By Kevin Hendricks and Julian Paras, The Paper.
The iconic dinos and giraffes are getting a new life, and so is a shuttered Albuquerque classic.
Scott Salvas, the Rio Rancho brewer behind Brew Lab 101, is resurrecting the long-dormant Putt-Putt Golf and Games course at 5100 San Mateo Blvd. NE in Albuquerque — rebranded as Putts N Pints — with a soft public opening expected within weeks and a grand opening targeted roughly a month out, Salvas told The Paper. On Aug. 11.
The Paper. got the first look at the project during a private preview party hosted for the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours event at the site.
From Mr. Beer kit to beer empire
Salvas didn’t set out to become a brewer. An environmental engineer who spent roughly a decade managing the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Plant — the state’s largest — for the Water Utility Authority, Salvas got into homebrewing almost by accident, starting with a Mr. Beer kit gifted nearly 20 years ago after he wound down a side career playing in local bands.
“It wasn’t meant to be a serious thing, just kind of a fun hobby,” Salvas said, adding that friends began pushing him to go bigger after years of house parties.
He opened the first Brew Lab 101 on Southern Boulevard in Rio Rancho in 2019, expanding into Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights by late 2023. Salvas said his engineering background — built on process control — translates directly to brewing, where consistent pH, temperature and timing make or break a reproducible batch.
A slow-drip idea becomes a mini golf revival
Putts N Pints traces back to years of Salvas driving past the shuttered course thinking someone should do something with it. About 16 months ago, he said, that someone became him. He worked with a real estate agent, the property owner and the city to preserve the course’s nostalgic bones while bringing it up to code.
Putt-Putt Golf and Games operated for 46 years before permanently closing on Nov. 1, 2017. The reopened Putts N Pints will keep three updated 18-hole courses alongside a virtual golf lounge, retro arcade, pool table, expanded party room and a full bar pouring Brew Lab beer — plus a broader food menu than the original.
“My goal is to keep all members of the family happy,” Salvas said.
Timeline has shifted
Salvas had earlier targeted a late-July opening pending liquor license approval. As of Aug. 11, that had moved: the kitchen will launch with a limited bar menu that expands weekly, the virtual golf lounge follows in the coming weeks, and a full grand-opening party is planned for mid-September once the location is running at 100%.