Take a deep breath, loyal patrons. Only one more hurdle remains before Tractor can start selling growlers again.

Yes, one more hurdle. Welcome to the fun of city government. In this case, however, it is hard to slam the City of Albuquerque, which has done good by Nob Hill’s favorite tap room. Tractor went before the City Council on Monday night, though it took quite some time (five hours) before Tractor’s case was even brought up. After a few quick comments, and with no public objections, the Council unanimously passed the amendment to the Nob Hill zoning plan.

From here, Tractor manager Dave Forster said the next step is to apply for a conditional use permit under the amended law. The deadline for that is Monday, but other Tractor officials said they plan to fill out the paperwork and submit it before then. The zoning commission will then hold a hearing on July 17, after which the official in charge will have until Aug. 1 to rule one way or the other. The Tractor leadership spoke to that official after the Council meeting on Monday and learned that his office expects to approve Tractor’s permit.

So yes, by Aug. 1, or even sooner, you might be able to walk into Tractor with your growler and get it filled. Let us all just sit back for a minute, marvel at the pace of government, but at the same time thank everybody in the City Council and all of the other officials who have helped Tractor throughout this grueling process.

The finish line is in sight!

Oh, and Brewer Dave (not to be confused with Manager Dave) said to expect a new Macadamia beer in the coming weeks, and the Mustachio Milk Stout will be back on tap in July.

Until then, keep supporting Tractor and enjoying all the beers it currently has on tap. Actually, I probably don’t even need to you all that, considering the tap room was packed on a Monday at 10 p.m.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister