Contact: Erika Martinez
(505)986-4263
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2014
Senate Floor Passes Brewery District Memorial
Four Albuquerque Breweries Recognized
Santa Fe, NM – Senate Memorial 81 (SM81) , which officially calls to establish a brewery district in Albuquerque, passed the senate floor today. Breweries named in the memorial are Nexus, La Cumbre, Left Turn Distillery and Il Vicino because of their close proximity to one another. An amendment, which added Left Turn Distillery to the memorial, was later implemented. Many of the brewers were in attendance at the floor debate.
Senators Tim Keller (D-17-Bernalillo) and Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-15-Bernalillo) co-sponsored the memorial, saying they’re both excited and happy to see that the brewery hub will be officially recognized.
“I hope that this brings additional revitalization to this industrial area,” said Sen. Keller as he spoke to Senate Members on the floor today. “This industry promotes job creation and plays a community building role. It’s a special thing for our state.”
“These are small employers, small entrepreneurs and small job creators, I want to thank them all for being here,” added Senator Jacob Candelaria (D-26-Bernalillo) as he addressed guests on the floor.
According to the New Mexico Brewers Guild (NMBG), there are over two dozen established microbreweries across the state. NMBG also estimated that over 65,000 barrels of beer were produced in 2013. The local economic stimulus these breweries bring to small business economy in New Mexico is significant and contributes to the employment of the area, surrounding communities and neighboring businesses.
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