AFECB News:ANGEL FIRE ― Enchanted Circle Brewing opened last spring in Angel Fire and has made a mark in the village bringing craft beer, a creatively fresh menu and live entertainment.
Owners Steve and Shelly Larson aren’t New Mexico natives, but decided to call Angel Fire home soon after visiting. They designed and built the 20-barrel brew house with the expectation that Enchanted Circle beer would extend beyond northern New Mexico, into the state and eventually beyond. “It had been a longtime dream of mine to open a brewery. Good beer, packaged with Angel Fire’s beauty means there’s no downside for visiting beer fans, but we also want to reach beyond our town, sharing our beer with other bars and restaurants,” Steve Larson said.
The aspiring restructures and brewers have done just that in a short amount of time – already securing the distribution of their beer in Taos, Red River, Las Vegas, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
They haven’t done it alone, head brewer Kyle Yonan is a major player in this game. Yonan first fell in love with craft beer when traveling through Germany. He has since strived to learn all there is to know of the science and to produce the finest in the world. He has a deep respect for the brewing traditions of the world, and thoroughly enjoys producing authentic representations of traditional styles. Kyle also has a serious love for northern New Mexico, and uses local ingredients where he can.
For example, for the last 12 years, Yonan has gone out into the woods at harvest time to gather wild, indigenous hops. His graduate studies in biology, his experience brewing in Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico, and obsession for the craft shine through in every pint.
The Larsons hope that the brewery will bring more tourism during and off the winter sport season. As for brewer, Kyle Yonan, he is excited that Enchanted Circle Brewing has given him a reason to move to Angel Fire, a place that he has become very fond of.
For more information on Enchanted Circle Brewing, contact Amanda Molina at 505.898.8689 or by email at amanda@garritypr.com.
