Plans moving along for $1.7m brewery on Bowdoin Street

A rendering of the proposed brewery exterior by Rode Architects.

Over the next year, an 18,000-square foot abandoned warehouse at 181 Bowdoin St. will be transformed into the first contract manufacturing brewery in the state – a $1.7 million project set to make waves, beginning in the Bowdoin Geneva neighborhood.

“There’s no other facility in Massachusetts, that we know of, that bottles, cans, and kegs to smaller craft brew company contractors,” said Dorchester Brewing Company (DBC) co-founder Travis Lee. “We’re looking to create an intimate, artistic craft setting for multiple craft brewing companies.”

Over the next month, Lee and co-founder Filipe Oliveira will iron out the building’s lease terms with the current owner, the Boston Community Development Corporation. The parcel is worth $137,000, according to the city assessor database. Once the building is in ship-shape, DBC will install roughly $1 million worth of machinery to make the brewery a reality. “If we’re really lucky, we’ll open in June,” said Lee.

The community’s support for the DBC initiative has been highly encouraging thus far,” said Lee. “I’ve worked in real estate for a number of years, and to have near unanimous support for a project is pretty rare.”

“For the last 30 years that I’ve been here, this building has always been empty,” said Oliveira, a founder of Percival Brewing Company, named after nearby Percival Street where he grew up. The company also produces Dot Ale and will be one of the handful of craft brewers operating out of the Bowdoin Street brewery.

As for the brewery’s location in Bowdoin Geneva, Lee and Oliveira consider the area a diamond in the rough, with Lee noting that the same could be said about a number of other locations for nearby breweries, including Harpoon’s location in the Seaport District, Night Shift’s location in Everett, and the Sam Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain. “At one time, they were all in less desirable areas, but people still came to the breweries,” he said. “We like that we can give customers a chance to explore other parts of the neighborhood.”

The space will feature a fully functioning brewery as well as an attached retail space where different companies can showcase their brews to visiting customers, as well as offer tours. DBC’s head brewer will work with the handful of craft brewing companies operating out of the Bowdoin Street location to manufacture and distribute their product.

Though a handful of other breweries call the Boston area home, there is no similar setting for small craft brewing companies to manufacture and bring their product to market. “Strategically, this is a phenomenal opportunity,” said Oliveira. “The proximity to the Boston Market is key. Contractors can brew their beer here and deliver it quickly to the market. Beer will be a day old by the time it gets to consumers, which is pretty impossible, especially for craft brewers.”

This article has been updated to correct the size of the warehouse, 18,000 feet, and the brewing company, Percival Brewing Company.

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