USA, MA: Granite Coast Brewing Co. to become Peabody’s first craft brewery

Lifelong friends Jeff Marquis and Rob Dunn, owners of Granite Coast Brewing Co., started brewing craft beer as a hobby. Now, they're looking to share their best recipes with the North Shore, The Salem News reported on April 8.

The Peabody City Council granted the necessary special permit on April 5 for what will be the city's first craft brewery.

Their leased space at 77B Main St., in downtown Peabody, is currently under construction, but the two are hoping to open by late August. A patio will be open seasonally. The brewery will be neighbors with the Nex Mex Thing, a Mexican restaurant, which will move up the street.

Marquis and Dunn will start serving the 20 brews they have been perfecting for the past five years and cycle in new brews over time with a rotating tap list. Their style ranges from light pilsners and wits (Belgian white style) to easy-drinking stouts and alcohol contents that could "put you to bed."

"The goal is to have something for everyone," Marquis said, "and also to have new things every time you come in."

There won't be a full kitchen in the facility, so it will be BYOF — Bring Your Own Food. People can get delivery, take in their take-out or bring a sandwich from home. There will be a food prep area, however, so from time to time they will have food trucks or caterers come in as pop-ups.

The industrial vibe will feature spiral ducts and an open cast-iron sprinkler system. "There's no funky drop ceiling," Marquis said.

Marquis and Dunn plan to hire two to four bartenders to start serving the 120 people allowed in the brewery — up to 68 inside and 42 on the patio.

Four or five fermentors will be in a back room along with other brewing equipment. Once the beverage is carbonated, it will be put into a keg and served. Dunn and Marquis expect to sell bottles, growlers and other packaging down the road.

Once open, the brewery will offer sample pours, flights and full pours, a tap room and distribution to local businesses via kegs. They have already spoken with some Peabody business owners who are interested in selling their product.

Throughout the construction phase, the pair have used Peabody businesses for their electricity, insurance and architectural work. They plan to buy as many ingredients as possible locally.

"It comes down to the community," Marquis said. "We plan on engaging as many businesses we can. We're working with Brooksby Farm to get fresh fruit from them. ... We're trying to go as local as we can."

Marquis and Dunn have been friends since they were students at Marblehead Middle School. Now in their 30s, they are turning their brewing hobby into a career.

Both still work other jobs. Dunn is a science teacher for seventh- and eighth-graders students at the Saltonstall School in Salem, and Marquis works at Beer and Wine Hobby in Woburn.

"I've learned a lot of technique and equipment profile from there," Marquis said. "I have a broad profile in my head on what things taste like. The best chefs don’t limit to two or three things, they want to work with everything and I've taken that approach working in that shop."

Growing up and working on the North Shore, the two hope to become a core part of the community through their brewery. They plan to pour at the city's International Festival in the fall.

"The community has been so open and available to us," Marquis said. "Why wouldn't we want to be involved?"

09 April, 2018