Back in July, we announced that King Street Properties was looking for a brewery to help service its Pathway Devens facility — a five building, 750,000-sq-ft, state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing campus in Devens, Massachusetts. That search is over, as King Street just announced that they have signed an agreement with Sterling Street Brewery to open that taproom.
Based in Clinton, Massachusetts, Sterling Brewery serves up fresh craft beer (and seltzers and hard kombucha), house made paninis and tasty apps with events ranging from trivia and musicians to craft fairs and workout classes. The brewery was founded by Brian Mason and Jesse Tarbell in 2020, and the duo took their time to pick the right location back then. From a 2020 article via the Telegram & Gazette (the only daily newspaper of Worcester, Massachusetts):
“We looked for a good year or so before settling on a building [for the original Clinton location],” Tarbell said. “We absolutely love the building. It gives us the industrial feel that we were going for and has the perfect amount of space, both for production and for the taproom. Clinton has a really up and coming feel to it. The Strand Theatre has always been an attraction, Clintons Bar & Grill has been a great addition to the community, and Coffeelands and Taqueria El Amigo 3 the same. We believe we are another great addition that the community lacks and can help continue its growth.”
The close proximity of the space to their homes was also a big draw.
“We are really happy with the [original Clinton] location,” Mason said. “We had looked at a few towns, and many commercial buildings before deciding on our location. We had certain utility requirements that we would need in order to make this project feasible, (and) Clinton was one of the towns that met all of our requirements.”
Sterling Street’s new Devins location also looks to have a built-in customer base, which should hopefully meet the brewery’s requirements. Pathway Devens is a biomanufacturing campus. Pathway is King Street Properties’ customizable real estate platform designed to give biotech companies “the space they need to manufacture their drugs in-house,” according to its website. The advanced manufacturing campus located in Devens is about an hour northwest of Boston. It’s a five-building development that is currently under construction, looking to open in early 2024, and King Street sees a diverse mix of modern manufacturing tenants “ranging from cleantech to advanced manufacturing to biotech companies will start to occupy the Pathway Devens campus in early 2024,” according to this taproom prospectus.
Sterling Brewery will occupy a 8,300-sq-ft amenity center and taproom, currently under construction. It’s a “third space,” where employees can work, socialize, eat and drink. The taproom aims to be a gathering space for both the new employees of Pathway Devens and the larger Devens community that the campus sits within, which employs over 10,000 people on a daily basis. From the press release:
“We are extremely excited to expand on the success we have had in Clinton to Devens and the surrounding areas. We pride ourselves on brewing great beer and creating a family friendly and inclusive environment for both our customers and local businesses. We are grateful for King Street Properties for giving us this opportunity and for believing in our vision,” said Brian Mason & Jesse Tarbell, Co-founders of Sterling Street Brewery
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Sterling Street Brewery in the opening of our Devens amenity building. Their local roots in central Massachusetts combined with their passion for brewing great beverages and curating community activities will provide for a great addition to the campus,” said Tyson Reynoso, Managing Director and Partner, King Street Properties. “We have experience incorporating successful food and beverage experiences into our campuses and we look forward to this becoming a destination for our tenants and people in the area.”
The opening of a craft brewery inside a bustling biotech campus marks a refreshing and innovative fusion of science and craftsmanship. This strategic establishment not only offers a unique space for relaxation and socialization, but also represents a blend of industries, fostering a culture of collaboration and creativity. As frothy pints are raised in conversation, I foresee a lot of cool connections this brewery could cultivate, and I dig how these diverse industries are coalescing, promising not just moments of leisure, but also potential incubation of ideas — all within a craft brewery.
To back it up, the city of Devens boasts a thriving mix of commercial, residential and recreational areas including parks, trails and golf courses, and a portion of Devens is also still home to an active military reserve base. Right now, over half of King Street’s Devens campus has already been delivered and phase 2 of the development is currently under construction, including the amenity center which will open in Q1 2024. We’ll keep you updated on this fun project.
From Keith Gribbins at Craft Brewing Business: