Last time we sat down with Nuckolls Brewing Co., they had just opened their doors to the public. Their brewer had just completed her second week working full-time at the brewery. The kitchen was open, but the menu was still in planning. There was one Nuckolls brew on tap. The downstairs bar was being used primarily as storage, and the outside beer garden might as well have put up the same “coming soon” sign, which had adorned the brewery’s front gates for years.

The doors were open; the brewery had a lot of potential energy, but there was still a ton of work to do before Nuckolls would fully be accepted into the Railyard scene.

Well, it’s been just about one year, and a lot has changed. The food program has grown, even surpassed its well-kept secret status at this point. It has a solid German beer-garden-inspired menu, not extensive, but inspired and delicious, and a great pizza food truck on site to round out your cravings.

The brewery has now put up several of their own creations on their beer board, with everything from stouts and saisons, to IPAs, sours, and even a nice, clean pilsner.

They’ve worked out most of the kinks from staff and equipment, and the downstairs bar has become a versatile space, worthy of a date-night, night-cap, or even night club vibes on the weekends.

I can now say, without reservation, that Nuckolls is a 100-percent whole and well-rounded experience. They are much more than just a pretty patio these days, offering something far deeper than a mere stop along the railroad to grab a drink.

I would go so far as to say that Nuckolls has solidified a spot as a pillar of the Railyard entertainment/nightlife scene, should they choose to uphold it. Luckily for us, they arrived just as Boxcar pulled out of the station.

Right as Santa Fe began to simmer in the dry heat of the summer, I caught up with head brewer and general manager, Jennifer Treu and brewer Hector Santana to chat about how their first year went, and what they’re planning for the days ahead.

“The first year was good,” Treu said. “We’ve done a lot of growing. I think we’re getting into our busy season. So that’s exciting. It’s been nice to have good weather again, with more people utilizing the deck space and the yard, with a lot more families coming through. It’s been good.”

The brewery has been in business just under a full first year, and already the locals have begun to embrace the space.

“We try to let (the locals) know that they’re welcome here, and that we created this space for them. And, we hope that they look at this as another home,” Treu said.

The locals aren’t the only ones to find their way inside for a cold pint on a hot day.

“We get a lot of tourists, too,” Treu said. “Because they already tend to be in the Railyard walking around to do different things. And then, also with the farmers market picking up we’ve had a lot of tourists come from that.”

They’ve since made it through their first floods of concert goers who gather for the free annual concert series on the Railyard. Treu told me that they have a much better understanding and appreciation for the seasonal side of Santa Fe, now, and neither of us are talking about the weather. But, they welcome all the new faces with a good attitude, and just hope they staff enough to weather a monsoon’s worth of thirsty Santa Feans.

To this beer blogger’s eyes, Nuckolls seems to be running on a full head of steam, but of course that isn’t to say it has always been a clear stretch of track for them.

For one, Treu didn’t start as a general manager. She was hired on as the brewer, but soon realized that she had much more to do in the front of house, before anyone would even get a chance to taste her beers. And so, she’s focused a lot of her efforts there, brewing and cellaring when she can schedule it in, but mostly managing front of house duties like staffing and beverage ordering.

More recently, though, she’s acquired some help in the brewhouse, from someone who’s no stranger to New Mexico’s beer industry, Hector Santana. If you’re a longtime reader, you might recognize the name from breweries like Bathtub Row and Santa Fe Brewing Company.

Together, Treu and Santana are pushing the program forward, brewing beers for festivals, competitions, and whatever might taste good that season.

Brewing wise, they admit they’re still getting their feet beneath them. The small size of their system has been a challenge from the start, they remarked.

At the moment, Santana told me that they’re brewing about once every two weeks, depending on whether they have the tank space available.

“The goal is to get at least six beers on tap that we always have,” Treu explained. “So once the lagering tanks that are above the bar are online, then those will be three taps that we just automatically have.”

“We’re still working to see what the system can do and what we can actually produce,” she added.

“With the small system, I think that probably the best thing to do is just make the core beers and then play around seasonally with things we can create,” Santana said.

For 2024, the Nuckolls team is working on getting their three serving tanks online, yes, getting those big copper-colored beauties above the bar working is not just a pipe dream anymore. And then  redoing the other 20 tap lines will make the full 60 available to the public.

“With those done, hopefully we’ll have a wider selection of beer upstairs. Then that can also free up some space for us to brew more styles and really get the brewhouse cranking,” Treu said.

In the front of house, they’ve really worked on getting the staff trained up and working as a team.

“They’re doing a great job,” Treu said. “We really wanted to train staff on beer knowledge, to be able to describe whatever beer is on tap. We have a lot of guest taps from other local New Mexican breweries upstairs with different styles, flavor profiles, and we want our staff to be able to help the customer decide on the beer that they’re going to be drinking, so that they don’t need to have a flight, or have to have five tasters to see what they want that day.”

Great staff like Dan Cannella, who’s just about been there from the beginning has really stepped up, and even helps out in the brewhouse from time to time .

I asked Treu what her biggest challenge was as both a general manager and head brewer. She laughed and said, “time management.”

When I asked them what they felt their biggest achievements were, with one year under their belt, Treu said, “I think just opening up our doors every day and having a staff that wants to come to work and smile when they come in as customers.”

Another major achievement of note was opening up the downstairs bar, or The Low Bar as it’s now lovingly referred to.

There have been several ideas kicked around for the concept of that space, with several directions it could have taken. For a longtime, a speakeasy was the forerunner.

It wasn’t until they hired Jessica Damm, with a face one might recognize from Opuntia, that the whole vibe of the downstairs space and alcohol program really began to take shape.

“Jessica does the curation of the cocktails, and then her and I work together on ordering the beer,” Treu explained. “It’s more international inspired beer down here, to kind of push people’s palates both on the cocktail side and the beer side.”

“We also carry a bunch of different sakes and wines. We want to make it a little bit more upscale but not “bougie” or off-putting. You can get a nice glass of something here, and the doors are open, so you can enjoy your beverage anywhere on the facility.”

“Jess has done a really good job curating the spirits down here,” she added. “So, if you’re looking for something that’s unique, she’s probably ordered it. But also, she’ll pour you a well drink with just something like Jack Daniels or whatever, as well. So no pretentiousness. We just want you to enjoy your time here.”

The Low Bar still has a very different feel from the upstairs space, which is more of an open-space, country-charming brewery you might find in Wyoming.

Upstairs, the beers and ciders are entirely local, ranging from Albuquerque to Taos and serving some of Santa Fe’s best along with them, as well as plenty of other non-alcoholic choices.

Downstairs, the beer list is more internationally curated with a heavy lean towards Belgium with beers from Delirium – Brouwerij Huyghe and Bavik.

Upstairs, the tables are long, good for gathering big parties or families. Downstairs, the tables are small; the seating more intimate.

Downstairs, you’ll find cocktails that range from cozy mugs of hot toddy’s in the wintertime to breezy aperol spritzes in the summer.

During the day, the Low Bar can be a chill hang, where you can listen to the wind mixed with some light conversation. And, at night, you can groove well into the witching hour with the beats of the Up All Night DJs who spin records there regularly.

“We kind of have two different clientele,” Treu explained. “Some come specifically just to the Low Bar to get a cocktail. And then, a lot of people are extremely happy that we only have New Mexican breweries upstairs, and that we support that.”

Nuckolls also plays host to weekly entertainment now with music Fridays through Sundays, sometimes on Thursdays. Some nights they’ll have a vinyl DJ downstairs, some days the DJ will be spinning beats outside on the patio.

I’ve now been to alien-themed dance parties, comedy shows, as well as an evening’s homage to Shakespeare’s ghost, if I wasn’t too far into the spirits to recall correctly.

Sure, Nuckolls is a bit all over the place with entertainment, but I think you have to find out who your crowd is, and what they go for these days so that you don’t pigeonhole yourself into one niche (or age group). Especially in Santa Fe.

Outside, the patio deck continues to reign supreme as the best patio deck on the Railyard. OK, it’s the only one, but it’s a great one. And, it looks as through the sod Nuckolls laid in June has taken nicely and should soon be a good place for posting up, right next to their new outdoor stage they’re building.

One year in the books, and the good people at Nuckolls have done a lot with their tremendous potential, and they plan to keep things kinetic.

For instance, this Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m., Nuckolls is playing host to the New Mexico Brewers Guild IPA Challenge.

You can still get your tickets through the link here.

You can bet I’ll be there, and this one is special for me as I’ll be celebrating my 10th year covering New Mexico beer, and at the very same annual event that I first covered back in July 2014. Please come on out and say hey!

Looking forward, Nuckolls plans to complete the outdoor stage by the end of July. They aim to get the three lagering tanks tapped and online very soon. And, they’ve been working on their one-year anniversary party, which will be right at the end of this month.

For the rest of the year, you can bet Nuckolls will be at more festivals, pouring more styles than ever. You can expect more music, weekly entertainment, with the possibility of a monthly open mic night, and fingers crossed, another alien dance party, and of course, many more great meals from Chef Beto.

As far as beer goes, they will continue experimenting with new styles and flavors and keep pushing their system as far as they can.

From what everyone at Nuckolls will tell you, you better get on board, because this train is not slowing down. They have big plans, but right now they’re just happy that people like the space they’ve created.

“It’s super cool to see people within the service industry here in Santa Fe come in and support us,” Santana said. “I think it’s awesome that they like it here, too.”

To the people of Santa Fe and our visitors, Treu said, “I’d like to say thank you for supporting us. It means a lot to see the same faces come through every week. And, just to know that we have friends that like hanging out here, and like spending their time here. We enjoy that relationship with you guys. And, to the people who haven’t visited us yet, please come be our friend.”

To Nuckolls continued success and the growth of a truly great place, cheers!

Luke

Luke has been covering the Santa Fe beer scene and beyond since July 2014.