A Brew-tiful Day in the Neighborhood

Winter Hill Brewing

Winter Hill BrewingSomething’s brewing on Winter Hill. Somerville’s latest addition to the craft beer scene, Winter Hill Brewing Company, caters to early risers and night-lovers alike with their coffeehouse-cum-taproom. Perched on bustling Broadway, the April addition to the area provides the surrounding community with a place to gather for espresso pulls and IPA pours, depending on the hour. Co-owners Jeff Rowe and Bert Holdredge had their eye on the growing neighborhood, which was ripe for both a café and a brewery—so why not both? David Bailey, also of Winter Hill Brewing, calls the space “very much a community concept,” and the team continues to percolate ways to integrate their neighbors while churning out AM-to-PM sips.

Winter Hill BrewingBy day, Winter Hill Brewing specializes in pour-overs rather than pints, serving up Counter Culture Coffee to the morning crowd. The coffee bar is open weekdays from 7:00am-1:00pm (and weekends 8:00am-noon) and transforms to a bar bar after an afternoon hiatus. When the doors open again in the late afternoon (4:00pm weekdays and 12:00pm on weekends), the focus is decidedly more sudsy instead with five taps and a full-service kitchen. Head brewer Rowe, formerly of Cape Cod Beer, has plans for three of the beers to rotate seasonally while the House Ale and the Darlin’s IPA can be enjoyed year-round. The brews are all “made in house, for the house” (meaning, no distribution plans, as of yet) designed to complement the kitchen’s dishes and vice versa. The food menu includes small plates like beer-battered fried pickles and Brussels sprouts, salads, and sandwiches like pork banh mi and the roasted chickpea gyro, making the taproom all the more welcoming for the evening hours.

winter hill brewing patioThe team makes the most of their space what with the kitchen, brewing tanks and day-to-night bar. The build-out was an all-hands-on-deck labor of love to create a unique space out of restored barn wood and other sourced materials. A patio adds to the neighborhood-hangout ambience, perfect for community gatherings like Somerville’s Porchfest (which Rowe most recently took part in). That type of neighborly engagement is the bread-and-butter—or beans-and-brews—of Winter Hill Brewing, which aims to support the area by partnering with fellow small businesses (look for Union Square Donuts on Sundays).

Whether it’s caffeine or an ice-cold Kolsch you’re after, the café-brewery hybrid offers a spot to settle in amongst friends. Swing by for coffee and come back for beer as the team continues to build their relationships and brew repertoire—including some fresh seasonals for summer in Somerville.

 

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