Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay, partners in business and in life, are fostering a beer-lovers’ community at their Native-owned brewery and taproom in the heart of the American Southwest.
There’s something brewing in Albuquerque. The craft beer movement is thriving way out West, and nowhere is great specialty beer more refreshing than at the Bow & Arrow Brewing Company.
In February 2016, Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay opened their taproom in this high-desert city near the pink Sandia Mountains, where they serve wild, sour, and barrel-aged beers that are brewed on-site. In collaboration with their head brewer, Ted O’Hanlan, they strive to integrate local ingredients that are both adventurous and unique to the area.
“There is a long history in the Southwest of cultures melding together,” Begay says, when we connect for an interview. “The indigenous culinary tradition here is very strong.” “We’re particularly proud of our forage-inspired series,” Sheppard says, noting their Wild Sumac, described in their beer menu as an earthy lemonade with a desert sparkle. “We’re taking a super-common ingredient,” Begay explains, referring to local sumac berry, traditionally used for a tart pudding, “and sourcing it from the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, where it was handpicked by Navajo people, and brewing it here to make a classic Berliner Weisse, which has become really popular.”
“Having a strong connection to the land is based on our upbringing,” Begay continues. She was born in Albuquerque and raised in the DineÌ Nation. Sheppard grew up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, where she is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. “From a young age, we were taught that the land has its own spirit. And in my tribe, Mother Earth is our mother,” Begay says. “The land provides water, earth, plants—everything you need to brew great beer. We’re conscientious about where our ingredients come from, and we take great care in selecting them.”
Their vision for brewing great beer also includes creating an enriching space for their community. “We opened Bow & Arrow in our own neighborhood,” Sheppard says. “We are committed to bringing people together and were very cognizant of how we designed the space so that people can interact—even if they walk in by themselves.” From the taproom, in an industrial warehouse, the steel and steam-powered brewery is visible. Yet the space is crisp and clean, and as warm to the senses as the fine- lined hop cone in their geometric hop-meets-arrowhead logo. Long communal tables welcome an ebb and flow of locals and visitors alike in the arid country. Wildflower sprigs sprout from small bud vases hand- made by the local pottery collective, Hanselmann Pottery (hanselmannpottery.com). And a mural of a southwestern sunset spans the long, lively bar where bright beer experts are a wellspring of knowledge and service.
When you’re sampling new seasonal taps, it’s easy to make a night of it. Beers are served in flights, 5-ounce, 10-ounce, and 16-ounce pours, and can be taken home in sealed growlers. Bow & Arrow will soon begin bottling their select barrel-aged beers. Guests certainly do sip and stay awhile. When hunger arises, bar snacks include the local Popcorn Cannery’s surprise flavors, like green chile and cheddar, and pueblo bread and butter from Grandma Jo’s Bakery on the Laguna Pueblo. Out in the parking lot, food trucks serve tasty tacos, hot dogs, and more nosh, which can be devoured on the spot or delivered to the table.
Sheppard and Begay also welcome those with something to celebrate. Pride parties and mixers for the local LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce have lit up their taproom. They’ve hosted a screening of The Whistle by director StormMiguel Florez and donated space for grassroots organizing, a Southwest-themed speaker series, and neighborhood association meetings. On Tuesdays, there’s yoga.
“We’re all about promoting a healthy lifestyle,” Sheppard says.
The partners fell in love with beer— and with each other—when they met in college at Stanford University. In addition to their studies in economics (Sheppard) and medicine (Begay), they learned about German beers at the nearby Gordon Biersch tavern and started traveling to explore the craft breweries sprouting up throughout the U.S. Bow & Arrow was “born out of our love for landscape, food, and culture,” Begay says. “When opening a brewery became a reality, we drew from our natural love of those things.” Their name, Bow & Arrow, is described as representing self-reliance, protection, flexibility, and skill.
“Have you experienced any resistance to your enterprise?” I ask. “I experience what I’d call ‘curiosity’ on a daily basis,” Sheppard responds. “I work behind the bar. I’m serving people beer and interacting with customers because I enjoy it. But frequently, people are really surprised that we’re the owners—to the point that they really question it and ask why we would want to do this.” This is not new, she continues; they have both excelled in other male-dominated fields: Sheppard in venture capital, and Begay as a practicing physician.
“Add race and sexuality,” says Sheppard, “and it’s a bit too much for some people. They don’t know how to approach you,” she says, with a tone of bewilderment in her voice. “Which is a funny thing. Our commonality is beer! Let’s focus on that.” The Brewers Association, the national umbrella organization for U.S. craft breweries, has recently developed a diversity committee to address race and gender issues in the beer industry. “Everything from asking, ‘Are certain beer labels offensive?’ ” Begay says, “to trying to aggregate statistics about the industry.” She mentions a 2014 study at their alma mater, Stanford University, noting that about 20 percent of craft breweries have a female CEO or have a woman holding a management position, “which is a huge and surprising percentage.”
And while they do tend to work behind the scenes, Sheppard says, “We recognize the value and significance of being visible—as women of color, as entrepreneurs, as business people making our way in a very male-dominated industry.”
 “Shyla and I have had some really great mentors along the way,” Begay says, and expresses their commitment to inspiring others. Sheppard and Begay’s approach is rooted in their belief in Seven Generation Sustainability.
“Speaking out and being visible is really important for future generations,” Begay says, “so that they can freely aspire to do what they want to do, whether they are gay or indigenous or whatever.”
Cheers to them and all they’re creating at Bow & Arrow.