Hello and welcome to another great edition of "Goin Through The Breweries" where we look at the places responsible for making some of the best beer in New England. Today, we are looking at a spot that I honestly don't see too much when reading up on Western Mass breweries. Kind of seems to be a hidden gem kind of places but could be wrong on that front. This is the Westfield River Brewing Company, a place that not only serves a wide variety of beers, but also has their own in-house BBQ restaurant as well. But as always before we dive in, let me give you all some background information on this brewery
Background/History: The Westfield River Brewing Company was founded in 2012 by Sergio Bonavita. Like many founders, Sergio, who had surround by liquor culture from a young age, started out as a home brewer for ten years before pursuing a dream to open up his own place. The original location was in Westfield MA but three years later, they moved ot a location that struck close to Bonavita's heart. There was a restaurant in Southwick MA called Chuck's Steak House that was a local favorite and Sergio's parents met at that place. Sadly it closed down in 2010 and Sergio, feeling compelled to keep that space going and dissatisfied with the first location, moved to where Chuck's was in 2015. Since then, the brewery has seen an increase in attendance and Sergio is happy that he can meet the people that try out his latest batches of beers, something he couldn't do in the first spot.
And now it's...
First thoughts on walk-in: To the ones that know me, I'm originally from a rural farm town so I always find a sort of comfort going into a farmhouse, no matter what is inside, whether it be a row of cows chilling out away from the sun or for a little bit of contra dancing like they do at The Red Barn in the Hampshire College campus. But this was no exception. I was with my sister for this visit and I even told her it just reminded me of home really. Also, when we first walked in, there was a nice two man band called Maxxtone Acoustic. They do mostly classic rock covers, although I do recall at the end they did a Black Keys cover as well. Otherwise, the walls were covered with license plates from numerous states. Quite enjoy how spread out everything is because there is the tap room, the outdoor patio and the beer garden, so not everything is crammed in one spot.
The Beers: As per my brewery visits I always go for the flights and this one was hard because each beer they had on the menu looked really good. Unfortunately I could only do four so here they are
Samelia- Aged sour
Head-small
Aroma: small hints of raspberries
Taste: bitter and tart, especially in the aftertaste. Perhaps sours aren't for me after all
Session IPA-IPA
Light body, gold color
Large head
Aroma-very hoppy with faint citrus
Tatse-Well into pine overdrive. Faint citrus
The White- Belgian
Pale gold color
Medium sized head
Aroma-wheaty
Taste- Almost like a Blue Moon if you threw a bunch of orange slices into it
The Dude- Coffee Stout
Dark brown in color
Small head
Aroma- roasted coffee
Taste- A balance of coffee and chocolate, aftertaste includes a hint of vanilla
The Food- I didn't order anything myself, but my sister got a couple things and she let me try it out. I'm not like my sister, so I won't go into a full on food review but I will say the mac and cheese was made in a home style fashion and was just OK. She also got their potato salad, which i thought was good but she thought it could've used some dill and other herbs.
Overall: The actual brewery itself looks like a fun place to kick back and chill out with friends on a weekend if you feel like some bbq and beer. The beer itself I found to be very hit and miss. While I'm probably not the biggest sour beer fan, those that are might enjoy it and The Dude was a great stout, but the IPA was just too hoppy and could've had more of a balance and The White seemed like it was made as a transitional beer. I wish I got to see the beer garden, but I'm guessing that it was closed at the moment since no one was going over there. But from what I've read, this place caters more to the non-beer geeks and that is something to respect. I'll give this a ***/*****
Once again I'd like to thank you all for reading and showing your support. Until next time, this is Andrew saying Cheers to you!
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