By DEBORAH G. SCANLON
It wasn’t that long ago that beer drinkers would stroll up to a bar and order a Bud or Miller Lite. Drinking local beer meant ordering a ’Gansett. In the past few years all this has changed. How about a Dunes of the Cape Pina Colada IPA, crafted in Mashpee at Naukabout Brewery? Or maybe a 508 IPA, brewed in East Falmouth at Bad Martha’s?
Today there are more than 200 operating breweries in Massachusetts, compared to 34 brewing licenses in 2007, according to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild.
Shane Byrnes, co-owner of Coastal Craft Distributors, explains that a major change came about “when Massachusetts allowed a new license called Farm Brewer License for breweries. This allows them to brew beer, to have a tap room to visit and drink at, to sell beer to-go from that tap room.” It also allows breweries to sell their beer direct to retailers—bars and stores.
Seven craft breweries are located on the Cape: Naukabout in Mashpee; Bad Martha’s in East Falmouth; Cape Cod Beer and Barnstable Brewing, both in Hyannis; Devil’s Purse in South Dennis; Hog Island Beer in Orleans; and Provincetown Brewing.
Naukabout Beer Company on Lake Avenue, overlooking Mashpee-Wakeby Pond, opened in 2018 at the site of the former Flume Restaurant. Co-owner Peter Murner said it brews beers for all tastes: Cape Creamsicle Milkshake (tangerine flavored) and Pina Colada IPAs, along with Quitting Time and Y’all Open, are some of their staples. He said as a seven-barrel brewery, its batches are smaller than the bigger breweries, so they can test and brew more often.
Photo courtesy Naukabout Brewery
Co-owner Pete Murner at curbside pick-up at Naukabout Brewery in Mashpee.
“It’s a family place, so we have something for everyone from Grandpa and Grandma to the 21-year-old college kid.” He explained the name of the brewery came from cofounder Brook Conley’s father, Tim Conley, who would come home from work, change out of his “work-a-bouts,” and tell his sons to “change into their ‘nauk-a-bouts’ and go outside and have some fun.”
With 6,500 square feet of outdoor patio space, there is plenty of room for activities for all ages. Naukabout has music by local Cape groups and once a month hosts a nationally known group. The town has given it a permit to have outdoor entertainment.
During the pandemic shutdown, Naukabout has been open for curbside, pre-order pick-up. Its had an experimental series of “Virtual” beers where it gets feedback from social media and Untapp’d, a beer-rating app. Beers have included 6 Feet Away DIPA (Double IPA), Hair Cut and Hoppy Hour IPAs. After the virtual series ends, Mr. Murner said they plan on July 4th to launch brand-new flagship beers. “This is who we are.”
Bad Martha Farmer’s Brewery opened its East Falmouth brewery in 2019. Open year-round (its Edgartown site is seasonal), its 15-barrel brewing system produces top-selling Chocoberry Stout (chocolate+strawberry), 508 IPA, and Blonde Martha, with the newly released Honey Helles another customer favorite, and Summer Ale and Tattooed Lady.
To accompany its brew, it offers cheese plates, charcuterie, crudité and a number of specialty artisan pizzas. The atmosphere is family friendly, with outdoor games and live music.
Photo courtesy Naukabout Brewery
Virtual six Feet Away Double IPA, crafted by Naukabout during the pandemic.
Bad Martha offers curbside take-out for its beers and a menu that includes the option to build your own pizza. One of their specialties is the La Diabla pizza, with buffalo/blue cheese sauce, pepperoni, chicken, jalapeno, banana peppers.
Manager Joshua Flanders said they are working on a plan, once it reopens, to expand seating areas to the wildflower field that it has planted on the property “in an effort to increase capacity while social distancing measures are in place.”
Should you want a tour of the breweries on the Cape without worrying about drinking and driving, consider TapTastings.
TapTastings was launched early last year after Leslie Cozza of Mashpee and her wife Karen retired and found themselves visiting the local taprooms “more and more often.” They realized they were not ready for retirement and decided to create a company to “help folks like us enjoy the emerging craft beer scene on Cape Cod in a safe and fun way,” Ms.Cozza said.
A typical craft beer tasting tour visits Barnstable Brewing and Cape Cod Beer, and then includes a third brewery, usually Devil’s Purse, but private groups can customize their trip. “We’ve picked up folks and brought them to Naukabout and Bad Martha and then chauffeured them to dinner in Woods Hole. We are starting tours this year that will include wineries and glass-blowing experiences. On tap for inclusion will also be tours of the new Cape Cod Coffee roasting facility that’s being built on Route 130,” she said.
Photo courtesy TapTastings
Barley, Tap Tastings’ van, at Bad Martha in East Falmouth
Its van, Barley, can accommodate up to 13 guests, and it has a cooler on board for any food that guests might like to bring or craft beer that they purchase to bring home.
From her frequent visits, Ms. Cozza noted that “each of the Cape breweries do seem to have their comfort zones but they all will come out with a different style quite often for craft beer fans to taste. You’ll see Cape Cod Beer keeping a wide variety of styles on hand but their IPA, Blonde, and Red are huge staples. Devil’s Purse always gets creative with different flavor profiles, but it’s their Kölsch that you’ll see everywhere. Barnstable Brewing has a selection of different styles; a few favorites include their Jesuit Juice New England IPA (formerly the Examen series) and a year-round available pumpkin beer, the Wobbly Jack.”
As for atmosphere, Ms. Cozza said the breweries have “different spaces but all are very friendly and inviting. Bad Martha has a gorgeous facility with a post and beam designed farmhouse, a fantastic outdoor area, and a kitchen in-house. Naukabout has plenty of outdoor room to spread out and a cozy indoor bar area, often with entertainment.
Barnstable Brewing, she said, “offers a homey taproom with plenty of comfortable seating and bar space. Devil’s Purse is located in an industrial park but seriously makes the most of it. The large brewery doors open up in the summer to a picnic area and its indoor space is conducive to meeting new craft beer fanatic friends. Provincetown Brewing’s spot is within walking distance to Commercial Street and has plenty of room inside and out to grab a beer and something from their kitchen.”
Ms. Cozza added that Hog Island and Cape Cod Beer have large facilities “with huge amounts of activity and a fun atmosphere to be enjoyed by all.” And Cape Cod Beer hosts a number of fundraising events.
Because they do not have kitchens, food trucks are a common sight at many of these breweries on the weekends and during the summer.