Tap Handle #688: Down The Road Beer Company

April 08, 2018

Tap Handle #688: Down The Road Beer Company

Tap size: 10.75"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

I really love the whimsical design of this tap. It reminds me a lot of the Parallel 49 taps, as well as the Mellow Mushroom Bogart tap and some of the North Country taps. A couple of fantasy-inspired characters, one of which is almost certainly a Pukwudgie (the middle character), and also a blond girl, can be found amidst the pile of hops that stretch from top to bottom. At the top is the name of the brewery, and at the bottom, on top of a mushroom-like base, is a place to put a label for the beer variety. I've chosen to profile Down The Road's Pukwudgie American Pale Ale, since it was their first beer brewed and the character can be found in the tap design. The tap is gorgeously detailed, and to my knowledge, I've not seen one on the secondary market.

Click through to read more about Down The Road Beer Company, their Pukwudgie American Pale Ale, and to see more photos of this fantastic tap...

Down The Road Beer Company was founded in Everett, Massachusetts in 2015 by Donovan Bailey. Attempting to brew his first beer at 19 years old and producing less than desirable results, Bailey turned to a few homebrewing veterans at a little homebrew shop in Newton, who helped Bailey with his beer crafting. Bailey continued to homebrew for two decades while picking up a degree in microbiology along the way. Over the years, Bailey fine-tuned his craft, winning medal after medal in the American homebrew tournament circuit. Finally he made the decision to leave his day job and dove headfirst into launching a craft brewery. Bailey got started with contract brewing relationships, first contracting with Ipswich Ale Brewery, then switching to BrewMaster’s Tavern.

The first beer Bailey created was Pukwudgie, an American Pale Ale named after a mythical Wampanoag woodland creature. The beer proved to be popular, leading to 1,100 barrels of beer produced, and distribution across Massachusetts consisted of driving around to accounts and supplying beer out of the back of a minivan. The brewery also gained recognition for its strange and beautiful label art, featuring characters like Pukwudgie and Baba Yaga. The signature artwork was created by Montana-based artist Nikki Rossignol. Using water colors, she illustrates mythological scenes and characters that are now ingrained in Down The Road's branding.

Bailey always envisioned a taproom as part of his company, and in 2016 he was able to make that dream a reality. With cost playing an essential factor, Bailey settled on a 12,000-square foot facility in a developing, industrial neighborhood. About 10,000 square feet housed a 1,200-barrel brewing system, with 2,500 square feet dedicated to a taproom and retail space. Bailey also hoped to establish an outdoor beer garden and a rooftop deck. After the permitting process and some necessary repairs, Bailey and his staff transformed the interior into a spacious, colorful and sleek hangout. The new space has communal, beer hall-style seating for more than 200 people, a 35 foot full bar with 30+ draft lines, and a bar for growler and merchandise sales. The room also contains an impressive row of 15 pinball machines, many from Bailey's own collection, and a small stage for live music. The taproom itself is separated from the production side by a glass wall so customers can get a peek at the production process. For food, the brewery partners with local food trucks who park outside the taproom.

With the new space, Bailey was able to move a portion of their production in-house, with the ability to produce 4500 barrels per year and was able to benefit from on-site sales, although the brewery continued its contract partnerships, including with Dorchester Brewing. On opening night in 2017, customers waited close to two hours in a line outside the taproom for the roll out of new varieties, as well as a limited supply of Down The Road’s most talked-about beer: year-aged, 14 percent ABV Darkest Night Imperial Stout, which had quickly become a cult favorite. Most of the flagship and seasonal beers are served at the taproom, though Bailey also brews one-offs, experiments, and taproom exclusives, thanks to a three-barrel pilot system added in 2018. That same year, Down The Road signed a distribution agreement with Atlantic Beverage Distributors to assume responsibility for all of their package and draft distribution in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Also in 2018, the brewery installed a WaveGrip G1 canning system, with an output of 30,000 cans a week. Down The Road currently has 6 core beers with several seasonals, specials, and taproom exclusives. Bailey would like to start a barrel-aging program and a distillery in the future. With close to 900 accounts across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the brewery not only hopes for more growth by pushing west, but also locally. As Boston grows more dense and clustered, and the industrial area is transformed by several apartment units going up around the taproom in the coming years, Bailey is focused on the taproom providing a spacious haven and hangout for people who want to get out of their tiny apartments, a kind of living room space.

Pukwudgie is a hoppy American Pale Ale that is a tribute to the Wampanoag’s mythical Pukwudgie. With bright notes of passionfruit, mango and citrus interwoven with refreshing bitters and light pine, Puk is a supernaturally well-balanced session ale. The name comes from the shadow-dappled forests of ancient New England, where secret things move silently among the trees. Short of stature and long of hair, these spry creatures taunt travelers with ghost sounds and phantom smells, leading many witless wanderers astray. Some call them tricksters, sprites, devils, but they are the Pukwudgie, and they have owned these woods for millennia.