Alien Brew Pub is no more. Alien Brew Pub still lives.

These contradictory statements are brought to you by, arguably, the most unexpected beer-related local development of the week. The Alien Brew Pub, located next door to Uptown Sports Bar, has ended its affiliation with Sierra Blanca Brewery and will now become a new Santa Fe Brewing taproom.

Yeah, we were surprised, too, when that news began to emerge on Facebook.

With a short amount of time on my hands, I went over solo to check it out for today’s (Thursday’s) soft opening. The remodel is complete, the SFBC branding is everywhere, and while the drink menu is now all of their beers, the food menu appears unchanged for those who are fans of some of their dishes.

The management team was busy meeting with a SFBC rep to go over the beers, and while we did reach out to SFBC management, we have not heard back yet (this will be updated if we get a statement).

(UPDATE) Santa Fe CEO Brian Lock said that they started having talks with Uptown/Alien owner Adam Krafft around the end of last year. Krafft was then kind enough to send us a statement about why teaming up was a no-brainer.

“Abq and SF are small towns where your reputation matters,” Krafft wrote. “I’ve owned bars for the last 28 years and have witnessed the excellent job that Santa Fe has done. More importantly I have also always heard great things about the owner so I decided to try and team up with a known industry leader and the biggest brand in the craft beer space in NM. What was a shot in the dark quickly became a reality as we came to a mutually beneficial arrangement over a lunch at my spot. I was really excited that SF releases new beers often which I feel will complement our track record of providing fresh food and craft cocktails in the heart of Uptown.”

We will let the pictures of the remodel speak for themselves. Head on over and check out this remodeled taproom and let us know what you think of it this weekend. There will be an official grand opening on September 12, so stay tuned for details.

Marble property for sale but brewery will remain

If you have been a bit confused by, and perhaps worried by, the recent headlines that the Marble Brewery “campus” is for sale, fear not. Since we do not exist beyond a paywall like other local publications, here is the lowdown on what it all means.

Once upon a time, all of Marble — the brewery business and the property it sits upon — was owned by the Peters brothers. They sold the business in late 2024 to current operators Bert Boyce and Jarrett Babinscak, plus a slew of unnamed silent partners.

It turns out, however, that the sale did not include the physical property. We started to learn that when some of the buildings along 2nd Street that Marble previously used for office and storage space were sold to a tech company.

Now the rest of the “campus,” which includes the land where the brewery sits at 111 Marble Ave, plus a nearby building and an empty lot, are all being put up for sale for an asking price of $7.65 million.

For Marble fans, don’t panic. The new property owner will not be able to suddenly oust the brewery and redevelop everything. Any purchase will include a 20-year lease for Marble to remain in operation. In business-speak, that’s called a “sale-leaseback.”

If anything, it could give Marble the ability to expand and make some improvements on the property. That is all theoretical at this point, however, so don’t get too excited. There still has to be a sale, and in case you have not noticed, the economy isn’t exactly thriving these days.

So, in summation, the good news is Marble is not going anywhere. It may just be signing those rent checks to someone new before long.

---

This is one of those short, but not short, emptying of the beer notebook editions. If you hear of any beer news out there that we may have missed, send us a DM on social media, or contact us at nmdarksidebrewcrew@gmail.com.

Oh, and remember, while this weekend is a bit light on events, August 29 will feature both Marblefest and Lagerhosen at Ex Novo Downtown. Get out there early enough and you can potentially walk from one to the other.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister