E-Malt.com News article: USA, MA: Weymouth first brewery Barrel House Z closes its doors

Weymouth’s first brewery has closed its doors, the Patriot Ledger reported on February 12.

Barrel House Z shuttered Feb. 7 after nine years in business. A post on the business’s Facebook page that announced the closure cited changing drinking habits and unsuccessful attempts to pivot and attract more customers.

The brewery was started by Russ Heissner, the first-ever brewer for Harpoon Brewery. In 1986, Heissner moved from California to Boston after having graduated from UC-Davis with a focus in brewing science. He’s credited with creating the recipe for Harpoon Ale and worked there until 1992.

Barrel House Z, which was in a 9,600-square-foot space located at 95 Woodrock Road, specialized in small-batch beers aged in liquor barrels.

“In summary, we struggled mightily in the face of a shrinking market, rising costs to operate, and a substantial debt service that was taken on in the aftermath of Covid,” Heissner wrote in the Facebook post.

Heissner added that he knew the brewer was “in for an uphill battle” in 2023, noticing a declined demand for craft beer and fewer people going out to eat and drink.

The brewery tried adding food, entertainment and events “in the direction of an ‘experience’ business,” but the post said that move positioned the brewery in competition with other breweries and hospitality providers. In March, the brewery had partnered with John Brennan, who owned the Bone and Bread food truck, to bring in new menu items for patrons.

“I will forever cherish the Barrel House Z community and the craft beer industry in general,” Heissner wrote. “It has been a crazy ride since 1986. It’s time to take another path.”

Barrel House Z was approved to open in Weymouth in the summer of 2016. Breweries opened at rapid rates following the passage of the state Farmers’ Brewers Pouring Permit law in 2013, which allowed brewers to open taprooms.

The name Barrel House Z was inspired by algebraic language and came from a desire to express "some aspect of variability and experimentation," Heissner told The Patriot Ledger in 2024. Originally, the name was going to be "Barrel House X," but Heissner's wife Mary said the "X" variable was overdone.

When the name of the brewery was public, military friends informed him that in their world, "BZ" stood for "Bravo Zulu," or "well done."

Another brewery in Weymouth had a similar fate just two years ago. Article Fifteen Brewing, which first opened in Weymouth and had a second location in Rockland, closed in January 2024 after four years.

Vitamin Sea Brewing tapped into the South Shore's booming beer scene back in 2018 and now serves stouts, IPAs and sours in a series of colorful cans in a Weymouth industrial space at 30 Moore Road, next door to Barrel House Z.

Vitamin Sea opened a second location on Plymouth's waterfront at 98 Water St. that includes a kitchen, a growing trend among some of the taprooms on this list as they expand.


13 February, 2026