10 minute read
WESTFIELD BREWING CO
from AUGUST 2021
Abrewery and tap room for tasting their distinct and flavorful beers. A delicious and inspiring pub fare menu. A cozy event space. A summer concert series. Even their own distillery. All housed in a rustic barn in Southwick that for many years was home to the popular Chuck’s Steak House.
As the craft brewing market began to explode around the country, Westfield River Brewing Company entered the fray in 2012. It was their desire to make their own mark in the growing industry by tapping into the demand for good tasting, quality beers not mass produced using cheaper ingredients.
“It was master brewer Sergio Bonavita - a longtime home brewer who attended some workshops at Budweiser to further hone his skills - who came to me and our other partners about opening a full-scale brewery. A lifelong friend of mine and craft beer lover, Sergio has always been an entrepreneur and he was ready not to just dip his toe in home brewing any longer, but to jump in all the way. And we followed him, never expecting the success we would soon realize,” Josh Kelleher said.
Similar to many upstart craft brewers around the country who set up shop in abandoned mills and vacant manufacturing spaces, Westfield River Brewing Company opened its doors in an industrial warehouse in Westfield. However, their doors weren’t open to the public, and the location was used to simply brew their libations and market them to restaurants, bars and package stores in Western Massachusetts.
Two years later in 2014 when an unexpected opportunity presented itself, Bonavita and Kelleher found themselves touring the former Chuck’s Steak House in Southwick, which had come onto the market for lease.
“Once we walked into that quaint old barn and experienced it’s unique charm and beauty, we knew we had to make use of this very cool building as our new home. The move was a good way for us to step outside industry expectations and try something different for our brewery,” Kelleher said.
“It was never our intention when we opened in 2012 to do anything more than
Westfield River
Brewing Company
just sell our beer to those bars, restaurants and package stores who would carry our product that, along the way, was quickly growing in popularity. But now we operate a 100-year-old dairy farm and renovated barn with 53-acres out back to do with what we pleased,” he added.
The brewery co-owner noted that the move contributed to their quickly becoming “more of a destination brewery,” where people would “come to hang out with family and friends” - Kelleher noted they have created a very family-friendly atmosphere - to enjoy a pint or two over good conversation and perhaps a little bite to eat.
Then a defining moment the next year in 2015 further shaped the future direction of the brewery.
“We held a big fall festival…..didn’t advertise and only promoted it on Facebook and with posters in the brewery…..and over 1,000 people showed up. The next thing we knew people were coming up to us asking if they could get married here, and we soon found ourselves in the event business which has grown in popularity over the past five years,” Kelleher said. Diners who once frequented Chuck’s Steak House in its heyday will remember its downstairs lounge and warming fireplace, where you would wait for your table to be ready in the dining room upstairs. Today that lounge is the tap room for drinking and eating, and is where Bonavita does his brewing. There is also a front patio where you can eat and drink al fresco. The former main dining room upstairs is now their event space for weddings, birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, retirement parties and more. And, they just added a new back patio where the Tobacco Road Barrel Room is located. “We can cater smaller events ourselves and also have a variety of different caterers we can bring in for bigger celebrations to suit the needs of our guests…..and from the fancy to casual pizza parties,” Kelleher said. So, what about the star of the show - the beer? “After home brewing for 10 years, Sergio had accumulated over 100 recipes and what we offer on tap is constantly changing. Variety is important to him, and once we sell out of one batch, another beer replaces it. He loves making sours, lagers and IPAs. The Dude and Coastal Haze are our most popular beers and both staples on our tap menu. White Pumpkin is our seasonal fall beer, Red White and Raz comes out each summer, in the spring we offer a German Maibock, and, of course, when the time comes, we always have an Oktoberfest beer. Both The Dude and Raspberry Sour won us second place as ‘favorite beer’ at the consumer-voted competition called Boston Back Bay Beer Battle,” Kelleher said. “We named The Dude in honor of one of our favorite movies - and it pays tribute to the popular character in “The Big Lebowski” movie who drank White Russians. A White Russian is made with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream, so Sergio opted for a cold brew coffee stout with vanilla bean and chocolate malt when creating Dude,” he added.
Roy’s Lager - 4.1%
Our lightest beer, crisp easy drinking lager
Coastal Haze IPA - 7.4%
New England IPA with Mosaic hops and Citra
Session - 4.1%
Light easy drinking IPA with Cascade and Centennial
Emerge - 6.3%
Slightly fruity and finished with Champagne yeast for a clean dry finish
Dead Man Walking - 8.1%
West Coast Style IPA with Magnum, Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial; Bitter and Piney
Red White and Raz - 4.9%
Raspberry summer wheat beer
Citrus Seltzer - 4.0%
Hard seltzer
The Dude - 6.9%
Cold brew coffee stout with vanilla bean and chocolate malt
Big Red Barn - 9.5%
Imperial red ale, malty
Shandy - 4.0%
Refreshing blend of beer, lemonade (traditional, strawberry, peach or pineapple).
There are also plenty of cocktails to choose from when visiting Westfield River Brewing Company for a casual good time. Those looking for a sweeter treat can choose from a WRBC Old Fashion, Whiskey Arnold Palmer, Lavender Mule, Island Time, Georgia Smash, Strawberry Sparkler, Mint Cucumber Refresher, and Jungle Bird. And all of the spirits that go into crafting their special concoctions are by Tobacco Road Distillery. “We are Tobacco Road Distillery. We began our newest project in 2019 after realizing that not everyone who attends a wedding or other event with us wants to only drink beer. So, we began production on our own line of spirits including vodka, rum, gin and bourbon,” Kelleher said. To address the food needs of their new venture in Southwick and an empty kitchen, partner Dave Delmonte stepped up to the plate, so to speak, to bring back the food option for Westfield River Brewing Company. “Dave had been in the restaurant business for a good part of his life and he jumped at the chance to staff our kitchen and put together a whole new menu for customers to enjoy. When creating his dishes,
Dave was conscious of the fact that most customers are craft beer drinkers and usually want something light to eat. So, he geared the menu to them, but with selections for every taste and for kids as well. And we couldn’t be happier with the additional value it brings to the business…..it’s just tremendous,” Kelleher said. The menu includes “sharebles” from loaded pub chips to ale-brined wings, “handhelds” from a Nashville fried chicken sandwich to hamburgers and a hot dog, and “tacos” from pulled pork to grilled fish. Outside the comforts of the barn’s warm atmosphere, its quaint tap room, and overhead event space can be found 53-acres of farmland offering the beautiful vistas of Mount Tom and Provin Mountain as the backdrop for its summer concert series. Remaining performances feature The Breakers - A Tribute To Tom Petty with special guests The Eagles Experience on Saturday, August 21, from 2-10 p.m. Pirate Flag - A Tribute To Kenny Chesney raises a ruckus from 4-10 p.m. on Saturday, August 28. Music for both events begins at 4:30 p.m. and tickets, available at westfieldriverbrewing.com, are $25 for The Breakers and $30 for Pirate Flag. Then as Mother Nature paints a picturesque palate of colors on the mountains beyond, the brewery will hold its annual Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 2-10 p.m. “This will be our 7th annual Fall Fest after the coronavirus put a damper on last year’s festivities. It’s our favorite day of the year and we usually bring in about 20 to 30 vendors selling everything from handmade furniture to uniquely-fashioned jewelry and many other crafts. There will also be food trucks and local bands galore playing all day and The Dave Mathews Tribute Band will be headlining the event. There will also be face painting and other things for kids to do at this big family-friendly festival for all ages,” Kelleher said. While Westfield River Brewing Co. suspended selling their beers to bars, restaurants and package stores for the past five years in order to meet the demands of customers on weekends at the brewery, Kelleher said they have invested in additional brewing equipment, including fermenters and a canning line, and will soon return to the marketplace with their beers. Westfield River Brewing Co. is located on 707 College Highway in Southwick. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 4-9 p.m., Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit westfieldriverbrewing. com or email WestfieldRiverBrewing@yahoo.com.
COOL STUFF JUST OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR AND ONLINE!
MOONLIGHT PADDLE STAFFORD LIONS CLUB
FRIDAY - AUGUST 20, 2021 • STAFFORDVILLE LAKE
ROUTE 19 STAFFORDVILLE, CT 06076 • BEHIND STAFFORDVILLE SCHOOL
Gate Opens At 6:30pm / Launch At 7:30pm Free Paddling (Bring your own kayak or canoe) Boats MUST be cleaned before entering lake Free Hotdogs and Snacks Enter the Raffle to win a Kayak Package (Grand Prize includes Kayak, paddle and PFD) Raffle Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10
For more information, please visit our website at www.staffordlionsclub.org
or contact Diane Amuso at dbawamuso@gmail.com or 860 559-9153
GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL
SIGNATURE SUMMER EVENT
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH AT 12:00 PM - SUNDAY, AUGUST 29TH AT 9:00 PM, 89 WISDOM WAY GREENFIELD, MA, 01301
Located at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. The Green River Festival is Western Massachusetts’ signature summer event. An outrageous celebration of world class music, great local food, beer & wine, a handmade craft fair, and lots of family games and activities! Returning for 2021!
signaturesoundspresents.com/shows/green-river-festival THUNDER IN THE VALLEY FESTIVAL
95 PARK HILL RD. EASTHAMPTON, MA.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14TH FROM 2:00 PM UNTIL 10:00 PM,
LOCATED AT MOLITORIS ORCHARD IN EASTHAMPTON
MUSIC, Food Trucks, Friends are what you will find at this year’s 6th annual Thunder in the Valley Festival! Don’t miss this incredible day of Music & Fun! The best part is 100% of the proceeds raised goes to the Childrens Miracle Network Hospital @ Baystate Childrens Hospital!
