Yankee Brew News Archive

What's Brewing: Massachusetts/Rhode Island

Originally Published: 10/97

By: Kerry J. Byrne

What's Brewing: Massachusetts/Rhode Island

By Kerry J. Byrne

Yankee Brew News Staff

While many experts lament the stagnation of the American craft brewing industry, signs abound in Massachusetts that the business is alive and well. A brewery recently opened in western Massachusetts as did one at a Bolton winery. Two brewpubs opened in July, with another slated to open in September. Meanwhile, one firmly established brewery is "expanding like crazy," according to its owner.

The Bay State brewing community continues its role as leader not only in New England, but nationwide as well. According to this YBN reporter's meticulously maintained collection of paper scraps, Post-It notes and balled-up barroom napkins, there are 38 breweries/brewpubs in Massachusetts (remember, 10 years ago there were two), eight of which opened in the past year, more than doubling the number that have closed. Not bad for a business on the decline.

Massachusetts

The Nashoba Valley Winery & Orchard, 100 Wattaquadoc Hill Road, Bolton, (508) 779-5521, recently released two beers produced at its new brewery, with a third beer on the way. The orchard/winery/brewery (it also produces perry and hard cider and grows fruit) will celebrate its latest addition with an Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 25.

See the story elsewhere in this issue for details.

The other new brewery is Moonlight Brewing Company in West Springfield. Co-owner Ed Taddey said he and his partners are brewing on a custom-designed system and are looking to establish local accounts. He described the beer, rather cryptically, "as one we like," but he could not be reached for more details.

Look for a future story in YBN.

The opening of Amherst Brewing Company, 36 North Pleasant Street, (413) 253-4400, is chronicled elsewhere in this issue by YBN reporter Chris Houston. Amherst is the latest brewpub to be opened by Gregg Noonan, owner of Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, Vermont and 7 Barrel Brewery in West Lebanon, New Hampshire.

After much delay, City Ale & Oyster, Kennebec Avenue, Oak Bluffs (508) 693-2626, finally got its start in mid-July, just in time to serve real beer to real people before the insufferable siege of presidential gawkers rendered the island a wasteland of hob-nobbing beautiful people intent on making my life a living hell by clogging the roadways with those not-really-a-motorcycle/not-really-a-bicycle menaces to society known as mopeds because they're too lazy to pedal. Friggin' jerkies. They should be shot. All of 'em.

Anyway, I spent a week in Oak Bluffs early in the summer, and the word on the street and from some in the local restaurant community was that the town fathers didn't take kindly to the idea of a brewery in their midst, and may have even let personalities get in the way of the smooth functioning of small town politics. Go figure.

The brewer at City Ale & Oyster is Forrest Williams, formerly of Coddington Brewing Company in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Brew Moon's fourth brewery/restaurant was scheduled to open September 15 at South Shore Plaza, 150 Granite Street, Braintree, said Brew Moon Big Cheese Elliot Feiner. The brewer will be Brew Moon veteran Brion Boyer. YBN Editor-in-Chief Brett "Aching Back" Peruzzi hopes that his long-ago promise, to shovel out the mash tun of the first batch of beer brewed commercially on his beloved South Shore, will not be any more strenuous than the traditional "ground-breaking" ceremonies capitalized on by publicity-seeking politicians.

Brew Moon's head brewer Tony Vieira is reputing leaving the Moon to become part of the quality assurance team of Coors Brewing in Tennessee. He worked for Anheuser-Busch before his GABF-award-winning stint at Brew Moon.

There has been some bad news, as the troubled Brew House of Danvers recently closed. No details were available.

Though the 1996 Great American Beer Festival proved a bust for New England brewers, several have garnered honors elsewhere. Among the honorees is Bryan House, head brewer for Boston Beer Works, 61 Brookline Avenue, Boston, (617) 536-2337, and Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem, (508) 741-7088, who picked up two awards at the World Beer Championships.

Salem's Hawthorne Hefe-Weizen earned a silver medal, while Boston's Mayflower Maibock garnered a bronze.

Several other beers are slated to be tapped as the Beer Works usher in the fall. Pumpkin Head Ale, with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and real pumpkin added during the mash and in the brew kettle, will be featured at both locations.

Gallows Hill Barleywine should also be found at both locations in mid to late September. House said it is made with Belgian malts for a "nice, nutty toasted character" and hopped with Cascade and super-citrusy Columbus hops. He plans on sending the barleywine to the 1997 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

House says Beer Works patrons should rest assured that they'll be getting a full serving of beer as the brewpubs recently introduced Beer Works Beer Line glasses. Sixteen-ounce pints will be served in a 20-ounce mug with fill line, while 20-ounce imperial pints will be served in 24-ounce mugs.

Boston Beer Company, which we now feel safe in calling a venerable craft brewer, reported that its Boston Ale was named Best International Ale at the Australian International Beer Awards, where it topped 43 ales from eight countries.

Concord Junction Brewing Company, 152 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, (508) 371-9929, celebrated its first anniversary with a July blowout at the brewery.

"We got through the first year and we're looking forward to the release of (our second product) Concord Junction Porter in the fall," owner John Cahill said. Like Concord's pale ale, the porter will be filtered and available on draught and in 12-ounce bottles. "I've been describing it as a lighter porter," Cahill said, "not so much on the stout side, but a very drinkable and accessible product, and nicely hopped, which you don't always get in a porter."

The Ipswich Brewing Company, 23 Hayward Street, Ipswich, (508) 356-3329, is "expanding like crazy," owner Paul Sylva said. Five new 120 barrel tanks are scheduled to arrive over the next few months, bringing capacity to 18,000 barrels per year.

The brewery also recently released Ipswich Great American Root Beer, which will be available in 12-ounce bottles.

Darryl Goss, longtime brewer at Cambridge Brewing Company, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, (617) 494-1994, left for the greener (literally) pastures of New Hampshire and is now installing a brewing system in Nashua, where Sky View Brewing Company was slated to open this fall.

Goss was replaced by CBC veteran Will Meyers, who worked with Goss there for the past five years.

"I think if I changed a lot of things our regular customers would be upset," Meyers said.

Lauren Durling was recently hired to assist Meyers, after serving an internship at Commonwealth, an experienced she chronicled in the last issue of YBN.

Scott Hutcinson, brewer at Brew Moon-Cambridge, 50 Church Street, Harvard Square, (617) 499-2739, had two beers he planned on introducing in September: a Belgian dubbel aged more than seven weeks, and a chamomile honey wheat, with coriander, orange peel and whole-flower chamomile herbs.

Gwenyth Lloyd, head brewer at John Harvard's Brew House-Cambridge, 33 Dunster Street, Harvard Square, (617) 868-3585, is preparing Spiced Harvest Ale for release this fall. The spicy brew will feature cinnamon, clove, ginger and allspice.

Commonwealth Brewing Company, 138 Portland Street, Boston, (617) 523-8383, long the herald of English-style and cask-conditioned ales in Boston, is branching out ever so slowly into the world of German beers.

Brewer Jeff Charnick planned on brewing an alt after obtaining the proper German alt yeast. "I thought, 'why not?' " Charnick said. "We haven't done anything like this in a while."

In a more typical English vein, Charnick had planned on releasing Challenger Pale Ale. The beer features all Challenger hops and has been stored for six months, giving it, Charnick said, "a real nice complex flavor."

Fort Hill Brew House, 125 Broad Street, Boston, (617) 695-9700, is located in the heart of the city's financial district and draws large lunchtime and after-work crowds.

Now the brewpub is adding a "mug club" and a number of other attractions in the hopes of attracting "a more regular crowd," brewer Mike Munroe said.

North East Brewing Company, 1314 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, (617) 566-6699, will soon produce a little-known style called trunk lager, brewer Dann Paquette said. The super-sized lager will boast some 12 to 13 percent alcohol.

The (now defunct) Cape Cod Brew House, 720 Main Street, Hyannis re-opened as Buzzard Bay/Hyannisport Brewing (508-775-8289) in July. Here's hoping the new establishment fares better than the original. There's certainly enough thirsty tourists flooding the town to support a quality brewpub.

Rhode Island

Trinity Brewhouse, 186 Fountain Street, Providence, (401) 453-BEER, is the first Rhode Island brewpub to take advantage of the recent passage of the "brewpub bill," which allows brewpubs to distribute beer.

Trinity began distributing in late August kegs of Rhode Island India Pale Ale, a filtered IPA with a hefty 65 to 70 IBUs made entirely with East Kent Goldings hops.

According to brewer Sean Larkin, the beer was first made available in Providence at the Cactus Grill, Richmond Street, Parkside Restaurant, South Main Street and New Rivers Cafe, Steeple Street.

"The IPA we chose for our flagship because it's one of the best sellers in our restaurant," Larkin said. "Right now I just want to get the product out and get feedback on it. We want to serve the best beer we can. I think it will go over really well."

Larkin also plans on distributing his blonde ale and hefe-weizen.

Bottled versions of Trinity beers may be available in the future, pending BATF approval of labels.

Emerald Isle Brew Works, West Warwick, has been expanding the availability of its newest product, Emerald Isle Ale.

The ale (described by brewer Mike McConnell as a "sweet brown ale with a lot of caramel malts and a nice hop balance from Cascade and East Kent Goldings hops") is served through European faucets, like those that dispense Guinness with a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Emerald Isle Ale can be found at TGI Friday's and Ruby Tuesday's in Warwick, Twin Willows in Narragansett, the Celtic Pub in Pawtucket, The Mews Tavern in Wakefield and South Street Cafe, Providence.

Remember the Great Providence Brewing Company? It was the upstart company which had dubbed its beer the official beer of Rhode Island, was shipping its beer to Asia for the reunification of Hong Kong, was setting up appearances for its beer in local movies and was saying, incorrectly, that it would bring brewing back to the Ocean State by opening a massive brewery in Providence.

Oh, and all before it had produced a beer. Remember?

Well, almost before it got started, sources say, it's gone out of business, apparently run over by a runaway cart dragging a horse.

Great Providence did produce a very fine product, Great Providence Pilsner (brewed under contract in Pennsylvania), which apparently could still be found around town throughout the summer. The beer was the creation of Kurt Musselman, former brewer at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence. Too bad the brewery's owners didn't prepare their business the way Musselman did his beer.

If Musselman returns to brewing, I would like to his pilsner return with him.