New Santa Fe Brewery hits roadblock, but still on course to open

A couple weeks ago, John Rowley, head brewer of Sub Rosa Cellars, which, as you now know, is the new brewery opening soon in Santa Fe, contacted me to let me know that he had some big news. It wasn’t good news, but it wasn’t devastating, either. It was news of a roadblock that happens to thousands of breweries and a lesson that many have had to learn in the opening process. A couple days ago, we sat down over a beer, and I listened to a cautionary tale of what it is to open a new brewery and got a good understanding of what breweries can face along their journey from dream to reality.

Let this story serve as a lesson, or several lessons (if you read carefully), for all new breweries opening up in the coming months and years.

DSBC: You said you had a big announcement about Sub Rosa Cellars. Tell us a little about it.

Rowley: We found out recently that the name “Sub Rosa” is taken by a trademark that is owned by a small distillery in Portland. We found out about that in a roundabout sor

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