The newest brewery in Worcester is, in a word, odd. But the moment you step in, it’s clear that the weirdness and fun is by design.
Odd By Worcester is a self-described ‘90s-themed brewery with a small taproom space in Worcester’s downtown Midtown Mall. The snug indoor urban beer garden is electrically decorated with vivid graffiti-style art on the walls and tables, with surfaces jam-packed with ‘90s references.
It’s all creative, colorful and fun. As owner Jay Grey put it, “We are ‘90s nostalgia in a glass.”
As a friend recently told Grey, “It looks like the ‘90s threw up on your wall.”
There are references, homages and creative touches everywhere you look in the space. The sign is a riff on the old Blockbuster logo. The walls are covered in ‘90s-themed graffiti-style murals. The tap list has one beer called “Airheads” and another made with astronaut ice cream.
One notable feature at the brewery is that tables are equipped with free-to-play retro video game consoles, which are hooked up to TVs on the walls. So you can play a round of “Mario Kart” on Super Nintendo while having a beer.
Odd By Worcester Brewing features free-to-play retro video game consoles at their tables.(Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
The Worcester taproom is the second location of Odd by Nature Brewing, which is based in York, Maine. However, the new space is much more than a spinoff. Grey, who lived in Worcester for 10 years, has strong ties to the area and aims to make beer that’s tied to the city’s identity.
Or as Grey put it, “We’re planning to make some real Worcester beer.”
“I love Worcester. I think Worcester deserves a little piece of something they can call their own,” he added. “That’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna go ahead and have this place be very, very Worcester. We want to make grimy Worcester beer — in the coolest, best way possible.”
Odd By Worcester has some wild collaborations coming up. They’re working with WooJuice, which is also based in the Midtown Mall, for their mocktails. They are also partnering with Hurricane Betty’s, a long-running adult entertainment club in the city.
A flight of beers from Odd By Worcester Brewing.(Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
Currently, the brewery’s tap list includes a light beer called Parking Tickets, a sour ale called Airheads, an IPA called 16oz to Freedom with “notes of ganja” and a stout made with Oreos and “astronaut ice cream.”
The artwork and imagery in the taproom are impressive, from the giant mural to the art on the tables. Grey says he brought in friend and artist Ferdinand Nazario, who’s been doing graffiti murals in Worcester for 20 years, to do the brewery’s signature mural — along with the intricate art on the tables, which was done with a Sharpie.
The details extend to little things like the bathroom keys staff give out to customers. The keys are attached to replicas of cartridges for the original Nintendo. “Paperboy” for the men’s bathroom and “Barbie” for the women’s bathroom.
“We wanted to have every little detail really make people feel happy and laugh,” Grey said. “Something as stupid as — you give someone a bathroom key and they look at the cartridge and laugh and show the rest of their friends. Those are all the little details we wanted to pay attention to.”
Grey has temporarily relocated to Worcester as he and his team work to get the new taproom up and running. In the meantime, the Maine location is temporarily closed.
The plan is to focus on Worcester for the next month or so. After that, Grey plans to phase his way back to the Maine brewery while general manager Justin Suarez takes operational control in Worcester.
Odd By Worcester is open in the Midtown Mall at 22 Front St. in Worcester. They’re currently open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. You can find more info on the Odd By Worcester website — or on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
