Rowley Farmhouse Ales celebrates 7th year in business with anniversary party

Rowley Farmhouse Ales opened its doors seven years ago initially under the name Sub Rosa Cellars. After changing their name to appease a slightly disgruntled distillery up north of a similar label, they survived the first few rough years when a brewery really needs to prove to the community what it is all about.

In a short time, RFA has not only carved out a niche for themselves as the best brewers of mixed fermentation farmhouse and sour ales in the Santa Fe area, but have also become known for their high-quality farm-to-table food, and as one of the best beer bars in Santa Fe, if not the best.

With a hefty jingle of GABF medals dangling above their taps, a slew of awards under their belts including several honors as the best craft beer bar in New Mexico, an Edible Local Hero award, and a handful of best of Santa Fe awards and yearly nominations, they have most-assuredly declared that they like it here, and they’d love to stick around.

Hell, RFA made it through COVID, multiple robberies, and even a trailer fire that destroyed a good deal of their equipment this past year. And, they’re still here, doing what they’re most passionate about.

And now, navigating the world of inflation, lingering post-COVID supply-chain woes from beer distributors, and the difficulties of moving to a cashless operation, they remain firm in their mission of bringing the best food and beer experience they can to New Mexico.

I recently caught up with co-founder and brewmaster John Rowley, and co-founder and chef Jeffrey Kaplan to get the scoop on the upcoming festivities.

This Sunday, Rowley Farmhouse Ales is getting down to business. The business of getting down, that is. They’re celebrating, and while it may not be the huge tent and dunk-tank bash their fifth anniversary was, they definitely have some delicious fun planned for the event.

“So this is kind of a low-key year for us,” Rowley said. “We didn’t want to go all-out for a lot of reasons. But, we did some digging in the back and found some really cool kegs.”

For this event, as always, RFA will be tapping some extra-special goodies from the cellar.

The first on this list is Frambozen, their masterpiece Oud Bruin aged on raspberry. This beer blew away my tastebuds the first time I tried it, and according to Untappd, I went back for it, probably more than once.

They also plan to tap the last keg of their absolute killer of a plum concoction, Clouds Collapse. This blend of two spontaneously fermented base beers, brewed 18 months apart, were aged in Chardonnay barriques before snuggling up with some sexy Japanese blood plums for the rest of the aging process.

RFA also plans to bring up some 18 ∆ MOS, an Imperial Mocha Stout from the cellar, which I’ve already called dibs on a glass or two.

They will be tapping Mountain of Light – Blueberry, as well, but the star of the show will be “Ned Ryerson,” a rare Rye Barley Wine brewed by former-former head brewer Mike Donovan, who is now at Bow & Arrow. This 30-percent ABV rye barleywine was brewed, roughly 30 months ago, and according to Rowley, before Donovan left, had said it was the best beer he ever brewed.

On the menu is a plate near and dear to the good folks at RFA, Maine lobster rolls! That’s right, they’re flying in fresh lobster and filling 50 or so New England hotdog buns for this special event. The buns may not be locally sourced this time around, but neither is the lobster. (Probably thankfully.) Though they support local each and every day, they are aiming for the authentic East Coast experience for this special.

The lobster rolls can be ordered hot or cold, and do not have to be pre-ordered or reserved as in the past, but as mentioned, there are only about 50, so catch ‘em while you can. Know what I mean?

For entertainment, Kaplan told us that the Silver Clan Music Machine, featuring local legends Jesse Velasquez and Chris Riggins, will be jamming from 1 to 5 p.m. So make sure to get there early for primo seat choice.

In seven years, team RFA has learned many lessons along the way, and this year it’s holding true to their identity.

“One of the things you have to do, is you have to follow the market a little bit,” Rowley said. “And, as a farmhouse brewery, we don’t typically do that as much. We’re not doing crazy hazy beers. You know, I think we do well in terms of having other beer, so we can kind of focus on that.”

Another lesson for RFA is that for their brewery, maintaining a strict schedule for seasonal beers just isn’t all that practical anymore.

“I think for me,” Rowley said. “Seasonals don’t exist. I have a hard time with that. I get it, you like your festbier right? I would prefer my festbier (the) third week of September. But, the people brewing big batches can release it on July 27. But, for beers like we do, like Germophile, I can’t say it’s just a summer beer. We sell it all the time. So I have a hard time saying that I should only make that for one season. I’m just going to break the norm and say that’s the lesson learned. Don’t rely on seasonal things. If you want it, brew it.”

“It’s hard because you want to release a lot of these awesome fruited Saisons or sours or whatever, when it’s hot out,” Kaplan added. “The fruits come in, and by the time you get the fresh fruit, brew with it, and the beer’s ready, it’s fall, winter, and if you sit on beer, the fruit starts to fade.”

“You have to just say, forget it,” Rowley concluded. “Release it when the beer’s ready. When the beer is ready, it will tell you, and then you’re good to go.”

Seven years in the industry and the RFA team is still just as thrilled to be here.

“It’s humbling to be at this point, and I’m really glad we’re here,” Rowley said.

Kaplan added, “It’s shocking sometimes, that we’re still here,” recalling the recent fire.

The team has indeed seen a lot of roadblocks, many in 2023 alone, as mentioned in my Look Back article, but the team keeps on truckin’.

“It seems like COVID was easier than this year,” Rowley joked.

*****

Who: New Mexico beer and food lovers

What: Rowley Farmhouse Ales Seventh Anniversary Party

Where: Rowley Farmhouse Ales, 1405 Maclovia St, Santa Fe, NM 87505

When: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! 9/3/23 Beginning at 11:30 a.m. until close.

Why you should go: It’s a party with plenty of top-tier food, beer, and entertainment. With inflation, and the heatwave changing the patterns of patio business, and moving to a cashless establishment, it’s been a true test of Rowley Farmhouse Ales as a business, and so all the more worth celebrating their achievements and all-around persistence.

Thank you to John Rowley and Jeffrey Kaplan for sitting down with me on a Monday evening after work, and for bringing this excellent experience to Santa Fe’s great craft scene seven years ago. To many more years of health and success, cheers! And, see you at the party!

— Luke