USA, MA: Brewery Silvaticus to open in Amesbury this summer

When Mark Zappasodi moved his garden from a 49-by-100-square-foot plot in Queens. N.Y., to a 43-acre spread in Merrimac five years ago, he knew life would be different, The Daily News of Newburyport reported.

"I was the one who did most of the arm twisting," Zappasodi said about the move to Tamarack Farmstead, in his wife Caroline's native Merrimac. "I'm born and bred in New York so I was leaving it for the first time and that was exciting. For her, it was coming home. It was a little bit of a different sale for her."

Lucky for local beer drinkers, Zappasodi not only made the sale with his wife but he has taken full advantage of his time on the farm to create Brewery Silvaticus, which he said should open in the heart of Amesbury's Lower Millyard this summer.

"This is a beer town without a brewery," Zappasodi said. "If you have a good local brewery, that sparks all of the other businesses in the area. It will create other breweries coming in, it will create more commerce, more restaurants, more nightlife and more foot traffic."

With a half-acre hop lot back on his farm, Zappasodi partnered with 49th State Brewing Co. brewmaster Jason Bullen to plan for their new brewery and taproom in the old boiler room space at 9 Water St.

"This used to be the boiler room that powered the whole Lower Millyard at one time and there is no learning curve here. We are coming out of the gate swinging," Zappasodi said. "This will not be an OK beer that eventually gets good. This will be good from the beginning."

Currently in the process of obtaining their pouring permit from the city and the state, Brewery Silvaticus would become the only farmer brewery permitted to serve its product in the Amesbury taproom. Zappasodi said he plans to become involved in "just about everything in Amesbury."

"We are right on that vacationland highway," Zappasodi said. "People speed right past Amesbury. I am trying to make that not happen. I am trying to make people stop, pause and give Amesbury a look."

Breweries, as far as Zappasodi sees things, are community touchstones.

"We recognize we are going to be anchors for what is going to happen in Amesbury over the next number of years," he said. "If this is my town and I am brewing beer here, I don't want Budweiser sponsoring anything."

Zappasodi said he hopes to open Brewery Silvaticus by the Amesbury Days June 22 kickoff date.

"We're shooting for Amesbury Days," Zappasodi said. "We realize the importance of it. We think it is important for the community and us, business-wise."

Zappasodi and Bullen count themselves as European beer enthusiasts, with Zappasodi citing Belgian beers as his passion and Bullen pointing to German lagers.

"We both have this great love affair with European drinking culture," Zappasodi said. "Communal tables, no TVs in your bar and the facilitation of conversation. Drinking beer is lingering long and that is sort of where we come from."

Promising "European-style beers with a distinct Americana twist," Zappasodi added that he expects to offer plenty of smoke beers and to always keep a lager on tap.

"We going to present beers the way we like to drink them," Zappasodi said. "That is the brilliant part of being a brewer. I am in the position of being able to tell you what to drink."

25 April, 2017