As promised, just one week after the grand opening, I returned to Nuckolls Brewing Co. to speak with Jen Treu, the new head brewer, to get some hard details about the brewhouse, the beer lineup, and what her goals are for getting beer flowing from the many taps of Santa Fe’s newest brewery.

I figured a week later would be an easier, more opportune time to talk brewing details, after the craziness and excitement of the opening week and weekend died down a bit.

That, however, was not exactly the case. There was still plenty of ado about something, and Friday was as busy, if not more so, than the previous week. Though, to be fair, it was also the day of the “Best of Santa Fe” party on the Rail Yard, and everyone (including their mother) was there.

Still, despite the ongoing festivities, it was easy to grab a beer at the shiny new bar from the now “battle-hardened” bar-staff. And, once we both had a pour of Treu’s latest Nuckolls brew, the Rail Pale Ale, we ducked away back by the brewhouse to chat, where a couple of her brew pups were keeping cool.

DSBC: Head brewer is a broad title at smaller breweries. They wear many hats. What roles will you be fulfilling here at Nuckolls?

Treu: Well, the primary role is going to be recipe development and getting Nuckolls products on the taps. We’re a little behind in that regard, just because the previous brewer had to leave. So I’m kind of playing catch up. But, that’s the number one priority to get at least four core brands on (tap) and fill the lager tanks. And then, also, I’d like to brew some saisons by the beginning of October.

DSBC: Everyone that comes in knows that there are three serving vessels above the bar. They’re pretty hard to miss. But, can you tell us a little more about what you have in the brewhouse? What are you working with?

Treu: OK, so it’s actually a pretty efficient system for the size of the space that it is in. It’s a 3-barrel brewhouse (with a) mash tun and kettle. We have a little mill and augar setup with a hot liquor tank, and then three uni-tanks that act as fermenters. And, the brite tanks (are) all three barrels.

DSBC: In passing, I had heard mention of the possibility of more fermenters coming sometime soon?

Treu: Yeah, I think that I would like to get at least a few (more). And, I’ve talked with Alfonz (Viszolay) about getting at least three 7-barrel fermenters, so that we can double batch more of our core brands into those to have a little bit more product built up. So that’s the goal. I don’t know when those are coming online, though.

DSBC: I know you’d previously mentioned contract brewing through Rio Bravo, is that still a possibility?

Treu: So I talked to Austin (Giorgetta). I think in about two weeks, we’ll do our first brew together. Just a little bit on-the-phone conversations, but I asked if I could be there for the first brew. He recommends it, which is great. So I feel like that’s a pretty good working relationship. And, that 15-barrel system, if all goes well, it’ll just help keep up with our core brands, so that I can use this 3-barrel system for a little bit more experimental beer, which is kind of what my goal will eventually be.

DSBC: You’ve brewed on this system twice now. I’m assuming the recipes were from the previous brewer. Is that correct?

Treu: Yes, that’s correct.

DSBC: On your new system, do you feel that you’ll have more creative freedom than at Rowley Farmhouse Ales?

Treu: I feel like at Rowley’s there was already this level of creativity that’s been established that I hadn’t experienced in a long time brewing-wise. So, just to be exposed to mixed fermentation again, and different vessels, foeders, totes, and barrels was a huge breath of fresh air. And, John (Rowley) let me brew pretty much whatever I wanted to brew, which was also huge. I would go over my recipe development with him to get approval, but he always came back with very positive feedback. So, I think here, it’s a little bit more scary for me personally as a brewer, just because it is all me. But also, that is enticing, too, to be able to prove to myself that I can do it by myself.

DSBC: Having come from Monkish, Oskar Blues, Austin Beer Works, and Rowley Farmhouse Ales, where would you say you are now in your career? Do you feel like you’re leaning more towards wanting to be more creative and test your wings that way?

Treu: I think that right now, being here at Nuckolls, I’m thinking more about the branding of the business, which I came into, and how to make it successful in that regard. And so, that’s kind of like where the four core brands come in, OK? Establishing some repetitiveness of being able to do these four core brands consistently and good. Also, probably not so much experimentation here, just because there’s not the space for it, but I definitely still want to brew saisons, fruited saisons. Saisons are my babies. So I definitely want to do some cleaner saisons here just to kind of expose people to what the different flavor profiles of beer there can be.

DSBC: Let’s talk core beer lineup, then. How were they chosen and what will they likely be?

Treu: Sure, I kind of just talked to Bill (Banowsky), the owner, about what he was expecting. Dave (Ahern-Seronde) had brewed the red chile porter, which was an awesome beer. But, I think that’s more of a seasonal thing than a core. And then, the Rail Pale Ale is already established and built like that. Everybody loves a pale ale. Next, I talked to (Banowsky) of course about doing an IPA. So we’ll be doing that. And then, I just think that an amber would be nice. A lighter amber and then a pilsner is my goal.

DSBC: With 60 taps to fill, what else would you like to see pouring at Nuckolls?

Treu: We have such a huge tap list. There’s 40 taps upstairs and 20 taps downstairs. And, there’s going to be a little speakeasy downstairs. David (Pecorari), the manager that’s going to be managing the speakeasy, has been bringing up non-alcoholic things. Kind of a lot. And, I’ve been thinking more about that, because for some reason, carbonated water, Topo Chico is where it’s at. And, the carbonation level on that, it doesn’t make me want a beer, just because of the carbonation. So, I’ve kind of been thinking more about how we can do flavored carbonated waters down there. And, maybe a couple up here, just as an option for people who are looking to refresh. I think that would be a fun experiment to try.

DSBC: Now, you knew this question was coming. What does it take to get beer in and out of those vessels above the bar?

Treu: To be honest, I haven’t actually tackled that yet. They are the type of vessels that just started the vacuum-sealed bags. So CIP (cleaning in place) should not be an issue. But, Alfonz did do a good job of hard piping all the way through. So you are able to do full-loop CIP. So that’s on my list. But, also I need to compartmentalize.

DSBC: You’ve been here for a few weeks now. How do you feel about the operation?

Treu: I feel good. I have good support from management. They’re very supportive of anything that I bring up and want to conquer on the beer side. The staff is excited, because it’s a new location. People are excited when they come in, because there’s just a lot of good energy running right now.

DSBC: OK, final question. What are your biggest goals as head brewer of Nuckolls, whether big or small, short-term or long?

Treu: I think my biggest goals right now are to get the system working efficiently in the brewery and in the bar, (and) getting staff trained up so that they can talk about every beer that’s on tap. There’s already a lot of seasoned, well-established and respected servers and bartenders here, which is pretty cool to see. And, since we have so many taps, I’d like to really support neighboring breweries, and to get everybody that I get to collaborate with, but also will eventually meet in the future on tap. And, of course, to make good beer that people enjoy. That’s always the goal.

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Huge thank you to Jen Treu for sitting down with us and answering our questions once again. To the bright future of Nuckolls Brewing Co. and to more great beer from this talented brewer coming on tap soon, cheers!

— Luke

For more Dark Side Brew Crew news, follow me on Twitter at @SantaFeCraftBro; Untappd: SantaFeLuke; Instagram: @lostgramsofluke