USA, MA: Notch Brewing making its Boston debut on July 9

A beloved North Shore brewery is making its Boston debut today, July 9. Salem’s Notch Brewing will open at 4 p.m. at the Charles River Speedway on Western Avenue in Brighton, and it will do so with bountiful kegs full of pale lager, dark lager, pale ale, and more.

Notch becomes the first tenant to open at the new development, which will eventually feature a sake bar, a South American wine bar and grocery store, an ice cream shop, a hummus-centric restaurant, an open-air courtyard, retail space, office space, and much more. The Speedway isn’t explicitly a food hall, but it’s not a food hall either, and it debuts at a time when Boston’s drinking and dining scene is emerging from the pandemic.

For its part, Notch will feature an airy, spacious taproom with 10 to 14 session beers (Notch is known for its session beers) on tap at any given time, as well as a massive year-round beer garden (2,000 square feet) with picnic tables and space for 200. Which is to say, there will be plenty of space to gather, but also plenty of space to distance, too.

Notch will also offer cans to go, and outside food is allowed. (There’ll be plenty from which to choose once more vendors open, and Notch will also host food trucks; watch Instagram for updates.) Kids are allowed except after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Per the city of Boston, though, dogs are not allowed (except service dogs).

The city of Boston designated the Speedway building as a historical landmark in 2013. Before then, it was many things, including the headquarters of the Charles River Reservation, as well as a racetrack. A such, the grounds used to contain horse stables. The Notch space occupies a 3,766-square-foot former horse stable.

Notch opened its first brewery in Salem in 2010 and has been operating a taproom there since 2016.

09 July, 2021