thePULSERachel Shuster
Located at 72 Shrewsbury St. in Worcester, Wormtown Brewery has recently opened a new taproom for the Worcester community to enjoy their delicious beers.
“We opened March 17,” Katrina Shabo, Director of Marketing says. “We opened our first taproom on Shrewsbury Street on March 17, 2015. Coming from our original brewery space on Park Ave of less than 1000 sq ft., we thought it was HUGE! But when the brewing industry exploded, we began to feel like our taproom couldn’t contend or seat enough of our patrons comfortably, so we were trying to figure out how to improve our space. When Simjang closed its doors, it was definitely a sad occurrence, but it also opened up the opportunity for us to take over that space and build a taproom we were proud of… which we really are!”
Shabo has worked in the brewing industry for the last eight to nine years in an array of positions, and for the last five years specifically with Wormtown Brewery. “I was born and raised in the city of Worcester and although I have spent a good chunk of my adult life living away from the Worcester area, I love that my passion and career has brought me back home to work for a company that fully embraces where it’s from and its roots,” she says.
The beer selection ranges quite a bit at the taproom. “We are widely known for our flagship Be Hoppy IPA but we are certainly not a one-trick pony,” Shabo says. “We are constantly brewing different styles and recipes for our taprooms including unique lagers, Dark styles such as porters and stouts, sours, New England IPAs, and now even including a line of gluten-free craft hard seltzers!”
The taproom isn’t only slinging drinks. They’ve got food options too! “We are currently inviting different restaurants from all over the city of Worcester to host pop-ups in our kitchen usually from Thursday – Saturday,” Shabo says. “It is an exciting way for our city’s restaurants to showcase a menu that isn’t already established in their current space and get consumers excited to try something different in our taproom each weekend. We are also now hosting Sunday brunch that has seen guest stars such as Miss Worcester and Peppercorn’s to date.”
When the taproom is not hosting a pop-up restaurant, guests are able to order an array of small plates and snacks from their own menu, they can order directly from Volturno from their seats and have it delivered, or patrons can BYOF!
As for pricing, they range but are pretty moderate. “Most pints are around $6-7 and you can get a small 6oz pour of any beer on tap for around $3-4,” Shabo says. “Food prices are created by our pop-up businesses except for our own small plates which are pretty affordable.”
The taproom has plans to hold events and gatherings, but are being thoughtful and intentional as things open up with COVID. “We are carefully navigating COVID and the safety of our consumers,” Shabo says. “Therefore, although we haven’t started marketing that we are booking private parties, our customers are welcomed to call us and inquire about availability and offerings for any future events.”
While there are many places to get a beer, some food and gather with friends in the city, the Wormtown Brewery taproom is special. “We are Worcester’s first brewery after prohibition and are centrally located for all to enjoy,” Shabo says. “Working with an ownership group that is predominantly from the Worcester area, you feel the love and attention for our city every day. A huge part of Wormtown’s core DNA is giving back to our community and we work with many local charities to raise money, give back and keep people smiling. This includes being the home base for the Black Ale Project. We choose a different local charity each month and also a different beer and donate $1 per pint sold of that beer for the chosen charity. You can find out more at Blackaleproject.com.”
For more information on the taproom, visit Wormtown brewery.com, call 774-239-1555 or find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @wormtownbrewery
