Click here for part one on Nexus’ history.

The Present: Finding Nexus’ niche in the brewing community

When E-Rock and I visited Nexus on a Thursday, there was a small but lively crowd forming, a mix of younger and older customers, some there for the beer, some for the food, most for both. Yet the crowd we saw was paltry in comparison to what shows up on the weekends.

“Friday nights there’s usually a waiting list,” Ken said. “Beer is an attraction. Restaurants typically have 20 percent liquor sales; we’re at 40 percent.”

Like many other breweries around town, Nexus has started adding live music.

“At first, it was really a hassle,” Ken said. “Last year I was being charged from $400 to $50. I never really had a good feel for things.”

Once Ken did sit down and figure out a budget, he was able to streamline the process of getting bands set for certain nights at a set rate of pay, plus free food for the musicians. As E-Rock would say, free food is HUGE for musicians.

“We have a couple of bands that bring in a lot of people and we have a couple that don’t,” Ken said. “I still debate whether it’s a good use of money. But it does have people sitting around here.

“I see it just like TVs. I spend a lot of money on TVs, but you don’t know how much it brings in. It’s built in (now), it’s part of the program.”

Nexus has also become more involved in the New Mexico brewing community, playing host to the first round of the IPA Challenge. It can be hard enough to fit a normal large crowd into a brewery, but the Challenge crowd can be even bigger. Finding enough space not only for cars to park in but for people to sit down with trays of 14 IPA samples is not an easy task.

“Somehow or other it really worked out well,” Ken said.

Manuel said they opened up the back storage room and the brewery room itself, filling them with extra tables and chairs, to accommodate the crowd.

“It didn’t disrupt the existing customers; we were worried about that,” Ken added. “We really enjoyed everything.”

Ken and Manuel agreed that the majority of the beer-loving crowd in Albuquerque is made up of good people who just enjoy beer and do not go overboard with the drinking.

Of course, beer lovers always love new styles to try. Lately Nexus has been limited in the number of seasonals it can brew in addition to its regular lineup. The brewery has been at capacity for a while, but the good news is there is expansion pending in the back.

“We have a (new) fermenter that’s 15 barrels and two storage tanks coming in,” Ken said. “We have four seven-barrel fermenters, so adding the new fermenter will add 15 barrels of capacity.”

The IPA and the Scottish (in the cooler months) or the cream ale (in the warmer months) will benefit from the expansion in production, as those are the most popular styles with the Nexus crowd.

With the ability to produce more beer, Manuel said he will be able to unleash more seasonals. While nothing is set in stone, some of the varieties to watch out for will include the Pumpkin Brown, Barleywine, and a Chocolate Oatmeal Porter. There was also some talk of a Peppermint Stout for the holiday season, though Manuel said that might take some work as “no one wants to drink a beer that tastes like toothpaste.”

On the immediate horizon is a watermelon wheat due out on Sept. 14.

“I went to California and 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, they brewed a watermelon wheat and it was so good,” Ken said. “I asked ‘why don’t we do that?'”

The future: Nexus II and beyond

The Nexus “mothership” is not going anywhere, but there could soon be a satellite location.

“I believe there’s room for another tap room,” Ken said. “However, this one I’ll probably start off with just doing the beer first and hold back on the kitchen. Kitchens are really hard. I will have food, but I won’t go in immediately with a full-blown kitchen.”

Ken said he was hoping to open the tap room in the first quarter of 2013, though Manuel said no location has been chosen as of yet. One possibility being discussed would be in the Paseo del Norte/Tramway area, but things are far from set. The tap room would be set in an existing building, but all the city regulations, zoning restrictions, and required permits would have to be dealt with first.

“And we need to figure out how to make enough beer to support the tap room on top of this place,” Manuel said with a weary smile.

Wherever Nexus II winds up, it figures to only add to the ongoing success story of one of the Albuquerque area’s finest breweries.

So head on over to Nexus I, grab a plate of chicken and waffles, a pint of the Scottish (feel free to mix it with the ESB, we usually do) or the Imperial Cream if you’re feeling adventurous, and kick back and enjoy yourself on a relaxing afternoon or evening.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister