A full-time job as a brewer and distiller, a growing family, and the pursuit of a higher degree all at the same time is a lot for any one person. Yet it is exactly the situation that La Reforma head brewer James Warren finds himself in these days.

I caught up with James for our first interview together at the popular Mexico City-style taqueria/brewery/distillery located at 8900 San Mateo Blvd NE, just north of Alameda. We sat down in the busy bar area, where I told James that it seems like every time I come to La Reforma or I drive by, the place is really busy. So, it seemed a little odd that James told me he so often runs into people who still do not know about La Reforma. I can only guess that they have a good-sized group of loyal regulars that keep them busy; that is, except during Balloon Fiesta, when due to the proximity they experience a mass “descension” of visitors.

This was a Look Back/Look Ahead interview, but the story for La Reforma is really about stability. In a time where things have been a bit unstable for some in the industry, a steady pace is just fine with them.

Two upcoming things to let folks to know about are the United in Beer collaboration with Bow & Arrow, and a desire to bring back some archived beers that the regulars have been asking for to return. United in Beer randomly pairs up two participating breweries — one larger and one smaller in terms of production — to collaborate on brewing a beer together. La Reforma was paired with Bow & Arrow to produce a red ale. James said he is a huge fan of Bow & Arrow’s beers, although he thinks they work on very different styles, so he is pretty excited about that.

As far as the archived beers go, James said he’s excited to bring back some favorite recipes from before his time at La Reforma (James has been at the brewery for not quite two years and started at Blue Corn in Santa Fe in 2014). He said there is nothing wrong with learning lessons from past brewers that have been there along the way, and making new additions to them, as well. The first one will be a SMASH lager. He reported that all the regulars have been asking for that one. He thinks with spring coming, it will be a good fit.

James said he has also tried to keep the number of beers on tap at a manageable level. He wants to focus on quality over quantity. I asked him what his favorite beer is to make. He said he has always been a fan of malty beers, so maybe the Scotch ale, Bomba. One thing James said he would like to do is use some of the barrels from their spirits program to do some barrel-aged beers. 

James said his biggest struggle right now is trying to balance out the growth of the spirits program with the beer side. He said his biggest success is having fun with the West Coast IPA. It changes all the time and the customers like the changes.

I asked James if there are any plans to do any beer pairing events or dinners since they are a full restaurant. He said that is not on his radar. James also said that he thinks there seems to be a decline in that in general in the beer industry. It might make sense for them not to take that on because after talking to James, it was apparent just how busy this guy is just in general. La Reforma has two part-time CNM brewing program students — Samantha and Marisa — to help him out, but he also teaches a maintenance equipment and safety class at CNM, so that takes up a fair amount of time.

In fact, James said he is letting one of the students, Samantha, take the lead on the Bow & Arrow collaboration. He said Samantha is really into collaborations, so that should be a great opportunity for her. And, Marisa has been at La Reforma since before James started there, and previously worked at Bosque. Everyone has different ways of doing things, he said; hopefully they find their own voice and how they want to apply that in the future.

At this point, understandably, readers may wonder how James is any busier than any other brewer. The answer is that he is also currently pursuing his doctorate in in organizational development, and he has two children under 2 years old. Ironically, his dissertation is on burnout in the brewing industry!

Although it is not beer-related, James did touch on the spirits program and how the reciprocity laws in New Mexico have been really good for them. It works out because they mainly sell to other breweries. Oh, and yes, James is also the head distiller. He said he didn’t really realize, except maybe subconsciously, that distillation was going to be such a huge part of the production. They brew once a week, but the still is running between four to six days a week. He is just one busy, busy human.

And with that, let’s all go take a nap now. Get rest for yourselves and for James, as well.

Cheers!

— AmyO