11 Rogers Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
866-BEER-MEN
978-281-4782

Cape Ann Brewing Co.

Brew Pub Hours:
7 days a week!
11am-10:30pm

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Fisherman's Green Beer announced on Goodmorninggloucester.com

As a Saint Patrick's Day special, Cape Ann Brewing Co. serves Green Beer. See the video featured on www.goodmorninggloucester.com.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Entertainment scene expands on Gloucester's West End

by Leslie Friday/Correspondent

GLOUCESTER - Picture the perfect night out. Grab an early dinner, no winces when the bill arrives. Pop in for a cold and frothy at a nearby brewpub. Maybe catch a short play by a local director. Then cap it off with a late-night concert.
Do it all within a couple city blocks. Sounds good? Sounds like Boston. Wrong, think Gloucester.
With the recent addition of the Cape Ann Brewing Company’s pub and West End Hall’s opening, Gloucester’s West End is further blossoming into a focal point for entertainment. The new sites add to the overall mix of restaurants, bars and clubs that have sprouted along Main and Rogers streets over the years.
Undaunted by competition, West End business owners unanimously supported the new brewpub and event hall.
“There’s always room for another falafel house on the block,” joked Ian McColl, a New York native and Blackburn Performing Arts’ managing director. “The more things going on, the better.”
Alex Pardo, co-owner of JalapeƱos Mexican Restaurant, agreed.
“I always believe in the more businesses you bring into downtown Gloucester, the better it will be for everybody,” Pardo said. “We need each other.”
Dozens of beer lovers packed Cape Ann Brewing Company’s headquarters at the tip of The Fort neighborhood during its brewpub’s grand opening on Saturday, March 7. They lounged in wooden rocking chairs, sidled up to the bar — shaped like the port side of a boat — or gathered at communal picnic tables.
The pub’s inspiration hearkens back to Germany in the Middles Ages, when everything was built around the brewery, according to Jeremy Goldberg, the company’s owner and head brewer.
“The brewery was really the meeting point,” Goldberg, 33, said. “That’s what we want to be.”
Brewing beer was a hobby for this New Jersey native and former Wall Street employee. But when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, Goldberg said he did the “walk of disbelief” across the Williamsburg Bridge back to his home in Brooklyn.
That’s when it hit him: “I need to be doing something more than just pushing money around.”
Goldberg said he wanted to make a difference in the world, to do something he was proud of. After a 40-day, 38-micro-brewery tour and making a documentary on the journey (“American Beer”), he and his father launched Cape Ann Brewing Company in 2004.
Since opening, Goldberg and crew have sold 64-ounce growlers, done tastings and marketed a variety of brews to bars from Maine to Virginia. But the intention was always to have a brewpub on site.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than to see people enjoying my beer right here in front of me,” said Goldberg, who tends bar with two of his employees.
Not everyone is happy with the pub’s opening. Fort residents protested the brewing company’s arrival. And city officials treated it as “the canary in the mine shaft” to test new business’s success in the area, Goldberg said.
Yet Gloucester at-large has welcomed the brewing company.
“The whole city’s taken us on their shoulders,” he said, adding that local artists have displayed their work at the pub. “It’s theirs, it’s not ours.”
Less then two blocks down Rogers Street, West End Hall is opening its doors on Saturday, March 14 with the U-2 cover band Joshua Tree.
Formerly the St. Peter’s Club function hall, West End Hall aims to be an affordable alternative for those planning concerts, weddings, bar mitzvahs, business conferences and school events.
“I would really like the function hall to support the community,” said Shannon Mount, West End’s function manager. “It’s part of a lot of people’s families at this point.”
The hall rents for $500 per five-hour event on weekdays and $800 Friday-Sunday. It comes equipped with large screen televisions, a stage, full-size bar, wet bar and a separate prep kitchen.
Mount said she has a list of vendors that clients can choose from in planning their events, or bring their own.
The 32-year-old Gloucester resident hopes to bring a bride expo to Cape Ann in late spring and dreams of bigger bands, arts shows or mystery dinners renting out the hall.
But for now, Mount is focusing on the Joshua Tree concert. Tickets sell for $15 apiece. Doors open at 8 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar available to concert goers.
“The band is excited about playing up here,” Mount said.
Meanwhile, the rest of West End continues to pulse with activity. Sometimes the fun gets out of hand.
After opening in late summer last year, Latitude 43 launched a late-night club that proved to be too successful. Co-owner Mark McDonough was called before the city’s licensing board on Feb. 26 to confront a list of complaints from residents, councilors and the police.
Overserving, breech of the public peace, public urination and serving underage drinkers were among some of the complaints filed against the establishment. Board members voted to rescind Latitude’s liquor and entertainment license for three days as punishment, with McDonough closing shop from March 1-3.
The day after the board’s ruling, McDonough sent members a letter in which he apologized for any wrongdoing and announced Latitude 43 would no longer be in the club business. He vowed to have police presence on Fridays and Saturdays and to remove outside speakers, among other changes planned.
“I’m happy because that type of place did not fit with the rhythm and beat of the harbor,” said Attorney Edward Pasquina, chairman of the licensing board.
McDonough referred all questions about the incident to his booking agent, Dan King, saying, “I’ve got some clean-ups to do.”
King, a musician who also plays around the city, said they cancelled their concert series scheduled for March and April and refunded tickets. He regretted most of all telling dozens of musicians they lost their shifts.
Latitude 43 has since retooled their entertainment line-up, with a variety of music shows Thursday-Sunday.
“Nobody was just trying to cause trouble,” King said. “I think those guys [at Latitude 43] are getting a tough break.”

Saturday, March 7, 2009

A brewing triumph: Pub's debut caps 2-year struggle for founders

By Robert CannStaff Writer
Gloucester Daily Times

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

And while today's grand opening of Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s Brewpub has left some feeling contrary, for its supporters, and co-founder Jeremy Goldberg, "it's a struggle that's finally come to fruition."

Cape Ann Brewing Co. first tried to open its doors, and its taps, to serve microbrews from its 27 Commercial St. site in May 2007. However, after meeting strong opposition from Fort Square and Beach Court residents, the city Licensing Board decided not to issue a license.

"We thought it was going to happen in May of 2007," said Goldberg, who added that "it wasn't really an option to give up."

A year later, Goldberg and his brother-in-law Michael Beaton, who is co-owner of the Brewing Co., went before the Licensing Board once again. this time for a license to pour beer for four hours a day during three days of Fiesta.

They got it, and Goldberg said, "it was phenomenal." 

"The crowd was as diverse as it gets: old, young, all walks of life," Goldberg said. "It was as good as we could have ever expected it to be."

Golberg said that since "Fiesta went off without a hitch," the Brewing Co. decided it was once again time to try for a year-round license to serve. By late January, the Licensing Board approved, and the Brewing Co. received a license in mid-February and held a "soft opening."

"We called it a soft opening; we let our regulars know about us," Goldberg said. "This grand opening is to let everybody know."

Golberg said the grand opening will have raffles, trivia, complimentary chowder from Turner Seafood and chips and salsa from Chili Choice.

"It's just kind of welcoming Gloucester to us," Goldberg said. "It's a big thank you for the people who have supported us in the past." According to Goldberg, Cape Ann Brewing Co. has a "Farmer's Brewing Pouring Permit" to serve beer, which means it can only serve beer that brewed in-house. The pub cannot serve liquor, or even its own bottled beer, which is brewed and bottled in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

While the brew pub, which is open today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serves food, it doesn't have its own kitchen.

"We're trying to bring in food from local establishments," Goldberg said. The brew pub will serve food from Panorama Pizza, Ned's Groceria and Sasquatch Smoked Fish, among o
thers.

"Our focus is to help Gloucester grow along with us," he said.

Goldberg says he looks to Gloucester and the sea for inspiration for his beers. "The history of Gloucester is something that is important to the people of Gloucester, and as such, it's something that we made very important to the Cape Ann Brewing Co."

Goldberg, the comapny's brew master, said that whenever the staff comes up with a new beer, they try to make it relate to the sea.

One of the seven beers that they'll be pouring today is The Fisherman's Tea Party, a barley wine-style beer that features three varieties of tea that were dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.

As for the brew pub's opposition, some in the immediate neighborhood aren't thrilled about the opening.

Joseph Palmisano, who grew up near the Brewing Co.'s location and owns an apartment building in the vicinity, said he believes the "neighborhood's been getting stepped on."

"We're not against brewing beer, we just don't want a pub in front," he said. Palmisano fears that loud patrons will wake up his tenants late at night and disturb the neighborhood.

While Golberg said Cape Ann Brewing Co. has had a "tenuous" relationship with its neighbors — and didn't do everything it could have to reach out at first — he says the owners have been doing more to improve the relationship lately.
Goldberg said he gave out his cell phone number to those who live nearby, and the Brewing Co. had started privately throwing away its used grain and has raised the stacks from its boilers so that the smell from the production would be less noticeable.

Goldberg said giving up in the struggle to serve beer wasn't ever an option.

"There were many nights that I questioned if this was a good idea, but we persevered and kept going," he said.

Goldberg says he fell in love with the beer industry after quitting his job as a Wall Street broker after Sept. 11, 2001, and making a documentary called "American Beer," which took him to 38 breweries in 40 days

He said it's a friendly industry and "all the breweries help each other out."

"You're competition isn't your competition," Goldberg said. "We're all in this for good beer."


Nick Drayer of Rockport enjoys a few slices of pizza and a beer with some conversation with bartender Dylan L'Abbe-Lindquist at Cape Ann Brewing Co. yesterday afternoon. After receiving its pouring license, Cape Ann Brewing Co. will be holding its grand opening today, offering tours, pub eats, trivia and its Fisherman's Brew. 
Photo by Mary Muckenhoupt / ©2009 Gloucester Daily Times

IF YOU GO
What: Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s grand opening
Where: 27 Commercial St.
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
Details: Seven beers on tap, pub eats, trivia, tours.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Cape Ann Brewing Company Opens Brew Pub in Gloucester

Contact: Dylan L’Abbe-Lindquist
Cape Ann Brewing Company
978-281-4782
www.capeannbrewing.com

Cape Ann Brewing Company Opens Brew Pub in Gloucester

(Gloucester, MA) - Cape Ann Brewing Company, an award-winning, family-owned, micro-brewery and the home of Fisherman’s Brew, in the heart of downtown Gloucester, announced today the opening of its highly anticipated Brewpub.

The Brewpub, features the brewery’s award-winning craft beers brewed onsite, in a unique community gathering room featuring a bar shaped like the port side of a ship. Long, German-style wooden tables and a sitting area with several rocking chairs create a mellow, laid back atmosphere unlike anything else in the Cape Ann community. Classic board games, books, magazines, newspapers and bar games are available for leisurely enjoyment. Local artist renderings adorn the wood-paneled walls and the large picture windows look out onto St. Peter’s Square where the famed St. Peter’s Fiesta is held each June.

Cape Ann Brewing Company was founded in 2004. Head brewer and co-founder Jeremy Goldberg began his sojourn into professional brewing as a home-brewer and broker on Wall Street. After September 11, 2001, looking for a change Goldberg embarked upon a 38 brewery 40 day micro-brewery cross-country tour with a some of friends to film the documentary, American Beer. Upon return, Goldberg knew that the brewing industry was his future and 6 months later, along with his father Michael Goldberg and his brother in law, had begun preparation for the opening of the Cape Ann Brewing Company. In May of 2004 Cape Ann Brewing released it’s Fisherman’s Brew and have grown to distribute it’s beer in 9 states from Maine to Virginia.

”My family and I are immensely proud of the brews we produce and are delighted to be able to serve our customers on premise,” said Jeremy Goldberg, Head Brewer and co-founder of Cape Ann Brewing Company. “It was my father’s and my dream to start a micro-brewery together. Our Brewpub is family-friendly and not the typical watering hole. We don’t serve liquor at all, and only serve the beer is made right here.”

The Brewpub will also feature non-alcoholic beverages and pizza from Panorama Pizza in Gloucester. The menu will soon expand to include offerings from several local businesses including Panorama Pizza, Ned’s Groceria, and Sasquatch Smoked Fish, as well as an assortment of bar snacks.

Cape Ann Brewing brews a variety of craft beers at the brewery -

Available both on draft and in the bottle:
-Fisherman’s Brew, the company’s flagship offering is an American Amber Lager.
-Fisherman’s IPA, an Indian Pale Ale
-Fisherman’s Ale, a Kolsch style ale which received the gold medal at the Great International Beer Festival in the fall of 2007
-Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout, our autumn offering, which was awarded the 2007 New England Microbrew Championship at the 2007 Lowell Ribs-’N-Brews festival
-Fisherman’s Navigator, a German style Doppel-bock offered during the Winter season
-Fisherman’s Bavarian Wheat, our Spring/Summer offering, a Hefeweizen

Available only on draft when available:
-Fisherman’s Tea Party, a barley wine made with three different types of tea that were amongst those dumped during the Boston Tea Party
-Fisherman’s Greenhorn Double-IPA, a high alcohol amply hopped IPA, not for the faint of heart
-Fisherman’s Dunkelweiss, a dark German wheat beer

Cape Ann Brewing Company
Founded in 2004, Cape Ann Brewing Company is an award-winning, family-owned, micro-brewery in the heart of the historic seaport of Gloucester in Cape Ann. Brewing beer whose bold flavor and character reflects the spirit and courage of the sailors of the North Atlantic fishing fleet, and is the same passion that drives what we do. The Fisherman’s line of beer is a tribute to hard work, and a salute to friendships that endure. Cape Ann Brewing continues it’s support of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving fishing communities, protecting fishery resources and feeding the world, and urges people to get involved in aiding our local fishermen.
 
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©2011 Cape Ann Brewing Company. All rights reserved.