Turtle Mountain Brewing, a Rio Rancho staple, is relocating its brewing operations to its newly renovated, larger facility in Enchanted Hills, aiming to double its brewing capacity to meet growing demand.
Contrary to rumors, the original location will remain open and the new brewery is set to start operations early next year.
The new Turtle Mountain North at 7835 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE will span about 15,000 square feet, offering the space needed to address equipment issues and growth limitations at the original location, while doubling the brewery’s production capacity.
“North is definitely going to be the centerpiece of Turtle Mountain,” owner Nico Ortiz said.
According to Ortiz, Turtle Mountain Brewing outgrew its original location at 905 36th Place SE and decided to relocate in 2022 after its hot liquor tank developed leaks and was too large to remove. Repairing the tank would have cost as much as replacing it.
The brewery leased a 4,500-square-foot space adjacent to Turtle Mountain North, which opened in 2021, and ordered a new tank in 2022, kickstarting the relocation process.
“We ordered the new hot liquor tank back in November of 2022. I, in no way, shape or form, thought that it was going to be December of 2024 and we were still going to be working on this project,” Ortiz said. “I thought it was going to be done and gone.”
According to Ortiz, the original system’s maximum capacity was about 1,500 barrels a year, or 3,000 kegs. With the new brewery and additional tanks, he expects to double that, reaching 3,000 barrels a year, or 6,000 kegs. He also said the brewery has no plans to package or can its beer, citing high costs and low-profit margins.
Doubling the capacity is significant, Ortiz said, as it will allow the brewery to produce more beer, enhance quality, experiment with new styles and provide the opportunity for longer aging.
He compared the expansion to the opening of the Enchanted Hills location, where the larger kitchen has allowed them to offer more and better food with a wider variety. The brewery is approaching the new brewing facility with the same mindset.
Ortiz said the biggest challenge Turtle Mountain faced was delays with subcontractors, electricians and plumbers, along with issues related to permitting and scheduling conflicts.
“We don’t have a corporate budget; I just don’t have bottomless amounts of money to throw out the project,” Ortiz said. “ If you don’t have bottomless amounts of money, you have to kind of work with some tier two subcontractors who do the work well, but they work on their own schedule, not yours.”
While the brewery undergoes renovations, Turtle Mountain beer will be in limited supply. Once it runs out, the brewery will offer guest taps, including Boxing Bear, La Cumbre and Steel Bender selections.
“The great thing about this business is, everybody’s here to help everybody else out,” Ortiz said. “We’re more than happy to help each other out. Because, the more people that drink craft beer, the better for everybody.”
According to Ortiz, he loves having THE BLOCK and Sprouts in the area, because of the increased foot traffic to the brewery.
“It brings a ton more people into the center,” Ortiz said. “A lot of people already know we’re there, but those who don’t live in Enchanted Hills might not. The foot traffic, especially from Sprouts, which is directly across the parking lot, is definitely a boon.”
Ortiz said parking is the only potential downside. Although there is ample parking in the center, it can become crowded when everyone is busy.
“I would gladly take that problem to just have so many bodies in the parking lot, you know, supporting all the local businesses that we got,” he said.
He added the brewery is benefiting from its proximity to THE BLOCK, the brewery’s fire pit can be seen from the second-floor bar, which was put in for marketing purposes.
“When people are out there at the Top of THE BLOCK, they can look over and see our fire pit and be like, ‘Hey, that place looks pretty cool, they have a fire pit. So we’re gonna go hang out over there.’”
While the new brewing operations are the company’s main focus, Ortiz said his top idea for Turtle Mountain South is to transform the former brewing room into a barbecue kitchen, citing that when the Smokehouse closed down, Rio Rancho lost its “only good barbecue place.”
“I’m thinking, ‘You know what goes great with beer?’ Pizza goes great with beer but barbecue goes great with beer too,” Ortiz said. “So if you could do pizza and barbecue in the same place with good beer, I think you got a double whammy.”
Turtle Mountain Brewery North is located at 7835 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, while Turtle Mountain South operates at 905 36th Place SE, Rio Rancho. Both locations are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and are closed on Mondays. For more information, call Turtle Mountain South at (505) 994-9497 or Turtle Mountain North at (505) 404-0414, or visit turtlemountainbrewing.com.