Being a blogger who loves discovering small and local
business, I’m always on the hunt to find places I’ve never heard of, try new
foods, new drinks and explore places in general.
A few months ago, I did just that, as I was visiting a
friend who recently moved to Concord, about 30 minutes west of Boston. On our
way to finding a place to grab a bite to eat in a new town, we stumbled up a
small house restored into a restaurant named Rapscallion Table & Tap. We
decided to try it out and we were pleasantly surprised. I found out that Rapscallion has a brewery in
Sturbridge and once the weather got warmer, it was a destination on my list to
try.
Recently, on a beautiful Sunday day, we decided to make a
day of trying everything Rapscallion had to offer. We traveled down to Sturbridge in search of
Rapscallion Brewery and found it on Hyland Orchard along with disc golf,
outdoor venue for those warm summer nights and even a barn with (my personal
favorite) alpaca!
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| Rapscallion Brewery |
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| Hyland Orchard Farm and alpaca! |
We met with the co-owner Cedric who showed us around the
small, yet charming brewery and learned about the history of the barn, now brew
and tap room, how they brew their beer, the fermentation process that varies by
beer type and how they lock, stock and (literally) barrel their beers.
The
brewery produces about 40 kegs at a time, keeping their beer fresh and keeping flavors
and selection small.
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| Brew Station |
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| Fermentation Process |
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| Bubbles and CO2 |
After our tour, we decided to walk around and find what
other gems Rapscallion Brewery had to offer. In addition to an open bar and lounge
area that offers live music, we also found a great venue outside perfect for
that relaxing summer evening or for that wedding in late August. And if beer isn't quite your thing, they also offer local wine and hard cider. Oh, did I mention that Rapscallion is also
family friendly?! There’s also a farm with a petting area an apple orchard
trail and hayride (seasonal) and a soon to be redesigned disc golf.
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Did I mention the Mug Club?!
(photo courtesy of Rapscallion Brewery) |
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| Great area for a good food (bring your own), good beer and good friends |
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| Choose your brew |
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| The tables were made from trees destroyed by the Springfield tornados |
We could’ve spent the whole day at the brewery and farm
alone, but we were getting hungry and reservations at Rapscallion Table and Tap
awaited us. When we got to the restaurant, we met with Peter, co-owner and twin
brother of Cedric. He gave us an introduction of the restaurant, how they
partner with local businesses to creating their menu using fresh and local
products. It was a tough decision but I decided on the lobster grilled cheese-
lumps of lobster smothered between layers of cheese with lobster bisque for
dipping. My friend decided on the grass fed beef cheeseburger with house cut
fries. Both were flavorful and quite filling, I’m really not sure how we had
space for some dessert but we managed!
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| Lobster Grilled Cheese and Lobster Bisque |
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| Locally owned and grass fed beef cheeseburger |
Like the brewery, Rapscallion Table and Tap also had an
outdoor area with live music playing, where we stayed for one more beer and
relaxed while listening to the music play in the background.
We had such a good time going to both the brewery and
restaurant and can’t wait to return again. It’s about an hour between the brewery
and restaurant so this really makes it a great day trip to try this summer.
What’s your favorite
local brewery to visit in the summer?
Note: I was given a few types of beer and food provided free of charge. All opinions, whether you like them or not, are all my own.
