With all the pessimism and angst going around these days, it’s refreshing to talk to someone who has good things to say about the craft brewing scene.

Although they have done some pivoting of late, Sunday Service Motor Company, located at 2701 4th St. NW in Albuquerque, is “motoring” along nicely.

Owner/brewer Kevin Anderson said, “2024 … it was good. We saw some good growth. We are still year two of startup, right? So, there’s our second full year. And so, really just pushing hard on getting the word out of who we are, and what we do.”

2024 also saw the addition of quite a few of their own beers on tap. Early on, they only had a couple of their own beers and mostly guest beers. The reverse is true now, as they have seven of their own and only a few guest offerings. Of course, a big part of the uptick in beers is due to the fact that Kevin has help in the brewing area now. Greg Waddington, who works for Mother Road is assisting, and they are tag teaming.  

Kevin reported that their Killswitch Kolsch is their best-selling beer, followed by the rye IPA. I was able to sample most of the lineup that day and the rye beer they had on was the one I enjoyed most. As far as which seasonal sold out quickest, it was their Oktoberfest. It only lasted about 10 days. A Red Velvet Cake Stout should be on by the time this story runs (get it quick) and coming soon will be a gingerbread style. (That special stout is on tap and it was quite enjoyable. — S)

I asked Kevin about owning a brewery that is also a coffee shop. I wondered what the breakdown is for coffee versus beer. He said as far as orders, they are pretty even. But there’s less revenue on the coffee side. The numbers would be between 30-40 percent for coffee and 60-70 percent beer, wine and alcohol (they do sell a bit of wine and make a few cocktails). There’s also a volume issue. You might stay a while and have a coffee, but you are more likely to hang out and have more than one beer.

The back area which used to provide workshop space for people to service their motorcycles was repurposed for a while into an art space. Now, their big initiative for 2025 is they are in the process of finding a vendor for a kitchen space. Since they are also a coffee shop, and therefore open early, more food will be a great addition for those of us *ahem* who can be talked into a breakfast beer!

The motorcycle theme is still alive, however. They have really expanded on doing events; Wednesday night is “Bike Night” and it is very popular. They also have a really cool thing they are doing (usually) on Tuesday nights in collaboration with Rock 101 Music Academy. They have adult guitar lessons on the patio. The patio, by the way, for those who haven’t been there has a super chili vibe which goes well with guitar music. Adding a beer can smooth off the edges of anxiety for people afraid to start something new.

“They teach a song a week; they do a great job with it,” Kevin said. “They break it down for if you’ve never touched a guitar, (or) to you’re just wanting to kind of dust the cobwebs off. It’s through Rock 101, so I don’t have it (the fee) off the top of my head, but you go sign up, or you can just show up… And then, after that, there’s an open mic. So that same group then hosts an open mic for whether it’s all people that want to come in and just play, or people have been working on the song.”

Stoutmeister would like to add that SSMC has become the home for watch parties for the local Bayern Munich fan club, New Mexico Roten. They gather for most weekend matches. You can find the club’s official Facebook page for more info. All are welcome to come watch a match and enjoy a coffee or a beer or two.

Lastly, Kevin wanted people to know they have revamped their website, making it easier to find their location, what they are about, and what they serve. I took a look and it’s pretty slick! Come check them out. Have a coffee and then stay for a beer or two.

Cheers!

— AmyO