Local Brews For Summer

By Noelle Annonen

A Cape Cod summer would hardly be complete without a visit to and a taste of local Cape breweries. Beach bums can enjoy a visit to the Tree House Brewing Company in historic Sandwich, and either pick up cold cans to enjoy by the beach or lean back in a chair on the brewery’s deck for a view of Cape Cod Bay. Townies might prefer Aquatic Brewing Co., situated in quaint, downtown Falmouth. And of course we cannot forget Cape Cod Beer in Hyannis.

Two particular breweries draw year-round and seasonal crowds alike with unique crafted brews and experiences to match.

Naukabout Brewing Company

Naukabout has a special meaning for general manager and co-founder of Mashpee’s Naukabout Brewing Company, Peter Murner. Decades ago, friend and co-founder Brook Conley’s father, Tim Conley, would come home from work and tell his sons to change into their nauk-a-bouts.

“Nauk-a-bout meant play clothes,” Mr. Murner said. It meant it was time to leave the work attire and mindset behind and get outside for some fun.

That exact spirit is reflected in the Naukabout Brewing Company’s atmosphere in Mashpee. The brewery, which opened in 2018, runs three separate bars across its wooded property during the summer season and hosts near-simultaneous entertainment on four different stages, from concerts to comedy shows and more. Perched on the shores of Mashpee Pond and the Mashpee River and tucked beneath the boughs of the Mashpee forest, the brewery feels like a campground, complete with picnic benches.

“You’re here to have fun and enjoy the woods side of Cape Cod,” Mr. Murner said.

Naukabout Brewing Company is part of a local history that stretches back before even the family that inspired the name. Earl Mills Sr., Chief Flying Eagle of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, owned The Flume at the same site, and cooked traditional Wampanoag food and offered specialty brews. The Flume closed around the start of the new millennium.

“It’s a really hard act to follow,” Mr. Murner said.

The Naukabout Brewery taproom was crafted, like the beers malting and mashing within, by local carpenters, furthering the forest cabin getaway feel. Anyone can find a drink they like in the taproom and Mr. Murner said even people who don’t normally like beer can find one to suit their taste at Naukabout. The brewery crafts signature brews from stouts to hazy IPAs to hard seltzers on site.

Each beer is locally sourced, with Mashpee-made ingredients and malts from just over the bridge in Wareham. Mr. Murner said each brew features natural flavors. One crowd favorite, the strawberry daiquiri hard seltzer, is made with real strawberries and the s’mores pastry stout is made with hundreds of pounds of real marshmallows. Naukabout also offers to-go cans for customers who want to bring home the flavors of Mashpee.

Beyond finding drinks that suit each customer’s taste, Mr. Murner said Naukabout Brewing Company also caters experiences for people of all ages. On its summer schedule, Naukabout advertises trivia nights every Wednesday, a stand-up comedy night in celebration of Pride Month, karaoke on Fridays and a Lady LaRoux, Tea For Two day. Year-round, the brewery hosts adult nights and offers a kid zone for parents.

“We have something for everyone,” Mr. Murner said. “Who needs a beer more than parents?”

Cape Cod’s summer season brings in crowds of tourists to try the unique, woodsy flavors and aesthetic of the Naukabout brewery. But it also enjoys a loyal, year-round Cape Cod crowd that can find shelter from any winter weather under igloo domes set up around the picnic tables.

Naukabout is not a restaurant, Mr. Murner said, but it does feature a menu of classic bar snacks, from clam “chowdah” to flatbread pizzas. Regardless of your taste in food or drink, the brewery offers a woodland getaway for your next nauk-a-bout.

Bad Martha Farmers Brewery

Even visitors who have never tasted a Bad Martha brew before have likely heard the name. The particularly popular East Falmouth joint, a second location to the original on Martha’s Vineyard, is well known to locals and seasonal tourists alike. But the tale of Bad Martha herself predates recent memory.

As legend has it, Bartholomew Gosnold was driven by “mischievous” winds to Martha’s Vineyard in 1602 and went ashore in search of ingredients for a pale ale for his crew. Finding none, he slept on the shore of the island and woke to the sight of a mermaid, who beckoned him to follow her. Bad Martha eventually led him to a field of island grapes, which became the inspirational ingredient in the first Bad Martha brew.

Today, Bad Martha’s only confirmed sighting is her replicated image on the brewery’s logo, where the sultry-eyed, blue-finned mermaid beckons to customers with crooked fingers and raised brow. While any who follow the siren’s call are unlikely to find the actual mermaid, they will almost certainly come across much friendlier creatures who populate the Bad Martha’s brewery in East Falmouth, which opened its doors in 2019. Poppy and Bailey are canine customer service agents, owned by the management staff. Customers are welcomed by wagging tails and the sight of silver tanks looming behind the wood bar, where the fermentation and brewing process for Bad Martha’s specialty brews begins.

Bartholomew Gosnold was a real English explorer and colonizer. But while the facts of the legend of his fateful meeting with Bad Martha herself cannot be confirmed by this magazine, the flavor of the line of crafted brews can be confirmed by the bartenders of Bad Martha’s. General manager Joshua Flanders said each bartender is familiar with the unique brews Bad Martha’s crafts, and can guide customers to a flavor of their personal taste, from traditional IPAs and pilsners to a lavender brew—made with real lavender from a local farm—to the Shark’s Bite, made with jalapenos and cucumbers.

Bad Martha’s also offers live music, trivia nights, bingo and Pride celebrations. Anyone can sit at the bar and talk with the bartenders about the Bad Martha beer flavors. The Falmouth location also features a cozy couch and seating in the lofted nook above the bar as well as outdoor seating. People of all ages can pull up a rocking chair beside a fire and enjoy one of the board games laid out for customers while they wait for their drinks and food on a bustling weekend night. The brewery’s casual atmosphere lends itself to visiting dogs and young families and even offers apple juice and chocolate milk for the youngest customers who come with their parents.

The Bad Martha’s brewery in East Falmouth is large enough to supply the sister location on Martha’s Vineyard with kegs of craft beers, but the island continues to supply the legendary grapes for the beer. According to the legend, Bartholomew Gosnold saw the grapes and knew they would make a good wine, but like “a good Englishman” used them for beer instead. That spirit persists to this day. Mr. Flanders said beers and seltzers are Bad Martha’s specialty and the company has not branched out to wines or ciders so it can stay true to that legacy. For that reason, Bad Martha’s offers a limited menu of pizzas and charcuterie boards to keep the focus on the brewed selection.

“We are staying true to what we want to be,” Mr. Flanders said. “You don’t want to lose your identity.”