Workers are stationed throughout Tumbleroot Brewery's new flagship location in the old Club Alegria space (2791 Agua Fría St.), hurriedly putting together the finishing touches for the new tasting room/restaurant/music venue's scheduled April opening. There's a lot of wood in this room and music blasts from seemingly nowhere as local sound engineer and jack-of-all-trades Jason Reed works on the stage. Reed designed the sound system as well; a good thing, given weekend music dates are booked through June. There's not a specific opening date, however—according to owner and co-founder Jason Fitzpatrick, "We want to be able to roll it out rather than have a grand opening." We should all be salivating at the thought.
Fitzpatrick is a little nervous about the opening, which is understandable. The space is massive and Santa Feans are finicky about new things, even when it comes to beer. Fitz, as he's known, has been working toward this opening for two years alongside partner/brewer Jason Kirkman. The pair met while working for Los Alamos brewhouse Bathtub Row. "We both worked up there—I was the general manager, he was a brewer—with the idea that we wanted to open our own place separately," Fitzpatrick says. "And this area is really growing, especially with short-term rentals becoming so popular [and] folks getting kicked out of long-term rentals downtown and moving to this area." Of course, with Meow Wolf, Duel Brewing and the new Second Street Brewery Rufina Taproom nearby, he's absolutely right—midtown has absolutely exploded. Tumbleroot boasts its own identity, however, as a tasting room, restaurant and music venue, but also as a retailer for packaged beer and liquor as well as other locally made products.
Fitzpatrick says Tumbleroot will offer eight beers right away, three of which (an IPA, a farmhouse ale and a pale ale) should be available year-round, the other five rotated seasonally. "Every three months we'll have a different offering," he says. Tumbleroot also reportedly has nine spirits ready to go, including grain vodka, an agave spirit, gin and varying types of rum.
Food-wise, Fitzpatrick explains that the kitchen will offer charcuterie and sandwich fare, but that they've also accounted for local food trucks with two dedicated bays in the back parking lot (yes, there's a parking lot) and another area out front. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Tumbleroot has been in talks with Bang Bite Filling Station, Bonsai Asian Tacos and others including rumors of a ramen truck. Oh, damn.
Inside, Fitzpatrick leads a tour through the music space, a lounge area that will have two-tops and community tables and a dedicated kid's area. "We'll be kid-friendly, family-friendly," Fitzpatrick tells SFR. "There aren't too many places in Santa Fe to go when you have your family; we'll have the indoor kid's area and an outdoor play area." Outside, a calming fountain flows and a ramp is being built for added accessibility. We can just picture the picnic tables set up for spring and summer.
We won't have to wait long. April is just around the corner, and Fitzpatrick is raring to go. As should we all be, Santa Fe. Mark our words—this is going to be incredible.
