Ever wanted to be a part of Albuquerque's craft beer boom? You still have a few days to become part owner of an ambitious new taproom/nanobrewery: Ale Republic.
Sure, a Kickstarter campaign allows you to be an owner of the business much like being a Green Bay season ticket holder makes you an owner of the football team, but your money will go to a business that sets itself apart from other beer bars in town.
Ale Republic founder Patrick Johnson is a PhD grad student at UNM. Like most PhD candidates, his plan is to open a part NM-brewed craft beer bar/ part brewery that will allow customers to come in and brew their own recipes on Ale Republic's 3 barrel system. Sort of like Kelly's Brewpub program that lets people brew, but Kelly's is geared more towards the first time brewer. Ale Republic steers towards the seasoned homebrewers who would like to live out their grandest recipes on a better system than the one in their laundry room at home. Want to brew a lemon-ginger-verbana IPA? Why??? Whatever the reason, you will have the opportunity to do so at Ale Republic. Oh, and they will provide all the ingredients, and let you brew free of charge. A socialist's dream! And if your beer is deemed good enough, Ale Republic will brew it on their larger scale 15 or 30 barrel system (that system is still a ways off. Socialists can only spend so much on themselves when sharing with you).
The craft beer part of the operation will be exclusively NM-brewed beers, but the focus will be on getting breweries' specialty kegs. Amber ales are fine, but how about a once-brewed anniversary ale, barrel-aged stout, sour, etc.? Sounds fine to me. Ale Republic will feature 30 taps of the harder to find beers from around the state.
The plans are to be located somewhere in the downtown area, possibly in the Wells Park section. They plan to open as soon as January 2015.
But listen: These good people are still $11,000 short of their initial $25,000 goal. Their concept is certainly the most forward thinking of any brewery plan that I've seen, and it would be a great addition to our scene if they could get your help. Help needs to come in the next three days, as their campaign is coming to an end. Donations start at $10, which gets you a set of three stickers. Hey, give a little, get a little. Donations go all the way up to $1,000 (feel free to give more, but the gifts end there...or do they?? For anything over that, maybe you get to go into the Champagne Room). $1,000 gets you the Aristocracy Membership, or "Living like a 1%er". It gets you the stickers, input on designing the house beers, a damn engraved stone with inscription of your choice that will become a part of the space itself, tickets to the grand opening, invites to exclusive tastings, discounts on pints and merch, and probably a small island in the Sea of Cortez.
I don't have an extra $1,000 to give, and I'm sure most of you don't either. I had to use Smith's Bonus Points to pay for gas today. But a few bucks from a lot of us could get this innovative brewery going, and it could be an exciting addition to Albuquerque's brewing community.
Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1965699311/ale-republic-the-capital-of-beer-democracy to make a donation.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
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