A Mass. brewery got kicked out of its taproom. Customers wouldn’t let it die

MAYNARD — Welcome to Amory’s Tomb Brewing Company. You could also call it the “Island of Misfit Beer Nerds.”

Unlike most craft beer destinations, the Maynard brewery has one IPA on tap. There are no plans for that number to go up.

Instead, you’ll find multiple saisons that are bready with a pleasant layer of spice. There are farmhouse beers that are refreshingly tart or dry. Most places have a stout or porter. But Amory’s Tomb is one of the few with a no-frills porter that only needs malt to blow away your taste buds.

That was the vision co-founders Allen Quinn and Richard Barron had when they opened Amory’s Tomb’s first taproom back in 2018.

In the years since, their dedication to that philosophy has helped them navigate a gauntlet of misfortunes that would have shuttered many other businesses.

That’s because the story of Amory’s Tomb boils down to one question: “Wow, how did they stay open through all of that?”

The answer: the beer and the loyal customer base that’s become a community.

The brewery that shouldn’t work

For two-and-a-half years, the Maynard brewery had been left out in the cold — literally. After new landlords took over its old location in 2022, Amory’s Tomb was forced to operate out of its outdoor beer garden.

That’s two-and-a-half years of pouring beers outside in the rain, the cold and the occasional microburst warning.

“Yeah, it sucked, but it was also great,” Quinn says. “My wife said to me recently, ‘You wanted to build a community, and you have in a really interesting way.’”

Quinn now realizes that the hardships of the beer garden era made their core group of fans grow tighter. Instead of sitting by themselves at the bar, customers began sitting at communal tables and forming bonds.

Amory’s Tomb even managed to establish “a little snow day community” during that time. Quinn realizes it was a bit crazy to be serving beers outside in some of the conditions they put up with.

“It builds a deeper community. So I don’t know, we got really lucky in that. I don’t think most people would put up with that.”

But now, Amory’s Tomb has a new home, a taproom that sits just 250 feet from its old location. It’s small, intimate and still in the early stages. “But it’s in a building they own, and they still serve the beer that’s true to their identity.”

The ‘Island of Misfit Beer Nerds’

When Quinn and Barron opened the original taproom for Amory’s Tomb, their initial plan was to only serve saisons and barrel-aged beers.

But when their first few weeks were met with customers who came in looking for popular styles like New England IPAs, they had to adjust a little and provide more variety.

They still don’t have a New England IPA. Of their 14 taps available, just one is devoted to their current appeasement to the hop-crazy crowd. It’s a “postmodern IPA” called Operation Zero. It’s more malt-forward rather hoppy, hazy and sweet like an NEIPA is.

The other 13 lines are reserved for beers in the brewery’s wheelhouse: saisons, Belgians, amber ales, lagers and English bitters.

Recently, Amory’s Tomb offered a blonde “Bière de Garde” that was “fermented cool with two special Belgian yeast strains and Brettanomyces.”

For some people, the reaction to that style is, “What the heck is that? Can’t I just have a normal beer?”

But for a select few, the reaction is to run over and get a glass before the keg is tapped.

That latter group is what has kept Amory’s Tomb going strong.

Thanks to excellent beer and a loyal community that’s built from word of mouth, Amory’s Tomb is stronger than ever.

Turning an office into a Tomb

Why did it take so long for Amory’s Tomb to find a new taproom?

The first reason was red tape. Quinn and Barron had to go through multiple architects and engineers to get their new space up to code.

That new space used to be an office, which meant there was a lot of work to bring it up to code. It certainly didn’t help that the building dates back to the late 1800s.

There was also trouble getting approval from the town, which meant having to start over from scratch at times.

The second reason boils down to how Quinn and Barron wanted to go about their relocation. They wanted to stick to their principles and refused to take money from outside investors.

“Anytime we want to make a decision, and the only reason we wanted to make that decision was money, we’ve not made that decision,” Quinn says.

Since its founding, Amory’s Tomb has been a tight operation. For most of its existence, the brewery hasn’t actually had any employees. It’s just been Quinn and Barron running things — with some help from family.

That changed earlier this year when they brought on Justin Suarez to run their front-of-house operations.

Now, the vision of Amory’s Tomb is finally coming to fruition. That includes the somewhat spooky vibe that inspired the name.

“Amory’s Tomb” refers to the actual tomb of Amory Maynard, after whom the town is named. Quinn lived across from that tomb when he first started brewing with Barron.

That landmark is what inspired the taproom’s somewhat spooky vibe and the tombstone-like wall behind the taps. In a way, customers are getting beers poured from the tomb itself, Quinn says.

Returning to a taproom is just the first step for Amory’s Tomb. The plan is to get a kitchen up and running again while expanding their on-site brewing.

“You will see this place continue to evolve every three to five years as well,” Quinn says. “There’s plans we have we just can’t get to yet.”

Fortunately, the road forward looks a lot clearer than the path the brewery has travelled so far.

More info about Amory’s Tomb

Check them out: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Where are they located? — Amory’s Tomb is located at 58 Main St., Maynard, Massachusetts. The taproom can be accessed from the front and rear of the building.

What’s the parking situation? — There is limited street parking in front of the building on Main Street. There is also free parking directly behind the brewery on River Street.

What’s the food situation? — Outside food is allowed. There are also food trucks out back on select days.

When are they open? — Here are the hours at the time of writing: