American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
What a difference two months make. When I wrote my first article, Girl Meets Beer, for American Craft Beer.com, I was only peripherally aware of the Boston craft beer community. Sam Adams and Harpoon are nationally recognized names, but there are so many similarly talented brewers doing amazing, creative, back-breaking work with a tiny staff and even tinier space. Small batch brewers aren’t in it for the money; it’s a pure love of the job, and it shows.
The tales behind some of Boston’s best beers are a testament to backing and cheerleading from fans – and perhaps more surprisingly, from other brewers. Backlash’s Salute IPA is the most palpable example of what camaraderie can accomplish, but that’s just one case. As last year’s supergroup effort Mass Appeal and unlikely partnership Stingo can attest, Bostonians know how to collaborate, to delicious effect.
My favorite story so far has been that of Esther and JC Tetreault, who launched weeks-old Trillium Brewing Company in Fort Point after two years of scouting out space, raising money, concocting fantastical prototypes, and completely renovating a rundown building. Their retail space is rustic and understated, made from recycled materials found and reclaimed nearby.
Not only did they receive aid from neighboring clean technology incubator Greentown Labs in the form of equipment and resources, they also received verbal inspiration from Dann Paquette of Pretty Things – no stranger to turning a small operation into a huge success – who encouraged the couple to make their dreams a reality.
The first day I walked into the brewery’s retail store, growlers were flying off the shelves and the line to check out was out the door. What stuck in my mind, however, was the stack of lined paper resting on a clipboard at the end of the bar. Since their grand opening, Trillium’s been limited in its ability to provide samples to customers due to a misinterpretation of Boston’s Inspectional Services code that deems it a “place of assembly” that somehow don’t apply to liquor stores.
In an effort to right this injustice, customers have been adding their signatures to a petition requesting that the city reconsider. The Tetreaults have poured their time, money, and love into turning an eyesore into a beautiful facility, and they deserve our support. If you can’t swing by the retail store during business hours, consider writing Menino a brief message letting him know that the Boston craft beer community stands behind its newest member.
