Hometown taproom
Santa Fe Brewing Co. is planning a taproom in the capital
SANTA FE — Santa Fe Brewing Co. is seeking city approval to open a taproom downtown, its first within the boundaries of its namesake city, with hopes to open by February.
The taproom in an old, brick house at 510 Galisteo St., former home of the Santa Fe Cigar Co. a block east of the state Capitol, would be Santa Fe Brewing’s fourth serving location, adding to the brewery’s home site south of town on N.M. 14, an El Dorado taproom east of Santa Fe on Caliente Road, and a taproom in Albuquerque.
“Our brand is very well established, and we’ve gotten a lot of requests from the locals to have something downtown, somewhere close where they can try some of our beers,” said owner and President Brian Lock. He said the new location would give Santa Feans and tourists staying downtown a chance to try Santa Fe Brewing’s specialty taproom beers — varieties that aren’t mass distributed — without going to the brewery itself. The specialty brews include seasonal offerings like the 12 Beers of Christmas, rotating IPAs or small batches that the company is testing for customer feedback.
The Galisteo Street building, about with about 1,600 square feet of space, would have a central bar as well as other seating locations, including a shaded outdoor patio.
“It almost reminds me of a speakeasy kind of place; very small, very quaint, very cozy,” Lock said. Santa Fe Brewing plans to lease the building from Carlos Muller. Muller recently bought the space and offered it to Lock for a taproom.
The site also has the bonus of being across the street from the Roundhouse parking garage, which offers free public parking, Lock noted.
In addition to a small brewer license, Santa Fe Brewing needs a special waiver from City Council to sell alcohol within 300 feet of the Santa Fe Jewish Center Chabad on Manhattan Avenue. The company’s application includes a letter of support from center Rabbi Berel Levertov. The taproom proposal goes before the City Council Wednesday.