MassDevelopment

Crafting a legacy at new Mashpee brewery


March 30, 2018 : Cape Cod Times


MASHPEE — Tim Conley has a story he likes to tell.

Back in the day, he used to get home from work, change out of his work shoes and tell his children to “change into your nauk-a-bouts so we can go out and have some fun.”

Thirty years later, that story has become the inspiration behind Cape Cod’s newest craft brewery.

Naukabout Brewery officially opened this week, holding its grand opening ceremony on Thursday after nearly two years of planning. The brewery, located at 13 Lake Ave. in Mashpee at the former site of The Flume restaurant, is the latest addition to a growing craft beer scene on the Cape, becoming the region’s fifth brewery and the fourth to open in the past three years.

“It seems to be exploding everywhere,” said Brook Conley, a co-founder whose father’s story inspired the name.

The brewery’s roots trace back to its original conception as a music festival in 2008. Conley said he and his friends started the music festival as a way to represent the time you have to yourself after a hard day’s work, but once they saw how successful the beer vendors were servicing their festival, they decided to transition to the brewing business, making the switch in 2012.

After four years of brewing out of other locations, the brewery’s founders — who also include Mark Germani, Greg Sellers, Russ Gentile and CEO Peter Murner — decided to open their own facility. They purchased the former Flume property in 2016 and originally hoped to open last summer, but plans were delayed by permitting issues and other setbacks with the renovations of the property.

“Peter has gone through a lot of hoops to get it open,” said Mashpee Assistant Town Manager Wayne Taylor. “It’s a new business and to see what he had to do to get his outdoor seating, the brewing permit and all that, he hung in there and the town worked with him to make it possible. It was a great cooperation between the town and the owner.”

The company got a boost last fall when it was awarded $350,000 in financing from MassDevelopment through its equipment loan and export guarantee programs. That allowed Naukabout to purchase and install new brewing equipment, which enabled the company to begin production of its eight initial beers. Brook Conley said they have plans to produce eight additional styles, bringing their total to 16 in the near future.

The brewery and its selection have been well received. Patrons and employees said there was a line out the door for much of Thursday’s opening, and on Friday the brewery was bustling even early in the afternoon.

“This is delicious,” said David Boardman, a Sandwich resident who was sampling the brewery’s Quittin’ Time New England IPA shortly after opening on Friday afternoon. “A good craft beer should have three or four different flavors going at all time, and that one does, no doubt about that.”

The grand opening celebration is scheduled to continue through today, when the brewery will be open 2-9 p.m.