Day Adventure with Rapscallion Brewery and Rapscallion Table & Tap

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!

Rapscallion Brewery

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.

Brew Station 

Fermentation Process

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.

Did I mention the Mug Club?!
(photo courtesy of Rapscallion Brewery)

Great area for a good food (bring your own), good beer and good friends

Choose your brew

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!

Lobster Grilled Cheese and Lobster Bisque

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.