Capitol Bar serves up local beer, coffee, food

If walls could talk, it’s likely the 129 year-old Capitol Bar & Brewery might never pipe down. Located on the southeast side of the Socorro Plaza, this local icon is a piece of living history as the city’s only surviving Territorial saloon, and its story is as layered and robust as its current beer lineup, food menu and coffee shop.

Joanna and Earl DeBrine have owned the Capitol Bar for almost 25 years, but it had been in Earl’s family for around 30 years before that.

The brewery officially launched in 2021, shortly after the bar emerged from an almost year-long COVID closure. It was a bold pivot in a time of uncertainty.

“We figured if we were going to be shut down, we might as well make use of the time,” Joanna said. “We installed the brewery and the coffee equipment. It was something we’d talked about for years.”

At one time the bar was owned by Judge Amos Green who held court at the back of the bar and a jail cell still stands where the brewery is now located. Fittingly, many of the beers brewed on-site today reflect that legacy.

“Our first beers were ‘Amos’ and ‘Jailbreak,’” Forrest Utz, the Capitol’s head brewer, said.

Forrest, who moved to Socorro from Michigan, began his brewing career at Capitol Bar.

“I was passionate about craft beer and did some home brewing. I started by volunteering here, then became the assistant, and eventually the head brewer,” he said.

One of the local favorites is the green chile lager, brewed with chile from the DeBrine Farm.

“Everything in that beer is from New Mexico except the hops,” said Forrest. “We’re all about using local ingredients whenever we can.”

The commitment to local doesn’t stop with the beer. The bar also operates a café and bakery in the mornings, with pastries from Alice’s Bakery — a local small-batch bakery who delivers fresh trays each Tuesday.

The culinary experience at the Capitol has expanded, thanks to Alexis Utz, the general manager and food service visionary behind the evolving menu.

“I helped open four different breweries before this one,” Alexis said. “When I got here, I really wanted to build a full food menu.”

Now, alongside beer, patrons can enjoy pizzas, sandwiches, and paninis, many crafted to pair well with the brews. Alexis recommends the Cap Club sandwich with the classic Jailbreak IPA.

“The green chile aioli and the hops just work so well together,” she said.

The Capitol also serves as a community hub. Every Friday evening, live music fills the space. A new outdoor stage and façade were recently added, thanks to a grant from American Express aimed at preserving historic restaurants.

In the warmer months, the dog-friendly patio becomes a lively gathering place.

“We’re planning to open early on Saturdays when the farmers market moves back to the plaza,” Joanna said. “Maybe we’ll have some acoustic music with your coffee.”

As Socorro continues to grow and change, the Capitol Bar remains a cherished constant — part museum, part brewery, part neighborhood café.

The Biavaschi brothers immigrated to Socorro from Italy and constructed the two-story brick building and operated the Biavaschi Saloon from 1896 until 1909. It was then owned by various residents and known by different names over the following years.

It survived Prohibition under the ownership of Judge Amos Green who installed a trap door in the floor behind the bar that led to the basement and ultimately to a secret tunnel that allowed patrons to escape unseen. After Prohibition was repealed, the establishment was the first in Socorro to receive a liquor license in 1933.

In 1938 the business’s name changed to the Capitol Bar and is rumored to have hosted the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy, as well as J. Robert Oppenheimer whose photo hangs in the bar that now has a beer named in his honor: the Hoppenheimer.