USA, NM: Public House 28 Brewery already open in Chamberino

Fans of craft beer have a new location to drop by in Doña Ana County, roughly halfway between Las Cruces and El Paso along the scenic New Mexico Highway 28, Las Cruces Sun-News reported on September 21.

Public House 28 Brewery opened a few weeks ago in Chamberino at mile marker 10 along NM Highway 28. The unassuming destination surrounded by farmland is cover for an oasis ready for parched customers.

Owner John Bruker said he has wanted to open a brewery for at least six years. His background is in veterinary medicine, but he decided he needed a change. He said leaving the veterinary profession, rezoning his land and navigating other technicalities took years to complete. But timing was finally right this summer.

“I had been doing emergency small animal medicine since 1992. And that’s nights, weekends, holidays. And it's no sleep, stress, a lot of bad scenarios,” Bruker said. “We just needed to start doing something else.”

The past few years allowed him to set up the brewery to be as welcoming as possible to customers. Scattered and private seating, patios, trees, running water, a dog park and many more details make the place ideal for both large groups or private couples.

A soft opening was held the last weekend of August and they have been open each weekend since. Guest beers from Albuquerque’s Bosque Brewing and Santa Fe Brewing as well as craft cocktails from Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery are available.

Also, food trucks are available for customers to order from.

“When you walk in, you can definitely feel that there's just kind of been a lot of TLC put into making the space just kind of fun and relaxing to hang out in,” Bruker said.

Their own beers are still in the fermenting process and four original beers will be available to customers in several weeks. Bruker said they are brewing a standard wheat beer, IPA, stout, porter lager and pale ale.

Blake Heath is the brewer on site and has a history of homebrewing. He said Public House 28 is his first venture into the professional industry.

Non-traditional recipes using peaches, mulberries, prickly pear and other fruits they’ve grown are in the works. Transitioning the recipes from small scale to commercial scale will be the next challenge.

Public House 28 Brewery is located at 10092 NM 28, Chamberino and is open Friday through Sunday.

21 September, 2021