We are small family run brewery located in the farming/fishing town of Westport, MA. Each year only 800 barrels
of Buzzards Bay Beer is brewed.
Brewing ingredient
choices
We use water, malt, hops, and yeast;
that’s it!
Water: Our water is pure and free
from chemicals. Despite being about 95%
water, water is the most ignored aspect
of beer flavor and ultimately its most
important aspect. Buzzards Bay sits on a
500+ acres of farmland and forest with natural spring water
bubbling up all over the place (in the
middle of the winter, grass grows reen
and flowers bloom wherever the springs
surface). Geologists explain that our
spring water originates from somewhere
far north of Westport and is pushed
through bedrock by the pressure of the
White Mountains. Wastewater is mildly treated and, because we use only natural cleaning compounds, can then be used to irrigate our hay-fields.
 Malt (malted barley or wheat): 90% of our malt is American. And the spent grains? They feed our neighbor's cows. We
source the finest pale malt, assuring
that it has the right composition for
great beer. We also purchase
special darker malts for flavor and
color. We get to pick these from
hundreds of varieties (kind of like the
cereal aisle at the supermarket). Each
option is tasted before we can make the
choice. Flavor is everything. (For us AND the cows)
Hops: All of our bittering hops and the majority of the flavor hops are American grown. Hops are a flower that
grows on a vine. They add considerable
aroma and flavor to the beer. Somewhat
like spices in cooking, each hop variety
has a unique flavor and aroma. Most of
what humans consider flavor is actually
aromas and we choose hops based upon
aroma first and foremost.
Yeast: As with the rest of
brewing materials, there is a cornucopia
of yeast from which to choose.
Interestingly yeast management dominates
daily production. In many ways, brewing
beer can be thought of as farming yeast!
Thus, yeast’s first role is function:
the “little buggers” (actually single
cell fungi) need to ferment well and
afterwards, flocculate well (settle out
of the beer). Secondly, how they ferment
provides complexity to the beer. Our
proprietary yeast strains provide our
beers with the “Buzzards Bay” character:
crisp, clean and drinkable.
Electricity: We use natural lighting on most everyday, having designed the brewery to maximize sunlight. We've upgraded our cold storage to minimize electricity used and have been applying annually for a grant to install wind-powered generators. Long term, we hope to be off the grid entirely.
Carbon Dioxide: We utilize cutting edge Carbon Sequestration processes. Not only do these 1000's of Carbon Sequestration Devices (CSD) remove all the carbon dioxide we produce through fermentation, shipping and processing but also store more than
we produce. Making us truly Carbon-negative.
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