It’s definitely poetic that the renovated building in Holyoke, Mass., with “Steam” in big white letters, was once a site where valves and piping where manufactured, but now houses a brewery.
The newly opened Holyoke Craft Brewery is easily accessible via both Interstate 90 and 91. The 208 Race Street location is also Route 116. Anyone driving south from Greenfield or Amherst on 116 would enjoy the bucolic ride, and there are some good beer stops along the way.
Holyoke is going through a much needed structural renaissance. There are three canals that scream “showcase me.” The huge Hadley Falls majestically drops the flow of the Connecticut River (the fishing here in spring is crazy good) and glides along an area of Holyoke that is undergoing major reconstruction. This is an exciting time to watch this city grow, due to the range of possibilities: think Providence, Rhode Island, without Brown University; magnificent turn-of-the-century architecture, giant mills and a large multi-cultural population, which, with hope, will not be crowded out as this old mill town, a.k.a. “Paper City,” comes back to full glory.
Race Street flanks the middle canal. There’s Gateway City Arts and soon the Steam Building. It’s definitely poetic that the renovated building with “Steam” in big white letters was once a site where valves and piping where manufactured, but now houses a brewery. And the street parking is plentiful.
Engineers
Owners Catherine and Mike Pratt are not only giving Holyoke a tasting room and fresh local beer now that Paper Cider Brewery has been closed for a few years, but they are helping to continue to ignite the revitalization of this area.
Both owners are still working as full time engineers Mike said that Catherine is all about “designing systems,” and he’s a water engineer. Talk about the perfect fit for brewery owners.
Mike Schilling of Northampton’s homebrew shop and educational center — Beerology — provides consultation and recipe design. He’s the go-to guy as Pratt learns the ropes on scaling up from homebrewing to the one-barrel brewing system, which makes Holyoke Craft a nano: there are six conical fermenters. Brewer Adam Copeland, who, like Pratt, isn’t formally trained in brewing science, has been doing a knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark job since the brewery officially opened on February 2, 2019.
A nano system allows the brewery to be adventurous, but there’s a limit to how much beer can be made. Six fermenters helps a lot, as they provide the required space needed to condition beer and allow for six different styles at any given time. That said, Pratt and Copeland both noted that the beer is selling faster than they can brew it.
Historically, all nano-breweries in Western Mass soon have to look at upgrading to a larger brew kettle within one year’s time to keep up with demand. With the beers tasting so fresh and clean at this new nano, there’s no doubt that the Pratts will be facing that same fantastic problem.
The Guts of the Old Building
The brewery is currently located in the basement of the Steam Building. There’s a wide stairwell and also an elevator to get to the below-ground tasting room. Down there, the feel is Uber-industrial with 16-inch wooden beams and giant steel I-beams, which pull in those of us who adore perusing old New England buildings.
The tasting room has a few tables and stools, and there’s plenty of swag to purchase along with crowlers to go. Since Holyoke Craft has the entire basement, once you step out of the elevator, you are greeted by even more tables and chairs. The well-appointed outdoor lighting provides a bit of an old world Speakeasy effect of “find me if you can.”
The Beers
Kudos go to the whole team for making tasty beers, which honestly isn’t so easy for a new brewhouse. Revival is an American pale ale at 5.6% ABV. Thankfully, this isn’t a pale ale wishing to be an IPA. It harkens back to the days when you could count on a pale ale to deliver a solid kick-back pint, which is both full-bodied and leaves just a wee bit of bitterness without being too taxing to the palate. Milling About (4.7%) is a popular white ale. Podoke (6.5%) is a classic porter that will satisfy stout fans who don’t see their favorite style on the beer board. There are a couple of IPAs rolling out, with an initial focus on the New England IPA style.
The beers sell out fast, and this benefits the patrons, who get to experience a brewery growing into itself, meaning that the beer, which is already good, will get better, and the options will continue to grow.
Currently there is only once draft account being set up for Gateway City Arts. This may be Czech Pilsner, as the owner of the Arts also happens to be a partial owner of the Steam building, and he hails from that pils-loving country.
The Tasting Room is open on Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m. As the brewery works towards keeping up with the demand, there will be new tasting days offered. Another good “beer” thing is happening in Holyoke.
Holyoke Craft Brewery
208 Race Street, Holyoke, Mass.
info@holyokecraftbeer.com
www.holyokecraftbeer.com
Tasting room open Fridays from 5-10 p.m.
