Our last trip brought us to the bowels of Everett MA, visiting the creative
suds from Night Shift Brewing, and the Belgian-inspired offerings from Idle
Hands Craft Ales. If you’re apprehensive to visit that creepy area, there’s now
another reason to go. Just 5 minutes away, in Chelsea, Mystic Brewing opened
their doors to the public this past winter. Suddenly, within a 5 mile radius,
you now have a mini beer tour at your fingertips.
Despite only recently opening their brewery’s doors to the public, Mystic has
been selling beer close to two years now. Well, “brewery” isn’t the best word.
Because there isn’t one on site. What they have is best referred to as a
fermentorium. They brew wort (the first stage of brewing) offsite at another
location, then truck it back to their abode in Chelsea to ferment, blend, and
so on.
Centuries ago, brewers fermented beer by letting liquid from strained
grains sit in barrels and open vats because there was a “mystical” ingredient,
invisible to the naked eye, which magically brought the liquid to life. Commonly
known today as yeast, it is this mystical ingredient – not the nearby river –
that drives the meaning behind Mystic Brewery’s name. And yeast is also what
makes the brewers at Mystic giddy.
You see, owners Bryan Greenhagen and his wife, Emily are both MIT-trained fermentation
scientists. Isolating, cultivating, propagating, and otherwise toying with yeast
strains is their passion. They’ll isolate a yeast strain from local plums, cranberries,
blueberries from Maine, or from the surrounding air and land.
How’s it working for them? After tasting our fair share of their
concoctions at the brewery, I’d say swimmingly. And “swimming” is also the
appropriate word to describe how we felt as we left the brewery. The samples
they provide are some of the most generous we’ve come across. Many seem well
over the usual two ounces. And at our time of visit, they had approximately
nine beers for sampling, most of which hover at or above 7% ABV. Be sure you
have some food in your belly before you go. We didn’t, and it made the
situation a bit funny.
As for the beers, Mysitc primarily makes saisons. And you’ll notice an
assuring level of consistency across all of them. At the time of our visit,
four out of the nine beers were saisons. A fifth saison was listed but had
recently run dry. Two of the nine beers are “brewery-only” and not sold in
stores. Those two available to us were both low-ABV session beers; one a
“table” saison, and the other a “half IPA”. Both competed for top highlights of
our visit.
The other beers consisted of “Three Cranes”, a cranberry saison; “An
Dreoilin”, a winter saison; “Vinland One”, a tart wild ale using native yeast;
“Saison Renaud”, their flagship pilsner-based saison; “Descendant”, a
Belgian-style porter with molasses; “Lord Falconer”, an oatmeal stout; and “Day
of Doom,” a 12% Belgian quad.
The only misstep for my tastes was Day of Doom, as it lacked the necessary complexity expected in authentic Belgian quads. However, given that only one of the nine beers disappointed me is a testament to the consistent quality Mystic offers.
A tasting flight here is free. But, on Saturday at 1:00pm, pay just $6 and
get: 1) a beautiful Mystic-branded goblet to take home, 2) a tour of the
facility 3) a guided tour of the beers on tap and, 4) a contribution to local
charities.
Mystic’s tasting room is one of the coolest tasting rooms around. It’s large
and simple, but with a beautiful rustic look. Many elements are made of repurposed
wood from a nearby scrap yard. The old world abbey-like wall tapestries, and the
doors that look as if they came off the set of Lord of the Rings all add to the
room’s coolness factor. Top it off with ample parking right on site and a vibe
that practically invites you to hang out. Mystic Brewery is a must visit. Mystic Brewery
174 Williams St.
Chelsea, Massachusetts, 02150
phone: (617) 800-9023
Chelsea, Massachusetts, 02150
phone: (617) 800-9023
Tasting Room hours with free tasting flights:
Thursday 3:00 - 7:00 PM
Fridays 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturdays 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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