Albuquerque Journal

BACK TO ROOTS

Tractor Brewing opens taproom in Los Lunas, where business started

- BY ROZANNA M. MARTINEZ JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Tractor Brewing Co. has returned to where it all began for the brewery. Tractor opened in 1999 in Los Lunas and moved to Albuquerqu­e in 2014. Now it is has opened a 1,500-square-foot taproom off Main Street in Los Lunas.

“One of the big reasons we did it is because we wanted to go into a market that isn’t as oversatura­ted as Albuquerqu­e and we feel like we have an opportunit­y in Los Lunas to go back to our roots,” said Jeremy Kinter, marketing and events director for Tractor. “We already have brand awareness there, so I feel it’s like a win-win situation given how we’ve grown from when we left Los Lunas to where we are at this point.”

The taproom will offer the same craft beer and cider selections as its four locations in Albuquerqu­e but will have cocktails not found at the other locations. The cocktails will be made with the Tractor’s distilling line, Troubled Minds. Guests can also order the Troubled Minds agave spirit, whiskey and gin neat, on the rocks or with a mixer such as tonic.

“We’re offering six regular cocktails and four batch cocktails,” Kinter said. “We’re doing an NM Mule, which is our twist on a Moscow mule. Frisky Whiskey, which is, like, a cherry cordial whiskey and lemon drink. We’re doing a garden gin and tonic, which is rosemary gin with tonic and your regular old cowboy margarita, which is agave spirit, lime and orange bitters.”

The Los Lunas taproom will have a full menu as well as a late-night menu.

“We have a brick oven in there,” Kinter said. “We’re going to be doing 12-inch artisan pizzas there, so we have a whole menu of that. We have appetizers that range from wings to sliders to quesadilla­s to stuffed mushrooms, and then we’re also offering for lunch oven-baked sandwiches, salads, and then we even have a kids menu.”

Live music will be featured on weekends at the taproom. A grand opening celebratio­n on Nov. 16 will showcase country artists the Brandon Saiz Band and Sarah Rowe.

“First of all there’s a 25-foot ceiling fan, and the ceilings, I would say, are about 50 to 60 feet high,” Kinter said.

“It’s very open. It has a little stage. It’s got a big bar and we have plenty of room for dancing as well.”

Los Lunas residents are ecstatic to have Tractor back in town, Kinter said.

“They’re very excited to have us back, and I think it’s going to be a good taproom,” he said. “I think it’s going to be successful. It’s really cool-looking, too. It’s a beautiful space.”

 ?? COURTESY OF JEREMY KINTER ?? Tractor Brewing Co.’s new taproom in Los Lunas is now open.
COURTESY OF JEREMY KINTER Tractor Brewing Co.’s new taproom in Los Lunas is now open.

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