Michael Calhoun grew up in Red River and has plans to move back to town from his current home in Los Alamos.
He also has plans to see a dream realized when the Red River Brewing Company – RRBC – opens its doors in 2017.
The “first and only” brewery in town will be located at 217 West Main Street – next to Lifts West Condominiums – at the corner of Bunker Hill and Main. The location is currently occupied by a 1950s era service station that is marked for removal.
“It’s a restaurant and brewery and it’s a Calhoun family business,” says Michael who will be the General Manager. “It’s something that came together with my brother Brian (Calhoun) – the architect of the project – and Linda, Beau and Katy, and our spouses.
“We’ve been getting involved in the craft brewery scene in New Mexico and Colorado. We started looking into a brewery (for Red River) and it just made a lot of sense. The timing was right and we’re moving forward with it!”
Construction is planned to begin as soon as the weather permits in the spring of 2017. It will probably be early April.
“The building will contain a full brewery and a restaurant with a varied American menu,” says Calhoun, “with fantastic salads, appetizers and sandwiches, burgers… great bar food.”
Calhoun says that they are currently working on a license which will be a New Mexico Small Brewers License.
“We’re really approaching Red River Brewing Company as not just another place to eat and drink while you’re in Red River but as another reason to visit Red River!
“There’s not a theme but we’re focused on making it family-friendly – most breweries in the country are (family-friendly). It will ‘feel” like it belongs in Red River, it’s friendly and welcoming, a place to come in and hang out with your friends.
“The parking will be located in the back.” Calhoun says there has been some confusion about that issue. “We’ve got about 40% more parking than planning and zoning requires.”
There will also be merchandise for sale, the kind of things you’ll find in any brewery like this one. Hats, shirts, glassware… that type of thing will be available.
While Calhoun says he will not be the brewmaster for the RRBC, he does add, “I am a passionate craft beer guy. I’ve really gotten into that lately. I been working with some breweries around the state and I’ve met some fantastic brewers. We will be bringing in a professional, experienced brewer to make sure we’re making the best beer we can!
“We should be able to do that because of our water. The water in Red River is phenomenal. We’ve had it tested and we know the water will make great beer!”
The New Mexico Brewers association lists 58 member breweries, and 17 members in the planning stages. The bulk of existing breweries are located in Albuquerque area and Las Cruces, according to Calhoun.