Two of Franklin County’s microbreweries have something to celebrate this weekend, with Stoneman Brewery in Colrain marking one decade in business and Honest Weight Artisan Beer in Orange holding a party for its seventh anniversary.
Justin Korby, owner and sole employee of Stoneman Brewery, claims he takes the prize for owning the smallest brewery in the Northeast and the largest brewery in Colrain, measuring at 360 square feet.
“Being so small I maximize the space,” said Korby, who packs the shed in his backyard at 20 Stetson Brothers Road with brewing equipment.
Stoneman Brewery will celebrate its one-decade anniversary this weekend. The business launched during Crafts of Colrain in 2012, and will have a spot on the event’s studio tour map 10 years later. Stoneman Brewery will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and will sell a new beer called Decade Double Bock, made with 100% Northeast hops and grain.
The brewery is also special for the community supported agriculture (CSA) model it employs, similar to that used by farms, whereby customers regularly pick up an allotment of beer. The business is typically open on the first weekend of each month.
When Stoneman Brewery — named after Korby’s former profession as a stone mason — first opened, Korby was inspired by the movement to use local ingredients. Today, Korby still makes beer from 100% New England ingredients.
In 2019, Korby had made plans to vastly expand his business. He had expected to move to a new location with a new business model, involving a taproom and brewery at the Warfield House Inn in Charlemont and a seasonal beer garden. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans indefinitely.
“Now I’m starting back from square one,” he said, noting he obtained loans through community lending programs.
Korby has about 50 CSA members, and hopes to grow that list to 100 for next year’s batch. He likes the CSA model because it allows him to craft a variety of beers (eight per month), while customers like it because they can try beers they are not familiar with.
Honest Weight
Co-owners Sean Nolan and Jay Sullivan opened their brewery in the Orange Innovation Center seven years ago.
“It has been a tough couple of years,” Nolan noted.
The brewery was popular and growing in 2019, but business suffered when the pandemic struck. They were able to make it through a difficult year, but after Honest Weight reopened, Sullivan was diagnosed with cancer.
Sullivan spent the next six months in chemotherapy, needing to take much time off from the brewing operation. His cancer is now in remission, making Saturday’s party, to be held from noon to 9 p.m., more than just an anniversary celebration.
AREA5, a Greenfield-based food cart, will serve creative comfort food starting at 2 p.m. There will also be two local bands performing. The Jenny Burtis Band (Americana) will go on at 3:30 p.m. and Ray and the Lovers (neo soul) will play starting at 7 p.m.
The anniversary is also special because this year marks Nolan and Sullivan almost completely paying off their loans from starting the brewery. They only have a small loan left from the Franklin County Community Development Corporation.
Nolan explained this is a great time to be free of loans, because business has not picked up since the tasting room reopened after the pandemic-induced closure. He noted the culture has shifted.
“People don’t go for a beer with their friends anymore,” he said, adding that many of Honest Weight’s regulars are among an older population and are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19. Tasting room traffic is about half of what it was previously.
“We are still keeping the place sustainable,” he said.
The brewers are trying to keep up with the changing atmosphere of business by keeping their product simple.
“We are not trying to sell a lifestyle — we are selling beer made with love,” Nolan said.
The name of the brewery references this idea. “Honest Weight” refers to the authenticity of their products. Nolan said many breweries their size contract out their recipes to larger facilities, but at Honest Weight, they ensure “every drop of beer is done by us.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.