HISTORY

The new location:

The two story brick building at 213 and 215 W. Mermod St. was purpose built as the International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 21. Construction began on July 20th, 1906, with George Bruce serving as contractor and Groves Lumber (East Stevens St.) supplying the materials. The cost of construction was $10,000. The cornerstone was laid a few months later on September 9th, with a great procession from Grace Church at 508 W. Fox. to the construction site at 213 W. Mermod. The Odd Fellows held their first meeting in February 1907, and boasted the largest I.O.O.F. Hall in the Southwest up to that point.


The old location below:

UIC

HJL

In operation since 2016, Milton's is Carlsbad's first Taproom and Brewery. Initially, both Milton's Taproom and Brewery were located in the elongated garage attached to the original structure at 108 E. Mermod St. When Milton's opened its doors on July 14, 2016 the entire business, with the patio's square footage added in, was operating at just under 5,000 square feet. In July 2017, after just one year in business, Milton's obtained the original building that housed Union Industrial Corporation for many years. The above photo is how the building looked in 1965 before the four bay doors, curved roof, and access ramp were added onto the East side and, we believe, before the garage housing our original Taproom and Brewery were added onto the West side of the building. 

With the expansion, Milton's Brewing added nearly 6,000 square feet to their operation. Working through 2018, the Milton's Brew Crew will move and expand the 5 BBL 'Burro Brewhouse' into a 10 BBL system in the large space next door, open a Bottle Shop to continue the expansion of local tastes and culture, and turn the original brewhouse location into new Taproom space for guests to enjoy for many years to come! 

The photo at left is an excerpt taken from American Brewers' Review dated January 29, 1913 before nationwide prohibition took effect. While researching the history of New Mexico brewing, Milton's Head Brewer Lucas Middleton stumbled upon this letter written by one Henry J. Lange. A transplant citizen to Carlsbad near the turn of the century, Mr. Lange wrote to American Brewers' Review calling for a brewery to be built in the then new State of New Mexico. It took 103 years for Mr. Lange's dream to come to fruition.

1950 image of current Milton's Brewing location. Photo provided by the SENMHS