Hop to it: celebrate National Beer Day at local breweriesDate: 4/7/2021 WESTFIELD – National Beer Day is April 7, and there are many options for those who want to celebrate into the weekend with a local brew.
In the Westfield area alone are several breweries now open, including Great Awakenings, Two Weeks Notice Brewing, Tin Bridge Brewing, Skyline Beer Co. and Westfield River Brewing.
Reminder Publishing reached out to local brewers to share what’s on tap – literally – this spring and talk about how they survived the pandemic, so far.
Great Awakening Brewing Co.
77 Mill St., Westfield
greatawakeningbrewing.com
Great Awakening Brewing Co. Co-founder Andy Grenier said customers can expect something unique on tap this spring.
“We'll continue to provide a diverse range of beers this spring. We're looking forward to some unique barrel aged beers, like a tequila barrel-aged version of our popular Purist Coconut & Lime sour, an Imperial Stout aged in a barrel that previously held cinnamon whiskey, vanilla extract and maple syrup, and a wine barrel aged fruited farmhouse-style ale,” he said. “We'll also be adding beers to the menu that are perfect for the season, such as hoppy blonde ales, a creamsicle inspired imperial sour, a French Saison and more. In addition to the more unusual stuff, we've got some new IPAs, double IPAs and big triple IPAs coming up that we’re really excited about as well.”
Grenier said as far as the most popular beers go, the hoppy options always seem to move quickly. “I'd say it can be quite weather dependent,” said Grenier. “On a cold, dreary night the stouts are a popular option but if it’s a nice, sunny day the sours and the farmhouse ales are a more popular option.”
For Grenier, nothing beats Great Awakening’s Axis, an American brown Ale. “It's a very flavorful and full-bodied interpretation of the style,” he said.
On brew days, the Great Awakening brewers can brew a beer in 12 hours, then it spends a few weeks in the fermenting vessel and one or two days in the carbonating tank before it’s packaged, Great Awakening always has 16 of its beers on tap, with three to five different beers – or more - in cans.
Grenier said their official opening took place during a pandemic, but business is more than good.
“Business has been really great,” he said. “We want our guests and team to feel safe and comfortable during this challenging time, so we’re super focused on following COVID guidelines. We’re focused on sanitizing all high-touch points, keeping 10-foot spacing between tables, and we're fortunate to have really high ceilings, and over 100 windows.
“We’re always hearing feedback that all our guests feel really comfortable coming in. We also have curbside pickup on Fridays and Saturdays that has been a really great way to safely get the beer out to the local craft beer community. We're looking forward to adding stools to the bar, even more tables and chairs, and spots to lounge around. We're excited to start hosting after work events, and also to more regularly bring in musicians once vocals are available.”
Great Awakening will be expanding its hours and days in June, and is currently open Thursdays and Fridays from 4-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-9 p.m.
“To reserve a table, check out our latest taproom menu, and to order cans for curbside pickup, please visit our website,” Grenier said.
Westfield River Brewing Co.
707 College Highway, Southwick
westfieldriverbrewing.com
Westfield River Brewing Co. owner Sergio Bonavita is looking forward to the spring and summer season and the beers that come with the nicer weather.
“As always, we have 10 beers on tap – all made right here,” he said. “Our new West Coast IPA is called Dead Man Walking and has been a fan favorite. Coastal Haze, our NEIPA is popular as always. New for the spring is Emerge, a Belgian Saison fermented with a blend of Saison yeast and champagne yeast. It is complex, slightly fruity with a clean dry finish.”
In addition to the Coastal Haze and Dead Man Walking, Bonavita said The Dude, a cold brew coffee stout, is among the brewery’s most popular beers.
For Bonavita, picking just one favorite is a tough.
“I am a seasonal drinker, but this time of year I typically drink heavier IPA's,” he said. “I compare my beer to my kids – I love them all – just some a little more on certain days!”
Brewing a batch takes about a day, plus two or three weeks for fermentation. Bonavita said some beer takes longer.
“Certain styles take longer,” he said. “Our Roy's Lager takes 6 – 8 weeks as it cold ferments and the Emerge took about six months to age post fermentation. Sours, to brew them properly, take a longer time as well – 6-9 months).
Westfield River Brewing has been open throughout the pandemic, switching gears to outdoor dining as soon – and as long – as possible. Bonavita added outdoor firepits for the winter and is looking forward to the light he sees inching closer.
“I feel like we are coming out of the pandemic,” he said. “We have been in constant talks with the local and state boards of health and based on their guidance, we are planning a full concert schedule and a full wedding/event schedule as well. I couldn’t be more excited! We may be at slightly lower capacities than normal, but we will take it.”
Current hours are Friday, 4-9 p.m., Saturday, 12-9 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bonavita plans to add Thursdays back into the mix starting in May.
Bonavita was enthusiastic about what’s to come.
“As always, we have our indoor taproom with socially distanced tables. We had the fire pits all winter and it was excellent. We shut those down last weekend to remodel the space and pour a new concrete patio,” he said. “We will be using that back patio space all spring, summer, and fall for outdoor dining. It’s a great space with a beautiful view.”
Skyline Beer Co.
98 Southwick Road, Westfield
skylinebeerco.com
At Skyline, beer and food go hand-in-hand as owners Lisa Lafreniere, Dan Osella and Dana Bishop work together to create pairings sure to please.
Skyline offers craft beer made on the premises as well as a menu created using as many locally sourced products as possible. Lafreniere and Bishop head up the brewing while chef Osella creates the food. Pairing food and beer in a relaxed atmosphere was always their goal.
On tap this spring is a New England IPA recipe Lafreniere created for her dogs called ‘Vic and Sim’ and she and Bishop created a Maibock recipe which is a traditional German beer meant for the coming of spring. The West Coast DIPA called Shaver of Love is very popular and Skyline has a new kettle sour which will have some darker fruits added like plum, black current and apricot.
This spring, Skyline will offer more options on its menu – and at its space, which was home to Fowler Farms for many years. The back patio, which overlooks a neighboring farm, has been reimagined and is ready for patrons.
“It feels awesome to see our vision for the back coming together, it is basically the whole reason we bought the property,” Lafreniere said.
When COVID-19 first hit, Lafreniere was concerned that Skyline would have to close, but instead it has continued to remain open with help from its beer garden, which was quickly created when outdoor dining was allowed.
“The beer garden was our saving grace through the summer and as we faced a capacity of only 25 people inside, take out and beer sales to go naturally went up but our profits on canned beer are extremely small compared to selling by the pint,” Lafreniere said. “When we wrote our business plan and came up with the model, we never pictured this. The canner we bought was not meant to blast cans out, it is a one-person manual canner, and we pay quite a bit in labor and cans and only sell if for less than half the amount as compared to selling by the pint.”
Lafreniere said while the pandemic has certainly affected her business, it was a small setback for her expansion, and she sees better days ahead with the expansion and nice weather on the way.
Skyline is currently open Tuesday – Thursday, 4-9 p.m., Friday, 3-10 p.m., Saturday, 1-10 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m. for dining and beer sales.
Tin Bridge Brewing Co.
487 East Main St., Westfield
tinbridgebrewing.com
Open for can sales Thursday and Friday, 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, 12-3 p.m.
Two Weeks Notice Brewing Co.
110 Bosworth St., West Springfield
twoweeksnoticebrewing.com
Open Wednesday, 3-6 p.m., Thursday 3-8 p.m., Friday 3-10 p.m., Saturday, 1-10 p.m. and Sunday, 1-10 p.m.
|
