Going ‘full-out,’ this Idaho brewery is setting records during COVID. Next up: Mexico expansion.

Kevin Hopkins wants to make something crystal clear. Or at least pilsner golden.

“COVID is a horrible situation for everybody,” said Hopkins, executive vice-president at Mother Earth Brew Co. “We lost a lot of employees. We essentially furloughed the majority of our sales staff and 100 percent of our hospitality staff.”

But while business has slowed down at many breweries, the two canning lines are roaring at Mother Earth — with some sort of activity up to 18 hours a day.

Idaho’s largest brewery set new sales and production records this summer, Hopkins said. Mother Earth also announced last week that it soon will begin selling its beers in Mexico, fulfilling a longtime goal.

“We’re in three, actually four, continents now — and 13 countries,” Hopkins said in a phone interview. “But Mexico is super-exciting because it borders the U.S., and it’s right next to San Diego.”

Founded in San Diego County in 2010, Mother Earth opened a second, larger brewery at 1428 Madison Ave. in Nampa in 2016. While the Vista, California, location still produces draft beer, Nampa cranks out all packaged product. In the United States, Mother Earth sells beer in 18 states.

Off-premise beer sales have risen nationally during the pandemic as Americans stock fridges while visiting restaurants and bars less. Mother Earth, which sells about 65 percent of its beer off-premise, was positioned to respond.

The Nampa brewery set back-to-back records in July and August, Hopkins said. Not only did Mother Earth sell more beer through distribution in Idaho than it had before, Hopkins said, but it also brewed more volume at the 40,000-square-foot Canyon County facility.

“From a production and sales standpoint, we have eclipsed our all-time highs,” he said. “We are packaging more beer than we have ever packaged before. We’ve had to hire more people. We’re still hiring. We’ve had to add additional shifts. We’re running our lines faster and longer. We’re running as close to the narrow edge as we can — we’re running full-out.

“We call it first-world beer problems. We’ve got four more tanks being delivered today.”

In 2018, Mother Earth became the Gem State’s largest brewery by producing 10,125 barrels of beer in Nampa. That topped the two closest Idaho competitors: Payette Brewing and Sockeye Brewing.

In 2020, Mother Earth is on pace to brew about 40,000 barrels, Hopkins said — roughly 80 percent of it in Nampa.

Mother Earth’s taprooms in Vista and Nampa remain closed during the pandemic. The Vista pub is moving and will reopen as a restaurant in its new location. Meanwhile, the Nampa taproom is undergoing a remodel and revitalization. “It’s going to be gorgeous,” Hopkins said.

Boise beer drinkers will be interested to know that Mother Earth’s long-term plans include a taproom in Idaho’s capital city. “We actually have entertained a number of properties,” Hopkins said.

But right now, it’s not a pressing priority.

Mother Earth has too much Cali Creamin’ Vanilla Cream Ale and Boo Koo IPA to get brewed in Nampa and trucked to Baja, Mexico. Hopkins figures that Mother Earth’s beers, which will become available in Mexico in October, are likely to be a hit. And not just because the Mexican government has closed breweries during the pandemic.

“People in Tijuana and Mexicali and Calexico have been asking for us for years,” Hopkins said. “All these border towns, those folks there, they’re dying for it.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 2:28 PM.