This unlikely spot in Worcester might be the best place in Mass. to open a brewery

There’s a spot off Park Avenue in Worcester behind Peppercorn’s restaurant that used to be an old ice cream shop. The entrance is around a big storage container and faces the parking lot out back. The table options include four small high-tops, a four-seat bar and a barrel by the door.

It may not look like it at first, but going by the numbers, this may be the single best place in Massachusetts to open a brewery.

Since 2021, this tiny taproom has been the home to Double Down Brewing Company, which has been producing some of the most underrated brews in the city. Their Talia pilsner is everything you want in a crisp lager. Their Dublin down milk stout, made in collaboration with Guinness brewmaster Fergal Murray, is one of the best dark beers you can find in the Bay State.

But before it was Double Down, this small space behind Peppercorn’s was where you could find Flying Dreams Brewing. Going back even further, it’s also the same exact brewhouse where Wormtown Brewery started out.

The prior tenants have since gone on to bigger things — literally. Wormtown, which moved out in 2015, is now one of the state’s most recognizable craft beer brands. They now have two taproom spaces on Shrewsbury Street (make sure you’re going to the right one) and a spot at Patriot Place in Foxborough. Flying Dreams, which left the nest in 2020, is currently thriving after moving to an expanded space in nearby Marlborough.

Now, it’s Double Down’s chance to turn this hopped-up hole in the wall and turn it into a beer destination.

“It’s kind of cool, right? It’s like an incubator,” founder Christian McMahan says.

Double Down occupies a unique space in the Bay State’s craft beer scene. It’s the size of a trendy new start-up brewery, but operates with the efficiency and expertise of industry veterans. It’s also connected to a restaurant that’s a Worcester institution.

The easiest way to find Double Down Brewing Company is to head to the parking lot of Peppercorn’s Grille & Tavern. Or you can just walk into the restaurant itself.

That’s because Double Down and Peppercorn’s have a symbiotic relationship. They’re separate businesses. But there’s a door (and a large open window) connecting the two.

Peppercorn’s essentially operates as a kitchen-taproom for Double Down, devoting most of its 12 beer taps to the brews from next door. However, they’re technically separate businesses. So if you want food, sit at Peppercorn’s because you can’t order food at Double Down but you can order both food and Double Down’s beer at Peppercorn’s.

But if you’re looking for just the beer — pints, flights or beers to go — Double Down represents an ideal stop for an intimate, tank-to-tap experience where you can get face time with the guys who started the brewery.

The tap list is the brainchild of head brewer Brian Wells, a Massachusetts native who came back home after years brewing at Left Hand Brewing out in Colorado. Back then, Wells says, he spent about 90% of his time working with the same beer, Left Hand’s flagship milk stout.

Now, he gets to shift the scale from being a production brewer to a more artistic side, which allows for much more creativity and experimentation.

“Having the freedom to basically brew almost anything we want,” Wells says. “I mean, we have our mainstays. But we talk every few months about like, ‘What are we doing next?”

Two years into operation, Wells and McMahan had to stop for a moment and track how many varieties they’d cranked out. They got to about 35, “which would be unheard of by most standard breweries,” McMahan says.

Those mainstays include the Talia pilsner and their No. 1 seller, the Subconscious Haze New England IPA. But as Double Down enters year four, the brewery is starting to work in more seasonal brews into an annual rotation, including their Worcesteria Pumpkin Ale and Druids Irish Red Ale.

This past winter, they put out a brilliant Peppermint Bark imperial stout, served with a sweet and eye-catching chocolate-peppermint rim.

“I was like, ‘Who wants peppermint in their beer?’” Wells said at first. But after trying it, the two fell in love with it.

Rolling the dice on a peppermint beer is just one example of how Double Down represents the best of both worlds in a brewery. They’re small enough that they can try experimenting with oddball ideas. But they’re also experienced enough to stick the landing and make it taste good consistently

“If we just want to do some weird stuff, small enough that we can. We sell everything we make so it’s never a problem. I think for us, it’s kind of It’s making me fall in love again with the beer business a little,” McMahan says.

How we got here: Worcester’s unlikely beer incubator

Risk-taking is at the core of the brewhouse that Double Down now calls home. It started when Peppercorn’s owner Tom Oliveri tried putting an ice cream shop in the space. That didn’t quite pan out. But the next idea did. That’s how Oliveri ended up as a co-founder of Wormtown.

Oliveri sold his share of Wormtown back in 2017. Since then, he’s played a part in helping newcomers to the craft beer scene grow.

“I think he’s pretty proud of that legacy that he created here,” McMahan says. “His first idea was an ice cream stand. That didn’t work. But he got it right after that.”

The taproom may have some new decorations and better seating, but the backbone of the original brewhouse is still intact. Wells says that all the stainless steel equipment — the mash tun, kettle, fermenters and bright tanks — is original Wormtown equipment.

Wells even has an old wooden rod that he uses to measure volume. It was originally a hangar rod from the apartment of Ben Roesch, co-founder and original brewmaster at Wormtown.

“Ben did a great job with the brewhouse. We haven’t had to do a ton of upgrades or changes to it. It’s a great program,” McMahan says. “It was kind of nice that it was ‘Push the button and everything still works.’”

In an industry where success isn’t guaranteed, Double Down is the latest brewery in this space to flourish. So could they follow in the footsteps of Wormtown and Flying Dreams and move into a bigger space?

McMahan knows they can, and they might. But they don’t want to grow too fast, too soon. If the right opportunity arises, they’ll take it. If not, they’re perfectly happy with where they’re at right now.

“Success is ‘Just make good beer,’” he says. “It’s kind of the old saying. We make beer we love, and whatever we don’t drink, we sell.”

If Double Down does grow, would they move? McMahan is torn. He and Wells love the space and love making good beer there.

On the other hand, this brewhouse has spawned three great breweries. Could it create yet another?

“I think part of me says we would always keep the space as our legacy here,” McMahan says. “Part of me says, if we do make that jump, then would we want to see the next young brewer come in here and do something with it as our tribute to pay it forward?”

Want beer and food? Try Peppercorn’s

It’s one thing for a new brewery in a small space to make good beer. It’s another to also have a solid kitchen.

Double Down doesn’t serve food. Then again, they don’t need to. If you want to eat, you don’t even need to go outside to dip into Peppercorn’s, where they have great food and all of Double Down’s beer on tap.

McMahan is a big fan of the restaurant next door. He’d been going to Peppercorn’s for years. But it wasn’t until Double Down started that he realized how much of an institution it was, welcoming back a hardcore base of regulars.

“If you’d ranked, the best brewery taproom food, this would be No. 1. It’s a legit, high-end awesome restaurant – food’s amazing. You can’t call it our food/taproom. But if you put it up against anyone else, literally this is the best menu and some of the best execution of food you could possibly have as a brewery.”

More stuff you should know about Double Down Brewing Company

Check them out: Website | Facebook | Instagram

What’s the address? – 455 Park Ave B, Worcester, MA 01610

What’s the parking situation? – There’s a full lot of free, off-street parking behind Peppercorn’s. (They’re the same building)

Do they serve food? – No. However, food is available next door at Peppercorn’s. You can’t order Peppercorn’s food at Double Down. But you can get the beer at the restaurant.

When are they open? – Here are the listed business hours at the time of writing.