USA, MA: Hitchcock Brewing Company moves to larger facility in Bernardston

After working for 30 years in their respective professions, husband and wife Rich and Geneva Pedersen retired from their careers in the information technology and medical fields to follow their dreams, opening Hitchcock Brewing Company, The Recorder reported on October 3.

The brewery, which opened in May 2016, was the culmination of a vision the pair had shared for years.

“We had a desire to do something different, something we really loved,” Rich Pedersen said.

Having spent its first few years in Whately, Hitchcock Brewing Company has now moved to Bernardston, operating out of Kringle Candle. It held a grand re-opening on Saturday, October 5.

“The main purpose for moving was that (in Whately) we just had a tasting room,” Rich Pedersen said. “Here, we have a full taproom so you can sit and have a pint.”

Named after ancient glacial Lake Hitchcock, Hitchcock Brewing Company started as a 10-barrel farm brewery in Whately. The brewery was originally located at their home property, nestled amidst views of Mount Sugarloaf, their hop yard, historic tobacco barns and acres of active farmland.

A home brewer for decades, Rich Pedersen combined what he had learned through the years with Geneva Pedersen’s love of gardening to make a new career for themselves. With the rise in craft brewing, the two took their passions and began brewing beer and growing hops. In 2013, the pair planted more than 800 hop plants. Then, in the winter of 2015, Rich Pedersen converted their barn into a brewery. Their first batch of beer was brewed, and sold in May 2016.

Following steady growth in business, the pair started searching for a new space to expand in the summer of 2018. Come January, plans were made to move the brewery to Bernardston. Expecting the brewery aspect of their business to grow substantially following the move, the decision was made to stop growing hops so the Pedersens can focus solely on the brewery.

“We were shut down for a month and a half during the re-build,” Rich Pedersen said, noting that brewing resumed two weeks ago.

Now, all the work for Hitchcock Brewery’s new home at 203 South St. has been completed and the brewery is open for business.

The brewery, which has nine employees, has expanded its offerings with two full bars, each with 12 taps. Hitchcock Brewing Company uses local produce — hops, raspberries, blueberries, maple syrup, pumpkin and squash — whenever possible. With a farmer brewery license, Hitchcock brews its beer on-site to serve in its taproom.

“You can sit into the bar and look right into the brewery,” Rich Pedersen said. “It’s wide open.”

Hitchcock Brewing Company features more than 10 styles of craft beer, from the Blood Orange Marty — an imperial double IPA — to Noah’s Raven — a German schwarzbier. Other brews include collaborations with other Franklin County breweries. For example, the Hell & Highwater is a dry American pale ale with notes of “citrus and earthiness,” created in June for a Western Massachusets Beer Week collaboration with Floodwater Brewing Company out of Shelburne Falls.

Hitchcock Brewing Company’s new location is open Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 1 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m. The brewery is closed on Mondays.

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