yet a brewery ‘hotspot,’ one thing’s for sure: it is working hard to close the gap.
“A brewery opens every 16 hours in the country right now,” Watson said. “We are approaching the all-time high and are certainly at the highest numbers of breweries since prohibition, so it’s an exciting time to be a beer lover in the US.”
For more coverage of Albuquerque’s microbrewery scene visit the Daily Lobo’s website.
