Breweries in New Mexico produce a wide range of
beers in different
styles that are marketed locally and regionally. Brewing companies vary widely in the volume and variety of beer produced, from small nanobreweries and
microbreweries to massive multinational conglomerate macrobreweries.
In 2012
New Mexico's 35 brewing establishments (including breweries, brewpubs, importers, and company-owned packagers and wholesalers) employed 90 people directly, and more than 6,400 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing.[1] Altogether 34 people in New Mexico had active brewer permits in 2012.[2]
Including people directly employed in brewing, as well as those who supply New Mexico's breweries with everything from ingredients to machinery, the total business and personal tax revenue generated by New Mexico's breweries and related industries was more than $131 million.[1] Consumer purchases of New Mexico's
brewery products generated more than $69 million extra in tax revenue.[3] In 2012, according to the
Brewers Association, New Mexico ranked 12th in the number of
craft breweries per capita with 27.[4]
For context, at the end of 2013 there were 2,822
breweries in the United States, including 2,768 craft breweries subdivided into 1,237
brewpubs, 1,412
microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries.[5] In that same year, according to the
Beer Institute, the brewing industry employed around 43,000 Americans in brewing and distribution and had a combined economic impact of more than $246 billion.[6]
Historic breweries
Breweries operated in various New Mexico towns during the late 1800s, though few survived until statewide
Prohibition began in 1918.[7] Some of the more notable breweries include:
Illinois Brewing Company (1882–1918) in
Socorro. The company started as a liquor wholesaler before moving into brewing in the mid-1880s. After Prohibition, the company continued to produce ice and soft drinks until 1965.[8] The former brewery is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and currently operates as a museum.
New Mexico Brewing Company (1936–37) in Albuquerque.[11][12] This was the only brewery to open in the post-Prohibition era, though it failed after less than a year. The brewery was auctioned and reopened as Rio Grande Brewing Company (1937–39).[13] Also a short-lived venture,[14] its products included Rio Grande Lager. The brewery building at 2nd and Marquette was converted to residential units and is still standing.
Stott, Jon C. (2014). New Mexico Beer: A History of Brewing in the Land of Enchantment. Charleston, SC: American Palate, A Division of
The History Press.
ISBN978-1-60949-814-6.