USA, MA: Lookout Farm Brewing Company coming to Natick in September

A new brewery is coming to Natick and it’s somewhere familiar for cider lovers, Wicked Local Natick reported on August 1.

Lookout Farm Brewing Company will serve its first beers at Belkin Family Lookout Farm beginning on Sept. 8. The beer will be brewed in the same space as the Lookout Farm Hard Cider Company, owner Jay Mofenson said on August 1.

“The catalyst was really because the taproom has done tremendous business. It was up 70 percent last year from the year before,” said Mofenson. “We have had a lot of requests, ‘Why not beer?’”

The move makes sense on different levels, Mofenson said. Head cider maker Aaron Mateychuk was the head brewer at the now defunct Watch City Brewing Company in Waltham for many years before becoming the cider maker at Lookout Farm when they opened in the summer of 2015.

In addition, they recently hired an assistant brewer, Will Morris, who brewed at Barleycorn’s Craft Brew in Natick, the brew-on-premise in downtown Natick.

“Beer is right in Aaron’s wheelhouse and we’re really comfortable with Will,” said Mofenson. “It is a great opportunity for people to enjoy the property and it was a natural fit to add beer to what we already do here.”

The brewery will be in the same building as the cidery, but will be in the other half of the building.

Because it is on a farm, the beers are inspired by the fruits grown on site, Mofenson said. They plan on starting with five beers, including the Natick Nectar, a Belgian-inspired witbier (wheat beer) brewed with peaches grown at Lookout Farm.

The other planned beers are the Harvest Day IPA, Barndoor Tripel, First Cut American Stout and Hayloft American Kolsch.

The beers will be sold in four packs of 16 ounce cans, available exclusively at the farm.

“We’ve decided not to distribute for several reasons,” said Mofenson. “It gives us a better opportunity to meet with the customer. And, we want to keep farming viable. This is the best way to get more people to come to the farm. It’s another way to have economic viability for the property to keep it a working farm.”

Along with helping Lookout Farm, Mofenson said they hope the brewery and cidery will help other farms. He said one percent of all retail sales of the beer and cider will be donated the Natick Organic Farm and FarmAid.

To go along with the farming aspect, Lookout Farm will plant a one-and-a-half acre hop yard and plan on growing 14 different varieties of hops, which they plan on using in their brewery, as well as sell to other local breweries.

Mofenson said the goal is to add the beer to the farm’s cider taproom. To do that, the company will have to go in front of the Board of Selectmen and ask for a change in their permit to allow them to pour beer.

Either way, the cans will be for sale on Sept. 8, Mofenson said.

The success of other MetroWest breweries helped lead to the decision to begin brewing beer, Mofenson said. There are currently breweries in Framingham, Hopkinton, Hudson, Milford and Westborough, as well as one announced for Marlborough.

“There continues to be a very high interest in beer,” said Mofenson. “It’s not just about doing beer. It’s not just about doing cider. It’s another avenue to attract people to come to the property and to visit the farm.”

03 August, 2017