Homecoming FOR THE BREWS MAN
Corrales native returns home with his Oregon brewery
Abrewery, taproom and restaurant will take over the site of the former Rancho de Corrales, perhaps best known for the days when it was the Territorial House restaurant and bar until it was destroyed by fire in 2012.
Construction workers now are transforming the site at 4895 Corrales Road into the future Ex Novo Brewery site. Proprietor Joel Gregory, who grew up in Corrales and has been brewing up craft beer in Portland, Ore., said he is aiming for an early 2019 opening.
Corrales business and civic leaders marked the hoppy occasion on Thursday at a groundbreaking, hailing the $4 million investment by Gregory not only as a future hangout for locals, but as a catalyst to grow other artisinal businesses and the Village’s tourist economy.
About 100 civic and business leaders and area residents were on hand for the event.
“We are delighted to have Joel come home and establish an operation here in Corrales,” said Mayor Jo Anne Roake. “We look forward to the future jobs and, of course great beer.”
For Gregory, being close to family was important now that he’s the father of two small children. He also saw the potential in expanding Ex Novo’s brewing operations to the Land of Enchantment and its emerging craft brewing industry, and moving out of the more Portland competitive market.
While the Corrales business will have his primary focus over the course of the next year, Gregory said his two Ex Novo locations in the City of Roses are in good hands with a solid team runnng things.
The name Ex Novo roughly translates “from the beginning” or “from scratch.”
Once the Corrales facility is built, “We’ll have 50 new beers released every year in draft and in bottles and cans for the New Mexico market,” said Gregory. “There will be a tasting room where Ex Novo beers can be tried, including some that will be there exclusively.”
The centerpiece of the operations will be a 10,000-square-foot building for brewing and packaging. Eventually, the company will add a full pub/restaurant, with a beer garden on the 2.8acre site.
The company also will partner with local charities to support them with a percentage of profits, said Gregory, who said he is funding the Corrales enterprise with the backing of private investors and loans.