USA, OR & NM: Portland-based brewery planning to expand into Albuquerque

The team behind PINTS Brewing Co. in Portland, OR, could have a location open in Albuquerque by late spring, ABQ Journal quoted the company’s brew master Alan Taylor on March 7.

It will open under the Ponderosa Brewing Co. name, and Matt Kollaja will serve as head brewer.

“The equipment is being built right now, and the building is being retrofitted for us,” Taylor said this week. He said the company’s connection to Albuquerque is its founder, Chad Rennaker, a real estate developer who is involved in other projects in the Sawmill district through his company PacifiCap.

PINTS opened two years ago and operates as a coffee shop by day and tap room by night. It’s known for its urban setting and leans toward what Taylor calls hop-driven “Northwest beers.”

But the Albuquerque location won’t be a replica of the Portland version. Because it’s going into a more residential area, Ponderosa will have a stronger food focus in an effort to be more family-friendly. The beers also will be designed to suit the area.

12 March, 2014