Next Draft

NEXT DRAFT

Time again to clean out the beer fridge of news

MATTHEW TOTA

Iopened my beer fridge last weekend and shuddered.

Cans from October jammed into every free space without reason. Bottles from December wedged tightly along the door. And far too many questions: When did I buy that? Why?

It’s time again to clean out my beer fridge and look back at some brewery news around Central Massachusetts that got caught up in the chaos.

Burudika! (Cheers in Swahili)

Beyond the flavor, what makes a beer memorable is the story behind its creation. You don’t get those stories with the mass-produced stuff: It’s only the local breweries that have the time and patience to brew beers with tales to tell.

Last year, one of my favorite stories behind the beer was how newly-minted B Corp Redemption Rock Brewery came to brew Burudika, its maize and rooibos tea lager.

Burudika only happens because of Redemption Rock’s commitment to helping the city’s nonprofits. Redemption Rock has built a bond with Worcester nonprofit African Community Education, which reached out to the brewery last year asking if it would brew a beer for its most important fundraising event of the year.

Redemption Rock and its customers first supported African Community Education (ACE) in August 2019, then again last summer through its charitable tipping program, in which it directs all tips to a different nonprofit every month. ACE assists the more than 20,000 African-born immigrants in Worcester through academic support, leadership development, cultural expression, and community outreach.

In 2019, Redemption Rock customers raised $3,157 for ACE, which helped it hire a liaison for the Worcester Public Schools. With much of ACE’s programing going remote, the liaison position has been critical in helping keep the students, parents and schools in touch.

Last week, Redemption Rock presented ACE with a check for $2,568, the money raised from tips and sales of Burudika.

Redemption Rock garnered inspiration for Burudika in part from traditional African beers like Umqombothi, a lighter, lower alcohol beer brewed with maize and sorghum, according to brewer and co-founder Greg Carlson. The brewery sourced malted maize from Valley Malt in Hadley and tea from Worcester’s own Acoustic Java.

Worcester artist Abu Mwenye, a native of Tanzania, designed the can art for Burudika. The label is vibrant and colorful, highlighting two traditional African instruments, the marimba and zeze.

Mwenye, it turns out, also came up with the beer’s name. “I said to call it, ‘Burudika,’” he said in an interview with Redemption Rock. “That’s what it means — ‘having fun.’ When people are laughing and having a good time, we say ‘burudika’ to mean ‘they are enjoying.’ It’s like ‘cheers,’ too. When you open a drink with someone, it’s ‘burudika!’”

Between taproom tips in August 2020 and sales of its Burudika lager before the ACE gala in November, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. customers donated $2,568 to African Community Education (ACE). Pictured from left to right: Tim O’Neil, ACE’s marketing and fundraising manager, Kaska Yawo, ACE’s executive director and co-founder, and Dani Babineau, Redemption Rock’s CEO and co-founder.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Medusa, Timberyard reopen taprooms

Two of my favorite taprooms have their taps flowing again after months of dormancy.

Medusa Brewing Co. in Hudson and Timberyard Brewing Co. in East Brookfield have opened again for draft pours. It’s the kind of happy news that can jolt me out of the doldrums and give me the energy and hope to survive the winter.

Medusa, which has been closed because of the pandemic since last spring, is finally accepting reservations for its downtown taproom. Medusa briefly operated an indoor beer garden, “Medusa on Broad,” which closed before the holidays.

Timberyard also turned on its taps last weekend. Since December, the lumberyard brewery has only been selling to-go beer through its drive-thru.

For the most up-to-date taproom hours for both breweries, visit their websites: medusabrewing.com and timberyardbrewing. com.

Tree House hiring

Want to work for the fourth best brewery in the world?

Tree House Brewing Co. has posted a handful of new positions for its new locations in Deerfield and Sandwich.

Tree House’s Deerfield taproom is opening on the 50-acre former home of Channing Bete Co., a publishing company that closed in 2019. Among the positions open for the taproom is a parking lot attendant, crucial given the taproom will have more than 300 parking spots.

The Sandwich taproom will sit on Cape Cod Bay, between Town Neck beach and Scusset Harbor. Tree House is looking for a part-time photographer for the taproom, probably necessary to capture the beauty of the sunsplashed, seaside locale.

Both taprooms are expected to open this year.