GREENFIELD — Four Phantoms Brewing Co. is opening its new Wells Street tavern to the public this weekend, offering a wide variety of beers brewed with ingredients that embody the characteristics of the changing seasons.
A soft opening was held Thursday and Friday evenings for invited guests. Starting Saturday, the brewery at 301 Wells St. is open for regular hours: Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 2 to 8 p.m.
The renovated space features fresh white walls decorated with houseplants hanging overhead. A wide, stained wooden bar, and tables lining the back wall with a corner nook, create a comforting space.
“We wanted the tavern to be a comfortable place to come and have some pints with the community,” said co-owner and brewmaster Drew Phillips. “We want it to feel like the neighborhood’s living room.”
Phillips co-owns Four Phantoms Brewing Co. with his wife, Jennifer Hall. To focus on the brewery full-time, Phillips left his job at Artifact Cider Project, where had been working since March 2019. He started brewing full batches of beer with their equipment at the Wells Street property about a month and a half ago to get ready for the grand opening.
Around the corner from the main tavern room is some more space with a view of the equipment room where Phillips gets to work. His brewmaster’s journey began in 2012 when he worked as a front of house manager at a brewpub in Portland, Ore.
“On my days off I would shadow the brewers there,” he said. “I love that it’s a trade. You’re always growing, always learning and getting better.”
Along with the growth of skill is the exploration of new flavors and styles. Beer, he said, is “transitory in nature” and ever-changing, like the seasons. The name Four Phantoms is a nod to a year’s four seasons and the distinctive characteristics they offer.
“Beer is such a part of the seasonal experience,” Phillips said when he bought the Wells Street property in January. “We brew our beers to be nice companions to what’s going on with the weather.”
The location is the former home of Lefty’s Brewing Co., which closed in April 2019 after nine years in business as the owners cited family health and a desire to move onto a new chapter in their lives. Before moving Four Phantoms to Wells Street, Phillips and Hall ran the business out of their home office and rented time and space to brew their beer at Brewmasters Brewing Services in Williamsburg.
They brought on a friend, Ryan Cadrette, as the director of taproom operations to help manage the new tavern. Cadrette said he has worked for years as a bartender at various local restaurants and bars, including the Five Eyed Fox in Turners Falls. He met Phillips through mutual friends who held a game night together.
“In addition to being a great brewmaster, Drew’s also a great dungeon master,” Cadrette noted, referencing their mutual interest in Dungeons & Dragons.
A box on the bar holds a gaming dice that references this origin — and is for indecisive customers who are willing to let fate pick their pint. The current menu features: hops-based beers like the “Witchcult IPA” with a juicy and resinous profile; sour beers like the “Purple Potion” with boysenberry and lavender sour (contains lactose); light beers like the “Battle Standard,” a new world lager with Ekuanot and Amarillo hops; dark beers like the “Cork by Candlelight,” a creamy Irish stout with Graves Glen Farm maple syrup; and many more.
In addition to onsite service, the tavern offers the ability to purchase various four-packs of canned pints and merchandise such as T-shirts, koozies and glasses.
Four Phantoms Brewery Co. also offers a taproom membership, which Phillips said started as a way for community members to invest in them before the taproom was open to the public. A member receives discounts on merchandise, access to exclusive beer releases, the ability to rent the space for private events and more.
For more information, visit fourphantoms.net.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.