Tractor Brewing Company facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Location | 1800 4th St NW Albuquerque, New Mexico, US |
||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°04′57″N 106°40′35″W / 35.0824099°N 106.6764794°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1999 | ||||||||||||||||
| Key people | David Hargis (brewmaster) Skye Devore (beer goddess) |
||||||||||||||||
| Annual production volume | ca.4,000 US beer barrels (4,700 hL) (2014) | ||||||||||||||||
| Active beers | |||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Seasonal beers | |||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Other beers | |||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
Tractor Brewing Company is a special place in New Mexico that makes craft beer. It started in 1999 in a town called Los Lunas. Later, in 2014, it moved to Albuquerque. Tractor's beers have won prizes at the New Mexico State Fair Pro-Am Competition.
The main brewery, where they make the beer, is in Albuquerque. It also has a place where people can try their drinks and eat. There's another smaller place in Albuquerque's Nob Hill area. Tractor Brewing is well-known for showing off local artists and musicians. They also host fun poetry events.
Contents
History of Tractor Brewing
Tractor Brewing started in 1999. A person named Herb Pluemer had the idea to create a "beer farm." He set up the first brewery in the countryside of Los Lunas, New Mexico. Herb loved old tractors. He fixed them up and placed them around his brewery. This helped attract many visitors. At first, the company bottled its beer. They sold it in New Mexico and other states like Oklahoma, New Jersey, and New York.
Around 2008, the business faced some challenges. The bottling stopped for a while. Herb brought in Skye Devore and a new brewer, David Hargis. They helped the company get back on track. The business grew bigger. In 2011, Tractor opened a new place in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque. This new spot was a taproom where people could try their beers. The Nob Hill taproom doesn't serve food. Instead, local food trucks park outside. They offer different kinds of food for visitors.
Making more beer for the new taproom helped the business grow even more. In 2013, a big beer distributor in New Mexico, Premier Distributing, asked Tractor to start bottling its beer again. Making so much beer was hard for their Los Lunas brewery. It had a fifteen-barrel system. David Hargis and Skye Devore became part-owners of the business. They decided to change the brand and solve the problem of needing more space.
They closed the Los Lunas brewery. Then, they opened a new, bigger place in Albuquerque. This new spot had the brewery, a taproom, and a restaurant all in one. The new brewery started in early 2014. It had much larger fermenters. Soon, it became famous for featuring local artists and musicians. A local artist and poet, Carlos Contreras, helped manage these events. He also organized charity fundraising activities.
Tractor Brewing takes part in fun events. These include the Taos Ski Valley Annual Brew Master’s Festival. They also join the New Mexico Brewers Guild's yearly WinterBrew in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2015, they helped sponsor a bike-sharing program in downtown Albuquerque.
How Much Beer They Make
Tractor Brewing has grown a lot. In 2008, only two people worked there. They made about 350 barrels of beer each year. By 2014, the company had 80 employees. They were making almost 4,000 barrels of beer every year!
Tractor Brewing's Drinks
Tractor Brewing makes many different kinds of drinks. Some are available all the time. Others are special for certain seasons.
Regular Drinks
Tractor has seven drinks that are always available:
- Double Plow Oatmeal Stout: This is a dark, English-style stout. It has a 5.2% ABV. It's made with chocolate and dark roasted malts.
- Farmer's Almanac IPA: This is a golden India Pale Ale. It has an IBU rating of 72 and 6.5% ABV.
- Farmer's Tan Red Ale: This drink is a mix of Irish red and Scotch ale. It has a 6.5% ABV. It won a Bronze medal in 2014.
- #15 Pilsner: This is a German-style lager. It's called #15 because they use 15 bags of malt for each batch.
- Haymaker Honey Wheat: This is an American wheat ale. Each batch needs eighty pounds of local honey.
- Milk Mustachio Stout: This is a milk stout with 6.0% ABV.
- Sod Buster Pale Ale: This is an American pale ale. It has an IBU rating of 45.
Seasonal and Special Drinks
Tractor also makes drinks for different seasons or special times:
- Javier Lager: A special American lager. It won a Silver medal in 2014.
- Tractoberfest: A European-style amber lager. It won a Silver medal in 2014.
- Tractor ESB: This is an extra special bitter. It won a Bronze medal in 2014.
- Tractor Maibock: A type of helles bock. It won a Bronze medal in 2014.
- Wagon Wine: An American barley wine. It won a Silver medal in 2014.
- Winter IPA: An India Pale Ale made for winter.
Awards and Recognitions
Tractor Brewing has won several awards for its drinks:
- In 2013, their Man Der Damm premium lager won first place at the New Mexico Beer Cup. It was also chosen as the favorite by both people and celebrities.
- Their Farmer’s Tan Red Ale came in third place in its category in 2013.
- In 2014, Tractor won three silver medals at the State Fair Pro-Am Competition. These were for their light lager, European amber lager, and strong ale.
- They also won three bronze medals in 2014. These were for their bock, English pale ale, and Scottish and Irish ale.
