Bosque Brewing announces closure of all its taprooms

Bosque Brewing announced last call Friday at all its New Mexico taprooms following a decision by a federal judge this week to toss the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

The first to close is Bosque's Nob Hill Public House taproom, which was slated for closure at 5 p.m. Friday, the company announced Friday in a social media post.

The remaining five taprooms were scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Sunday. They include two each in Albuquerque and Las Cruces and one in Bernalillo.

"With heavy hearts, we are closing all Bosque branded Public Houses," the company announced Friday afternoon on Instagram.

"Bosque has been built on community, and we are forever grateful to everyone who supported our taprooms, shared a pint with us, and made our spaces feel like home," according to the statement. "We're really going to miss seeing your faces in our taprooms. That part hurts."

Restoration Pizza and Smothered Brunch are owned independently and will continue normal operations, the statement said. Bosque beer will continue to be brewed by Marble Brewery.

"Our focus right now is on ensuring as smooth a transition as possible for our staff impacted by the closures," it said.

Bosque's marketing manager, Natasha Souther, acknowledged Friday that the closures were the result of a decision this week by a federal judge to dismiss Bosque Brewing's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

Souther said she did not have an immediate answer on how many employees would be affected by the closures.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Jacobvitz of the District of New Mexico threw out the case on Monday after a U.S. trustee recommended that dismissal would be "in the best interest of creditors," the order said.

Bosque Brewing "does not anticipate its operations will generate positive cash flow to pay creditors" in the first quarter of 2026, Ilene Lashinsky, the U.S. Trustee in the case, wrote in a Dec. 4 motion.

Lashinsky recommended that the judge either dismiss the case or convert it to a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy, the motion said. The motion noted that Bosque's property is fully obligated to North Carolina-based Live Oak Bank.

Lashinsky also wrote that Bosque Brewing has failed to provide the trustee with any explanation for its failure to maintain adequate insurance coverage as required by federal law and an earlier court order.

Because of those factors, the trustee recommended the judge dismiss the case rather than convert it to Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy.

Bosque Brewing Co. filed its voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 6 seeking protection from creditors while the company reorganized its finances.

The filing showed the Albuquerque-based brewer had accrued $10 million to $50 million in liabilities, compared with less than $10 million in assets and roughly 190 unsecured creditors.

Filings continued in November when Bosque co-owners Gabriel Jensen and Jotham Michnovicz each filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which involves selling assets to repay creditors.

The bankruptcies halted a court case in which a New Mexico limited liability company filed a complaint against Bosque Brewing Co. for failing to pay more than $67,000 in rent for property in Santa Fe as of Oct. 1, court records show.

Bosque Brewing Co. announced earlier this month the closures of two Albuquerque taprooms at San Mateo Public House, 6220 San Mateo NE, and Bosque West at 2220 Unser NW, which both opened last year.

On Dec. 9, the brewer announced the closure of its two Santa Fe businesses, The Drinkery and Restoration Pizza, effective immediately.

The closures come as the craft beer industry faces contraction nationwide, with barrel production and sales dropping roughly 4% from 2023 to 2024, according to the Brewers Association. The number of breweries closing also outpaced those opening across the U.S. last year, according to a recent report from the association.