The good news for Ex Novo Brewing was that this year, one not filled with any sorts of huge developments, was nonetheless solid and productive. The better news is that it will help prepare everyone on staff for what figures to be a busier, bigger year ahead.

I recently caught up with founder Joel Gregory, sales manager James Gregory, general manager Stevo Jeter, and new head brewer Hudson Fort to cover all things Ex Novo for our Look Back/Look Ahead Series.

“Overall yeah, it was pretty normal in terms of big things,” Joel said. “We didn’t make any big changes in terms of big projects or infrastructure or tanks or equipment. Late last year was when we first commissioned our new canning line. We’ve gotten used to that. It’s been quite nice.

“Big changes that did happen is Hudson. Ryan decided to get back home, or at least to the Midwest, after a relatively short but productive stint here. Hudson’s a Portland transplant. How long did you brew up there?”

“I brewed three years up in Portland, started there in 2019 and came here in 2022,” Hudson replied. “It’s been a lot of work, but very rewarding. I like challenging myself this way. It’s definitely not something I had on my bingo card for this year. When I first saw the position opened I was really excited to throw my hat in the ring, see what happens. I think it’s working out pretty nicely.”

Hudson already had a big fan on staff.

“From the front-of-house perspective, I was overwhelmingly excited when I read the news,” Stevo said. “I messaged Huddy immediately when I found out, and Joel, actually. I just thought it was such a rad move. … I will say in my opinion that the communication, beer flow, rad ideas, I think this is the very best it’s ever been at Ex Novo. I really attribute a lot of that to Huddy and his just joy in brewing and desire to see Ex Novo continue to grow. I think it’s one of the coolest things we did in 2023.”

Joel said it was the first time that Ex Novo has promoted someone to the position of head brewer from within, which is also a plus.

“We’ve never filled a head brewer position internally before,” Joel said. “Hudson is the guy,” Joel said. “He’s been with us for a while, and always a top go-to for recipes and processes, keeping his ear to the ground on what’s going on in the industry. It’s a good, fresh perspective, which is nice to have someone that really, really wants to be doing it.”

On the sales side of things, James said it was a pretty good year for the company.

“We grew, we plateaued a bit, not a total plateau, but more of a sustainable growth pattern from last year,” he said. “The growth was nice, because it was our seasonal, hoppy and rotator brands. We had the correct amount of placements. We did the State Fair beer (Dusty Spur) this year, which was 1,000 cases extra, which was cool. We continued to see Mass Ascension, already our far and away number one, continue to grow.”

Joel added that it was about a 10-percent uptick from 2022, and it has pushed Ex Novo closer to the “formidable 10,000-barrel mark” of overall production.

Among the big sellers this year was a certain lager and its new offshoot.

“The Most Interesting Lager 12-packs, I thought, were a pleasant surprise,” James said. “I thought it would cannibalize the 6-packs a little bit, but our 6-packs grew as well. I think that’s a brand that’s done really well for us, the Mexican lager.”

“To piggyback on that, we basically used that same beer to make But It’s a Dry Heat, just lime and salt infused,” Joel added. “Those numbers here on site here in the hot July month, we’ve never had a beer sell like that. Overall, the Mexican lager styles were just flying this summer. That’s nice.”

Stevo added that the recent Dortmunder seasonal, Munder She Wrote, has been a big seller even in the colder months.

“I love to see that,” he said. “You can’t get enough crispy bois. That and Dusty Spur, which we already mentioned, that beer is one of my favorites that we’ve ever done.”

Joel promised another lager is due out in January to “keep the crispy train going.”

On the hoppy side of things, one style really stood out in 2023.

“I will say that and the rise of juicy IPA this year,” Stevo said. “Taste the Rain Bro, god, that really kind of kicked it off. We do a lot of West Coast, a lot of rad hazy IPAs, and then Taste the Rain Bro released and holy cow, people really like this juicy IPA. We’ve been continuing with those.”

“Hudson, will you describe that for the readers that don’t know what a juicy IPA is?” Joel asked.

“When we make a juicy IPA, we’re kind of doing a hybrid of a West Coast and a hazy,” Hudson replied. “Kind of more the grist of a West Coast IPA, lean, clean, light, but then a lot more New World, tropical hops, juicy hops, not a ton of bittering, just a little bit of bittering in there. And then, neither clear nor hazy, somewhere in the middle.”

The biggest on-site event this year — well, after Stevo’s own wedding, of course — was United in Beer, a showcase of brewery collaborations that supported the Somos Unidos Foundation. Stevo said that many breweries that did not participate in the first year have already reached out to see about the plans for 2024.

“We’re definitely doing that (United in Beer) again,” Joel said. “I think reading your recaps about festivals and what people are wanting these days, the biggest thing about that one was it was collaborative and every beer was a new release. It wasn’t like hey, come drink to this festival and drink everyone’s core five beers again and again. Every beer was unique. That kind of formula, I think, is what’s going to work for festivals in the future.”

Utilizing that festival as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit was also part of the plan this year, as Ex Novo worked on more and more charitable endeavors, even some that sprung up out of nowhere.

“That and being able to do something along the lines of our motto, Drink Beer, Do Good, so I love not just having the collaborative effort, but seeing so many breweries jump on board to raise money for a nonprofit is huge to me,” Stevo said. “The beers we did this year are along those same lines. Hawaii 505 was not originally meant to do that, and then the (Maui) fires hit, and it was how can we help. It wasn’t just a dollar a pint, it was 50 percent of every $6 pint sold, we were giving that back. That beer did extremely did well as well, a coconut porter that flew. I would to think it was because it was an outstanding dry porter, but it was also giving that money.”

Now, as we teased in the intro, while all of that 2023 recap is well and good, the 2024 preview half of this story should really generate some excitement.

Hudson and the brewing team are already hard at work on that front.

“The way I’m approaching writing recipes is I take a lot of inspiration from the Pacific Northwest, those breweries and my peers there,” he said. “Just doing a lot of clean, traditional, classic styles, as well as some experimentation with some styles. We’ve been talking about doing more terpene-infused beers, maybe some more barrel projects down the road, more lagers.”

“We are definitely in a super fun age of (new) hop products,” Joel added. “I think we’re still beginning to dip our feet into them. We’ve tried this extract or whatever CGX, and then there’s 10 new ones over here to try. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with those one-offs, and getting some (from) those farmers and big hop producers are pushing new the envelope on these new things that aren’t just pelletized hops.”

The staff will be meeting in January to finalize details on big returning events like United in Beer, and a certain other fest from 2022 that will be making a comeback.

“Speaking of festivals, we intend for Lagerhosen to come back and be there (in The Corral),” Joel said.

2024 will also mark a major anniversary for the brewery.

“We are approaching our 10-year anniversary as Ex Novo, five years in Corrales,” Joel said. “I think we’re just going to go with the 10-year, not restart the clock. Even with Oregon winding down.”

“We’re going to do a five-year anniversary, and a 10-year Joel,” James joked.

“There would be no Ex Novo if not for this little nonprofit that started 10 years ago,” Stevo added. “Whereas New Mexico didn’t open until 2019, I think it’s very important to celebrate the fact that there was this dude who started something from scratch in his garage a decade ago. I don’t think he had this in mind when he started this 10 years ago. It’s really important to see what he’s done.”

As for the biggest project of all, the downtown taproom construction project at Central and Seventh is moving along.

“It looks like that in there, they’re doing underground plumbing right now,” Joel said while showing pictures of the demolition progress on his phone. “The trenches are open and it looks terrible. The parking lot, they’re jack-hammering all the concrete out. It’s a mess right now. I guess plumbing and underground is construction, but we’re not quite at the start to make some cool, pretty things yet. Schedule is out there. We’ve had some obvious hiccups that we don’t want to bore everyone with. But, it’s going to be a summertime thing. Not a Balloon Fiesta 2023 thing, which was my first thought.”

Joel made the tough decision in 2023 to sell off the original Portland-based Ex Novo brewery/taproom, and the offsite pub in Beaverton, in order to focus on Albuquerque. As those places transfer over to new owners, Albuquerque will benefit as a pair of key staff members prepare to move down here to take important new roles with the company.

“Speaking of internal moves, we’ve got our GM from our Beaverton pub up in Oregon is going to be moving down and heading that project up, Sean Lewis, he’s awesome,” Joel said. “And, as well, the assistant manager of that pub is coming down to be our social media/digital creative person, Sarah Turner. It’s really cool that people want to continue on the Ex Novo (path), and this new location will provide opportunities.”

“Which means, yes, I will still be in Corrales, for everyone who asks me,” Stevo added. “Now I actually have an answer.”

Speaking of Stevo, he was just elected to the board of directors for the New Mexico Brewers Guild, which adds even more work to his plate. But, he seems quite happy to take on that responsibility, too.

“It was something that Joel and I actually had been talking about, because it’s a passion of mine,” Stevo said. “I love this community, I love the industry, and to be able to be a part of the New Mexico Brewers Guild is a huge honor. I think it’s going to be really rad starting in January with WinterBrew, Ex Novo being a part of that. And then, up in Santa Fe to be able to help lobby for change for not just Ex Novo, but the entire brewing community in the state of New Mexico, to have a voice for that, it’s huge.

“I get fired up on stuff like that. All the way back to my beginning with the start of Ex Novo New Mexico, I genuinely have a deep love for this community through the Drink Beer, Do Good motto. And, to continue to affect change in the state I grew up in and loved for more than four decades, I’m really, really excited and honored to be apart of that, and to represent Ex Novo is huge.”

Beyond all of that, the Ex Novo team will keep some other surprises to themselves for the time being.

“Everything else is a secret, but we’re not done yet, so buckle up, buttercup!” Joel said with a wry smile.

A huge thanks to Joel, James, Stevo, and Hudson for the interview, and a few tastings of not-yet-released beers (job perk!) in the brewery. It was a windy day when we sat down, but we got it done, and I always appreciate them taking time out of their busy schedules.

And yes, you all are going to love this year’s Kill the Sun lineup, because of course those are what I sampled.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister