The transformation of High and Dry Brewing is almost complete, one that extends beyond the remodel that customers will now see out front.

I caught up with new general manager Kyle Gaston, new head brewer Cami O’Brien, and now full owner Mark Baker to learn all about what has been going on and what is to come.

“The short of the transition is this place just needed a change,” said Gaston, who had worked as a bartender for the past three years but has past management experience.

High and Dry was born as an idea back in 2017 between Baker, a well-known local architect/developer, and Andrew Kalemba, a brewer and entrepreneur, who was looking to leave the corporate world behind. They opened in 2018, with Kalemba largely running the show.

“Seven years later, Andrew went back to the corporate world he came from, and basically we just wanted to keep this place going,” Gaston said.

Baker wanted to keep the brewery going, Gaston said, so they started brainstorming new ideas at the end of 2024.

“Back in December of last year we started figuring out what was happening,” he said. “Mark took full ownership in April of this year. We started looking for a brewer.”

They found one in O’Brien, a former graduate of the Central New Mexico Community College brewing program. She went on to intern at Sidetrack and then spent close to three years as part of the brewing team at Boxing Bear. Now she gets the opportunity to run her own show.

“It’s been good,” O’Brien said. “I almost want to say it’s been a blessing in disguise. There are always a lot of issues in the beginning. After I learned how to fix almost anything, I know how to handle any surprises.”

Gaston joked that he told her that with a little duct tape, anything is possible. There will be some upgrades coming to the brewery in the future, O’Brien said, as the equipment purchased a few years ago from the former Blue Grasshopper needs some repairs and the like.

For now, though, the main focus is on updating the core recipes. Rye Orbison, a rye amber, Special Shapes IPA, and Ghost of a Moon Pale Ale will be permanent fixtures in the beer lineup.

“We’ll definitely have seasonal beers, some experimental,” O’Brien said. “The core beers, as soon as I get those locked in, then we’ll go. Coming up with different recipes, that’s a challenge, but I look forward to it.”

While those changes are happening in the back, as noted the most obvious changes will be in the remodel out front. The chairs and bar stools have been upgraded, the walls repainted, that weird wall along the ADA ramp inside has been reduced, and there will be a community table in the center. The patio was also cleaned up, with a new outer fence installed.

“We tried to do the world’s fastest remodel,” Baker said. “In six days, so we could reopen for Taco Tuesday. We open on Taco Tuesday and have the grand reopening Saturday with a big party.”

That Saturday party will kick off at 5 p.m., though they will be open normal hours before that. Customers will also note a change parked outside.

“We’ll have a consistent food truck every day of the week,” Gaston said. “We’re hoping to get a lot of people back that haven’t been here in a while, for whatever reason.”

That truck is one whose owners have a connection to Baker and his 505 Central Food Hall.

“Tikka Spice is the best food truck in Albuquerque for many years running,” he said. “We’re really fortunate to have them here. Just having that consistent food at a high quality, that will keep people here. Having rotating food trucks can be a challenge. That takes a lot of load off our managing team.”

There will also be some additions to the beverage lineup.

“We’re going to start offering craft seltzer cocktails,” Gaston said. “We’ve made it so there’s more things available. We’ll have great beer and then some other options.”

There will still be live music as often as they can book it, plus trivia and open mic nights. The goal, all three said, was to make High and Dry an even more inviting and welcoming place without losing too much of that neighborhood pub appeal.

“I think it’s kind of our superpower, is that we’re located in a neighborhood,” Baker said. “How many breweries are in an industrial zone? I think proximity to our community, people walk here, you see bikes parked here, we have running clubs that meet here.

“(But) we want to be a destination spot as well. We think our beer is going to be good enough. Our vibe is awesome. I don’t see why beer drinkers from across the city won’t want to come here. We want to invite everyone to come experience High and Dry.”

We are excited to see where all of these new changes take High and Dry in the future. A big thanks to Kyle for the invitation to visit before the reopening, and to Cami and Mark for taking a few minutes out of their very busy days to chat. We will have to swing by this weekend in between For the Love of Lagers and the New Mexico United game to try the revamped beer recipes and enjoy the remodeled space once all the dust clears.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister