A decade of beer: Ex Novo Brewing Co's Decem series celebrates 10 years of operation

It has been 10 years since Joel Gregory opened Ex Novo Brewing Company.

This July, the brewery is celebrating a decade of beer. Gregory, a Corrales native, left the Land of Enchantment and opened Ex Novo in Portland, Oregon, in 2014. Five years later, he opened a second brewpub in Beaverton, Oregon. In 2019, Gregory opened a larger brewing facility in his hometown of Corrales.

There were some challenges along the way created by the pandemic, rising costs of goods, and a saturated market. Gregory made the difficult decision to sell the two Oregon locations in 2023 and focus on the Corrales location, 4895 Corrales Road, and future growth in New Mexico.

“It’s really been an interesting ride, starting in Oregon and then wrapping up there last year and kind of focusing here on New Mexico,” Gregory said. “I never would have planned the trajectory that we followed. But things happen and we’re excited to be here and doing what we’re doing.”

Ex Novo has a second location opening in Albuquerque this summer. The original July 10 opening date has been pushed back but the new location at 701 Central Ave. NW in Downtown Albuquerque is tentatively scheduled to open on Aug. 7, according to the brewery’s website.

“The locations are so different,” Gregory said. “I feel like we’re not just recreating the same thing we’ve got (in Corrales) in another place. (We’re) doing something totally different. So whether you want whatever one’s closer to you or depending on what kind of experience you’re looking for, I think we’ve got it.”

The brewery is commemorating 10 years with special collaboration releases on tap and in cans. The beers are part of Ex Novo’s Decem series. “Decem” means ten in Latin.

Ex Novo joined up with Colorado’s Telluride Brewing Co. and Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales, Oregon’s Breakside Brewery and Washington’s Grains of Wrath Brewery to create the anniversary beers. The canned offerings are the Ex Novo/Grains of Wrath Pale Ale, the Ex Novo/Breakside Brewery Cold IPA and the Ex Novo/Cannonball Creek Italian Pilsner. The cans can be purchased at the Corrales location and some might be put aside for the Downtown Albuquerque location. Telluride Brewing collaboration will be available on tap. The Prairie Artisan Ale collaboration is expected to be released at a later date, since it is a barrel-aged brew.

Release dates for the beers were not available at press time but can be found by checking Ex Novo’s Facebook page, facebook.com/exnovobrewnm. Releases will take place throughout July into early August.

“(They were) really fun collabs,” Gregory said. “(There are) some really great people behind those breweries. We learned a lot, kind of getting to hang out and brew together. So it’s always fun to do that.”