I took a poll on Instagram at the end of February of what you guys would like to see featured next for #WorcesterWednesday and it was a pretty solid tie between a brewery and a cafe. You all know how much I love beer and coffee, so choosing between the two was insanely difficult. (If you don’t remember what #WorcesterWednesday is, read the very first post here.)
Until I remembered that I didn’t need to choose at all!!!
Why, you ask?
Because this past January, the best of both worlds opened up on Shrewsbury St: Redemption Rock Brewing Company.
Truth be told, Redemption Rock (RR) came as a total surprise to me. While Mark and I are frequent haunts at the only other brewery on Shrewsbury St, we spend most of our “brew” time in Pawtucket so somehow we had missed the announcement that there was going to be another brewery going in right down the street from us on January 26…until one of our favorite restaurants shared a little secret…that RR was actually opening a day early!
Mark and I both work from home on Fridays, and I saw the post at about 3:35PM Friday, January 25 saying that RR would be opening that night…at 4PM.
Yes, Mark and I did immediately drop everything and get there for opening.
And it was so worth it! The spot was cool, the beer was delicious, and by getting the inside scoop we were able to avoid the absolute insanity that was their “official” grand opening.
I was lucky enough to have a chance to sit down with RR’s CEO, Dani Babineau. What made my interview with her even more exciting is that March is Women’s History Month, so being able to feature a “woman in beer” this month is pretty awesome!
So I mentioned that I didn’t need to choose between writing about a brewery or a cafe, but so far all you know is that I’m writing about a place that brews really dope beer…
What you don’t know is that they also serve my other vice: COFFEE!!!!!
Yupp, you read that right folks! Redemption Rock serves up both delicious beer and quite an impressive selection of coffee!
Need a mid morning pick me up? Grab a nitro cold brew that is significantly better than any you’ll ever find at Starbucks…
Need something to unwind after work? They have a beer for literally everyone.
The History
One of my first questions for Dani was, of course, why open a brewery? I’ll be honest, I thought I already knew the answer. I’ve been on enough brewery tours to know that most people start off home brewing as a hobby, they start making way too much so all their friends form a line at their house to get some, then they realize, “hey…maybe this can actually be a career!” Fast forward a few years and BAM you have a legit brewery.
Well, not the case at all for Redemption Rock! Dani actually went to school for architecture, and like most millenials, assumed that grad school was the logical next step and best way to be successful. However, as she was writing all of these essays about why she wanted to be an architect, she realized that…she didn’t…
So what’s next? How does an old dream of being an architect lead to a brewery?
Dani and her other two business partners had friends in the beer industry and had been volunteering at Brewfest for awhile so they decided to start a “passion project”.
Now I know what you must be thinking. “So this is where they started home brewing, right?”
Wrong.
They came up with a business plan, and the first step on that business plan included Dani getting her MBA.
Insane. Absolutely insane. This blog was my passion project, and you know how I started it? By signing up for a free WordPress.com website. I didn’t take any classes or do any kind of research into SEO or marketing, I literally just wung it and hoped for the best. So the fact that step 1 in the Redemption Rock Business Plan included the acquisition of an MBA is absolutely incredibly inspiring to me!
So why Worcester? Why the name “Redemption Rock”?
Dani grew up in Princeton, MA so she spent a lot of time hanging out in Worcester, but was always shocked that there weren’t more breweries here. When choosing a location for her own brewery, it was never really a question that it would be in Worcester because she wanted fill what seemed to be a gap in the city.
When it came to choosing a name, they wanted something that would be “hyper local” to the point of being “almost obscure”, like Ballast Point in San Diego (which is actually a popular fishing spot for locals), without being too obvious or well-known. They also wanted something that sounded cool. Enter: Redemption Rock.
Redemption Rock is a giant rock formation in Princeton that played a pretty big role in the King Philip’s War. While not the greatest war to talk about, I’ll make a long-ish story short. A woman was captured, and her ransom was negotiated and she was freed at the site of Redemption Rock. Local schools often visit this rock on field trips as there are a lot of great hiking trails in the area.
As the craft beer scene in Worcester continues to flourish, RR definitely has some big footsteps to follow in, but they are having no problem doing that considering that despite only being open for two months, they have already been nominated for Best Brewery in the illustrious Best of Worcester Awards. As Worcester continues its renaissance, Redemption Rock plans on growing with it and becoming an iconic Central Mass brand. Gentrification doesn’t have to be an entirely negative thing; major changes can happen to a city while maintaining the history and uniqueness of the old and Redemption Rock plans to do their best to represent all of Worcester: both the old and the new. But most importantly, as much as the Redemption Rock team obviously wants to be successful, giving back to the city that their brewery now calls home is huge to them.
One way they are doing this is by being a registered B Corp (Massachusetts Benefit Corporation). This is a designation based on a point system, where the business needs to earn at least 80 out of a max of 200 points in order to be certified. There are four areas that the business can focus on: community, governance, employees, and environment. While you don’t need to hit all four areas, RR is currently focusing on the first three, with plans to address their impact on the environment more next year.
They are doing this is by ensuring that their employees are being paid fair wages. As someone that has worked in the service industry in the past, Dani believes that the most important thing is knowing that you’ll be getting a reliable weekly wage; you can’t just leave your life up to chance with tips. I worked in the service industry as well and know first hand that there are some weeks where you make amazing money in tips…but then there are some weeks where you don’t even make enough money to buy your groceries. So instead of doing tips, RR employees have a steady income and “tips” go back to the community. When you walk up to the counter at RR you’ll notice a big sign on their tip jar letting you know that they do not accept tips; instead, if you have a spare dollar or two that you would normally give as a tip, you can put it in the jar and it will be donated to a local charity. The RR crew believes in fostering careers, and not just jobs for quick money. They hire people that are genuinely looking to start a career in the industry and it shows in every member of their crew. (The charity changes monthly, so check out their website to learn where your donations in the current month are going.)
The Space
The space at Redemption Rock is absolutely incredible. It’s huge and open, and truly a great spot for families. There is this absolutely stunning mural on one of the main walls of an indigenous woman created by Victor Quinoñez, aka Marka27. When I asked Dani to tell me more behind it, she basically told me that they threw a bunch of stuff at him about Redemption Rock & told him to go from there. The craziest part? The ENTIRE MURAL only took TWO days!!!!!! I honestly feel the same way as Dani; I can’t do the story of this mural justice because it’s not my creation, so if you’d like to learn more, head to a blog post Redemption Rock did with Marka here.
When deciding on the vibe for the rest of the space, the RR team wanted to do something different. Currently, most breweries you go into fall into one of two buckets: a super industrial space or a super pub-y space with dark wood and leather everywhere (think a stereotypical Irish pub). Instead, Dani drew inspiration from Scandinavian farmhouses and uses her architecture background to blend the feel of both a brewery and a cafe, complete with a couple big comfy couches to make you feel right at home.
Aside from being super cozy, there is a ton to do for the whole family! Mark and I are pretty biased to anywhere that has a lawn sized Connect 4 (which RR has), but they also have an impressive selection of board games, cornhole, and a lawn size Jenga set (which at the time of my visit had been converted into a castle with a moat). It is literally impossible to not have fun here.
The Beer
I find that breweries can be super hit or miss for me. More often than not Mark and I wander into breweries that have a speciality and only serve that specialty. Now I understand, if you find something you’re good at you should monopolize on it…but when Mark & I inevitably wander into a brewery that only serves IPA’s then we’re going to leave pretty quickly because while Mark loves them, they are just not for me.
No matter what type of beer you prefer, I can assure you that you will never have that problem at Redemption Rock.
RR’s motto is “Beer for people”. Instead of having what you would consider a “flagship” beer, they aim to always have at least the following 4 beers on tap: a kolsch, their dry irish stout, a hefeweizen, and their War Castle IPA (though they tend to sell out of that quickly and are currently working on producing more of it to meet the ever-growing demand). They want to have something for everyone and for that I am eternally grateful!
On top of these four regulars, RR plans on being super “seasonal” heavy. Why, you ask? Because if you ask Dani what her current favorite beer is, her answer is, “Whatever I’m in the mood for”.
Why are PSL’s common only in the fall?
Why do watermelon flavored creations tend to thrive in the summer?
Because they are all in season.
Redemption Rock is aiming to have 3-4 seasonals available at a time. Currently you can find Big Brains, a double dry-hopped saison, Hardcastle’s Irish Red Ale, and my current favorite, Elfe, which is a blonde ale.
I was able to get the “inside scoop” on their spring seasonals and I can’t freakin’ wait! (Though I’m not sure how much of an inside scoop it is now that it’s already the end of March…but whatever.) Their spring collection is comprised of four beers: The Birds, The Bees, The Flowers, and The Trees. If those names alone don’t make you smile then you might as well float on back to winter.
As of the time of this article, here is the flavor breakdown for all four:
The Birds: a red saison
The Bees: a honey weiss beer (and the one I am most looking forward to)
The Flowers: a kettle sour with heather, hibiscus, and chamomile
The Trees: a maple altbier
*Please note that this is subject to change. For the most up to date information about the flavors they chose to go with, head over to their website.
The Coffee
The coffee at Redemption Rock is currently sourced from two local coffee companies: Acoustic Java of Worcester and Atomic Coffee of Beverly. These two spots were chosen because they are “hyper local” and RR wanted to provide something that not everyone else is already serving. An added bonus for Atomic Coffee is that they are a small, family-owned company that strive to ensure that the majority of their coffees are fair trade and organic.
RR tries to always have a light and dark roast option available, and so far their options have been pretty consistent. But they are thinking of changing it up soon so you should head in soon to try their current options!
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As Worcester’s renaissance continues, businesses both old and new are trying to figure out how they will continue to stay relevant in what is yet to come, and exactly what “relevant” will mean. I have no doubt that Redemption Rock will continue to thrive in the “new Worcester” and I cannot wait to see all that is in store for them.
Other #WorcesterWednesday Posts:
January 2019: Worcester, MA: Why It Should Be Added To Your Bucket List
February 2019: Worcester Art Museum
July 2019: 6 Best Coffee Shops in Worcester
August 2019: Best Diners in Worcester
September 2019: The Five Breweries inWorcester
October 2019: Worcester Hauntings
November 2019: Holiday Shopping in Worcester