New in Maynard
Amory’s Tomb Brewing in Maynard is newly open at 76 Main Street on Wednesday and Friday evenings from 5-9 p.m., and Saturdays from 2-9 p.m. Founded by brothers-in-law Allen Quinn and Richard Barron, the small brewery and taproom welcomes community members with a variety of beers on tap and a strong nod to Belgian-style farmhouse ales.
The opening lineup included Estuarial, a farmhouse ale featuring Legend 6-row pilsner malt from Maine’s Blue Ox Malthouse; Kettle Hole, a rustic pale ale with rye and spelt; Cashmere IPA, a modern IPA with Cashmere hops; Golden Rule, an oatmeal pale ale with Citra, Amarillo and Simcoe hops; and also classic Saison and Extra Special Bitter.
The pair focuses much of their attention on using local ingredients and special yeast strains to create new and exciting flavor profiles.
“It took us a while to get to this point, but we are finally here, open and loving every minute of it!” said Quinn.
Experimental Brews
Flying Dreams Brewing in Worcester and Marlborough is now canning four different beers: Pond Jumper IPA, Dreaming of Summer Saison, Nightcrawler India Dark Ale (7.1% ABV) and Double Mando DIPA (9.0%).
The new second location in Marlborough at 277 Main Street is open Wednesday-Sunday from 4-9 p.m., 3-10 p.m., noon-10 p.m., noon-10 p.m. and noon-8 p.m., respectively. The space has a two-barrel brewing system allowing for more experimentation and will also serve as a pilot system for potential new recipes to brew at the Worcester brewery. The bulk of the beer is brewed in Worcester, and drinkers can get tastings and beer to-go, while in Marlborough there is seating for 75, and customers can buy pints, flights and beer to-go.
Going West
Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing in Framingham expanded its distribution to New York City and to online retailer Tavour. New Yorkers can buy The Cat’s Meow New England IPA, Goody Two Shoes Kölsch, Hair Raiser New England IPA (8.0%) and Briefcase Porter.
Exhibit ‘A’ partners with local Framingham comedian, John Sucich, on a new regular Comedy Night at the brewery. This monthly series takes place on the second Saturday of the month and features the best of local New England stand-up talent. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
Fresh as Can Be
In early February, The Spencer Brewery in Spencer releases a new year-round beer, Monks IPA, hopped with Citra hops and available in 16-ounce four-packs plus kegged in limited monthly batches in order to keep the beer in the market and uber fresh.
C is for….
In Lynn, Bent Water Brewing hosts Girls Scout Cookie Month in February with “Cookie Flights” (pairing beers with cookies). On February 14, Bent Water hosts a Valentine’s Night Event with music and a special sweets to pair with beers. On March 17, it’s the St. Patty’s Day Celebration with Speakeasy donuts and music from Urban Suburban.
Available in February and March is Blast Off 2019, a seasonal white IPA anniversary beer; Kathleen (8.0%), a seasonal double IPA; and Suborbital, a session IPA and the new flagship beer, which will debut at the Extreme Beer Fest at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on February 1-2. All are available on draft and in cans.
That’s German for Beer
Jack’s Abby Craft Lager in Framingham has released Citra Brau, its spring seasonal lager on draft and in 16-ounce cans.
“We’re really excited to be releasing this new spring seasonal beer,” said Kat Leggett, PR and Events Manager. “Deep golden in color, this pilsner-style lager is bursting with aromatic American hops. We used Citra hops throughout the entire brewing process to give this classic golden lager a tropical, fruity flavor and juicy finish.”
Indoor & Outdoor Fun
Mayflower Brewing in Plymouth releases Agave Lager in March as a limited run, first time release packaged in four-packs of 16-ounce cans and draft distributed throughout New England.
Events at the brewery include the Winter Indoor Cornhole Tournament on February 9 at 1 p.m. at with cash and swag prizes, and St. Pat’s 5K on March 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Drinking Pink
Moon Hill Brewing in Gardener hosts a Certified Angus Beef Beer Dinner for Mass Beer Week on March 7. There are six courses specially designed by the brewery’s executive chef accompanied by a curated selection of house beers including the debut of Smōkonut, a new smoked coconut porter.
On March 8, in honor of International Women’s Day, Moon Hill participates in the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day by brewing a double IPA (~8.0%) using hops locally sourced from Four Star Farms. Proceeds from this beer will go to fund scholarship programs for members of the Pink Boots Society, which helps women in the beer industry advance their careers through education.
Honoring the Brave
Worcester’s Wormtown Brewery hosts a Blizzard of ‘78 Party to commemorate the storm of all storms on February 2 from 5-10 p.m., and Wormtown celebrates its ninth birthday on March 17 with an all-day party from noon-10 p.m. with live music, food and special beer tappings.
Beer releases for March 17 include Birthday Brew #9 (the style is a secret until release day), Barrel-aged Bday Brew #8 Barley Wine (11%) and Barrel Aged Norm Chocolate Coconut Stout (7.0%).
In March and February, Wormtown releases its limited spring seasonal Irish Red (draft, 16-ounce cans in the taproom and distributed); Hopular Culture 007: Golden Rye (7.0%), the latest installment of the Hopular Culture series is an IPA highlighting the malts Golden Promise and Valley Danko Rye (taproom exclusive on draft and in 16-ounce cans); and Spies Like Us (10.5%), a Russian imperial stout (taproom and limited distribution in 12-ounce bottles).
Mass Whole Lager is Wormtown’s first year-round lager and is a 100% Massachusetts-only ingredient beer (12-ounce cans in the taproom and distributed). Hopular Culture #008, aka Pink Boots Brew, utilizes an exclusive hop blend to the Pink Boots Society (taproom only draft and 16-ounce cans). Barrel Aged Spies (10.5%) is a barrel-aged version of the brewery’s Russian imperial stout (limited availability in draft and 22-ounce bottles) released for Valentine’s Day.
Wormtown and Wachusett Brewery collaborated for the first time to brew Worcester’s Bravest, a citrusy witbier available on February 2 in both brewery taprooms; 100% of the sales of this beer will be donated to the Ava Roy Fund in memory of Worcester Firefighter Chris Roy.
Here’s to Three
Gentile Brewing in Beverly is expanding taproom hours and will be open on Sundays from noon-6 p.m. starting on February 3.
On February 9 at noon, Gentile releases its first cans, starting with Di⋅ver⋅gent IPA, part of a rotational series of IPAs with an ever-changing combination of malts and hops. This batch features El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic hops (four-packs of 16-ounce cans; limited run of 200).
The Third Anniversary Party on March 2 starts at noon and includes the release of a dark Mexican lager “dry hopped” with spicy peppers plus a food vendor.
Already Canning
Timberyard Brewing in East Brookfield released its first cans in January, and future release dates will be publicized on the website and in social media. For February/March, the brewery plans to roll out several new beer styles including Kettle Sour, Peach Saison, Vanilla/American Oak Porter and Double NEIPA (ABV TBD), as well as non-alcoholic beverages including cold brew nitro coffee and small-batch, house-made soda and seltzer.
“We’ve been maxing out our capacity to keep the few styles we have flowing,” said brewer and co-owner Matt Zarif. “We’re excited to begin brewing some new styles and exploring some different directions in the next couple of months.”
Now in Hudson
Ground Effect Brewing is now open at 312 Main Street in Hudson. The taproom hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 3-10:30 p.m., Saturdays from noon-10:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon-7 p.m.
