Update: Not long after publishing, I heard from Nicholas (Nik) Walther and learned more about the vision for the brewery.
"We're not planning on focusing on one particular style of beer, at least not yet," he said. "All of our initial offerings are craft takes on classic styles, echoing the types of beer that would have been made in JP 100 years ago when there were at least 28 breweries in JP alone." Forthcoming styles include a golden ale, an American Bitter, a Robust Porter, and a 5.5 percent IPA.
"We plan on making several different styles of IPA in the future," Walther added. "Not only is the newly christened 'New England Style' IPA a great beer, its also what people want to drink."
Turtle Swamp Brewing will have a taproom, though whether it's ready by the time of the opening depends largely on how construction goes in the meantime.
I asked Walther about taking up residence in the neighborhood that Sam Built, and whether he saw that as a hindrance, a help or something in between.
"Sam Adams has been a great neighbor, offering moral support and some initial information on contacting utilities and the City." he said. "Setting up shop to them is not going to be a big issue for us, we feel. They already bring so many people to their brewery here, we will benefit strongly from those people already coming to JP. I think we can also be a benefit (albeit a small one) to them; like the (also newly christened) Fermentation District in Everett, we feel that two breweries in an area brings more business to both."
It turns out the biggest issue so far hasn't been the City of Boston – "They've been fantastically helpful," Walther said – but Boston itself.
"Finding the space was a sheer stroke of luck, but even so, we understand why so few breweries open here. You pay a massive premium on rent vs. opening a place in the suburbs," Walther added.
Earlier: Another Harpoon Brewing alumni is set to open a Massachusetts brewery, and the location is a bit of a head-turner.
According to their Instagram page, and first spotted by Eater, Turtle Swamp Brewing is planning to set up shop in Jamaica Plain this spring. "The first new brewery in a generation in Jamaica Plain," it touts, referring, of course, to Samuel Adams, which has operated at 30 Germania St. since 1988.
Nicholas Walther, a former brewer at Harpoon, will be the head brewer at Turtle Swamp. He's been documenting the brewery's progress, slated for 3377 Washington St., via Instagram. (I've reached out to Walther for details and will update this piece as I hear more.)
Walther joins the ranks of a host of former Harpoon employees who have gone on to make a mark in the local craft beer scene, including Russell Heissner, a former Harpoon brewer and now the brewer/founder of Weymouth's Barrel House Z; Jeff Rowe, the founder and head brewer at Winter Hill Brewing Company; and Matt DeLuca, who worked at Harpoon from 2006 to 2015 before moving on to found Castle Island Brewing Company.
The cold room for kegs, literally rising from the dust.
A photo posted by Turtle Swamp Brewing (@turtleswampbrewing) on Jan 26, 2017 at 1:46pm PST
Image source.
