Counterweight Brewing Company (CBC) is the prize at the end of a long trail for Matt Westfall, past homebrewer and now proud owner and head brewer of his own company.
“We opened our doors with a 20-barrel brewhouse in March 2017 in Hamden, Conn.,” Matt said, “and it’s been a marathon ever since. In 2018, we produced 10,000 barrels. We’re a production brewery and also have two taprooms to serve our patrons. The dream of being a professional brewer started in 2003 when I was a student at Eastern State University and bought my first beer kit from a cool little homebrew shop down the road in Willimantic called Zok’s. (It’s still there). After falling in love with the process of brewing, I knew there was more to it than what I was doing in my kitchen, so I attended and graduated from the American Brewer’s Guild in 2007. There, I learned the necessary skills to consistently brew good beer. My future wasn’t going to be making five-gallon batches of homebrew, but hundreds of gallons of expensive craft beer. Mistakes aren’t allowed.”
Paying My Dues and Finding My Place
After some serious homebrewing, Matt started as a novice brewer at New England Brewing Co. (NEBCO) in Woodbridge, Conn., and he became head brewer and partner in two years. Working at NEBCO for 9+ years, Matt was instrumental in most, if not all, of developmental stages at the brewery. This experience carried over to help him open Counterweight Brewing.
“I hired my friend, Sean Piel as my head brewer,” Matt added. “He was trained in England and Germany at Brewlab, and he spent time as a brewer at Hooker Brewing in Bloomfield, Conn., and Cold Creek Brewing in Ellington, Conn. He’s garnered some important experience, and his presence has been instrumental in our success since we opened two years ago. Sean is only part of an amazing team of family and friends who have been here from the start.”
Beer Styles
The core beers at Counterweight are Headway IPA, Workhorse Pilsner and Crucial Mass Double IPA.
“Our goals are to brew fun, hoppy beers while exploring traditional German and Belgian styles,” Matt said. “We’re developing a wood-aging process largely taken up by what we hope will eventually be a spontaneous beer program incorporating a recently purchased coolship. So, now there’s another sour beer brewery in Connecticut!”
The Future and Going Local Products
“We’re looking at the future of Counterweight Brewing by focusing on quality first and allowing the company to grow organically,” Matt said. “We’ll keep our beer close to ensure its’ freshness. I think it’s wonderful to see our industry, now including Counterweight, turning to local ingredients. This is key to maintain the freshness of our products. National brands like Sierra Nevada, Allagash and many others have shown us how important quality and consistency are towards improving our offerings. I hope that small craft breweries like Counterweight can work to those goals. It’s the only way we deserve to grow into the current market and stay competitive.”
Making Beer and Collaborations
“The road to developing Counterweight Brewing has been a blast!,” Matt exclaimed. “We all enjoy working together and have the same goals in mind, which is to explore the brewing process overall and have fun doing it. We’ve been involved with a lot of collaboration beers. Our most recent was brewing with Mr. Stottner, the former president of Doemens Brewing in Pfaffenberg, Germany. We learned a lot about German brewing techniques, and we hope to incorporate that education into making quality beers at Counterweight.”
A Note from Zok
Many homebrewers have passed through the doors of Zok’s, my brick and mortar homebrew shop in Willimantic, Conn. I’ve encouraged many people to enter their beers into homebrewing competitions to see how a trained beer judge would rate the beer. Some win, and some don’t, but all receive credible feedback from certified judges who instruct how to make the next batch better, or maybe just a little more “to style.” After winning a few medals in competition, it’s common to hear that so and so wants to start a brewery. Some do so, most don’t. Matt was one who did. I’m not saying that homebrew and commercial craft beer are at the same level, because they’re in different universes, but there’s a deep connection. The “once a hobby turned into a living” is a rite of passage for a homebrewer. The exhilaration to make a special ale or lager at home is an integral part of becoming a pro brewer. That passion followed from Matt’s homebrewing days, continued at NEBCO and ultimately blossomed at Counterweight.
When I visited Counterweight a few months before its’ official opening, I was fortunate to sample Matt’s first beer made on site: a crisp and hazy lager made in the tradition of a homebrew. It had the liveliness of a German lager. A forty-pointer, for sure.
Prost to Matt and his dedicated crew!
Counterweight Brewing
203 Raccio Park Road, Hamden, Conn. 203-821-7333
www.counterweightbrewing.com
Tap Room: Thursday – 3-8 p.m., Friday – 3-9 p.m., Saturday – noon-9 p.m., Sunday- noon-6 p.m.
