Brewery ready for year two

Published 9:52 pm Thursday, March 21, 2019

Brick and Mortar Brewing Company celebrated its one-year anniversary in St. Patrick’s Day-style last weekend. Friends and families gathered inside with their green-dyed beer or sat at outdoor tables to enjoy their cold beer in the warm sunshine.

The Roebuck band strummed guitar and upright bass as customers played cornhole and enjoyed the Bite of Maine food truck last Saturday afternoon, and there was plenty more live music and food to go around on top of that last weekend.

Suffolk’s first brewing company has been drawing crowds since its opening weekend and has been making regulars out of locals every weekend since. Suffolk resident Robert Kennedy said the place’s “good vibe” is bring more activity downtown.

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“Anything that draws business to historic downtown is a great idea,” Kennedy said as he enjoyed the Peanut City Porter.

The brewery is located in a 4,700-square-foot building that dates back to 1915, according to brickandmortarbrews.com. Inside is a 10-barrel brewhouse with 40 barrels of fermentable space and a 3,000-square-foot tasting room.

The selection features porters, IPAs, espresso stouts, brown and blonde ales and other new flavors that are added to meet customers’ specific tastes. Staff have listened to their customers over the past year and adjusted accordingly, part-owner David Stacknick said.

Stacknick said the goal is to keep ahead of the changes in both tastes and seasons. That’s lighter beers for the summer, heavier beers in the winter and providing even more for locals so they don’t have to head outside the city for a great experience.

Part of that experience is the friendly atmosphere of the brewery itself. Part of it is being a dog-friendly space that allows owners to relax with their friends and family inside with their pets.

It’s also about embracing the local flavors of their “brick and mortar” counterparts nearby, like El Korita, Ryan’s Steaks and Cakes and the General Public. In addition to regular stops by popular food trucks on the weekends, customers enjoy their restaurant to-go orders at the comfort of their tables inside the brewery.

The space is also set to expand this spring with a new, 750-square-foot deck with an outdoor bar in the partial lot behind the brewery. This will increase both seating and production at the brewery when it’s finished by May 11, the day of the brewery’s crawfish boil, Stacknick said.

He said that Brick and Mortar Brewing Company is ready to embrace Suffolk’s changing tastes for another whole year.

“We’re learning more about Suffolk’s tastes — how it’s evolving and changing — and we’ve got to grow along with it,” he said.

Brick and Mortar Brewing Company is located at 212 E. Washington St. Hours of operation are 5 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The brewery is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Call 533-1173 or visit either brickandmortarbrews.com or the “Brick & Mortar Brewing Company” Facebook page for more information.