Abandoned Building Brewery Turns 10

Starting in March of 2013, Matt Tarlecki began transforming a 2,700 square foot space in the old mill building at 142 Pleasant Street, aptly named “The Brickyard”. The previous tenant was a plastic bag manufacturer who vacated the space and left it in shambles. Giant rolls of plastic, large pieces of equipment, and tons of odds-and-ends were stacked head-high throughout the space. Once the space was emptied of its contents, he transformed it into his vision of the brewery that stands today.

The majority of the brewery was designed, constructed, and finished entirely by Matt which included painting the 16 foot tall walls and ceiling, assembling the walk-in cooler, refinishing the original hard wood floors, and installing the 15 barrel brewhouse with two 30 barrel fermenters and one 30 barrel bright tank. He performed limited renovations in order to maintain the ambiance of the original mill building. He successfully navigated the permitting side of brewing and was granted a Federal Brewer’s Notice in October of 2013, only after enduring the federal government shutdown in October. The State level Farmer-Brewery License was awarded at the end of November that same year.