Being the first official taproom in Beverly

When we opened our doors on March 4, 2016 at 4 o'clock, the craft beer landscape looked a lot different than it does today, especially here on the North Shore.

Gentile Brewing Company was the first taproom in Beverly. At the time, the idea of a small, neighborhood-focused brewery where you could drink beer right where it was made was still relatively new to our area. While that model had already started gaining traction in other parts of Massachusetts and across the country, locally, it was just beginning to take hold.

We were stepping into something early, and honestly, a little unknown.

The early days of taprooms

In 2016, Massachusetts craft beer was in the middle of a shift. Changes to state laws in the years leading up to our opening made it easier for small breweries to operate taprooms and sell directly to customers. That opened the door for a new wave of breweries built around community spaces rather than traditional distribution or brewpub models.

At that time, there were only a handful of taprooms in the broader region. While breweries like Notch Brewing in Salem were already well known for their brand and beer, their dedicated taproom and brewery came shortly after ours, making this still a very new concept locally. Others, scattered across the North Shore and Greater Boston, were starting to follow suit, but it was far from the saturated scene we see today.

In Beverly itself, there was nothing like it. Yet.

That meant we were not just opening a brewery, we were helping introduce a new kind of gathering place to our community.

Building something new

From day one, our vision was simple: create a welcoming, unpretentious space where people could come together over thoughtfully-made beer. We were not trying to be the biggest or the loudest. We just wanted to be a place people felt comfortable coming back to again and again.

Being the first taproom in Beverly came with both excitement and responsibility. There was no roadmap for how this would work locally. We had to figure things out in real time, what people wanted, how they experienced the space, and how to build something that felt like it belonged here.

The response from the community made it clear pretty quickly that this was something people were ready for.

Watching the scene grow

Not long after we opened, more breweries and taprooms began to pop up across the North Shore and beyond. What was once a new concept quickly became a defining part of the local craft beer culture.

We have had the privilege of watching that growth firsthand, welcoming new neighbors, collaborating with fellow brewers, and seeing more people embrace the taproom experience. What started as a small, emerging scene has grown into something vibrant and diverse.

And that is a good thing.

A rising tide really does lift all boats, and the growth of craft beer in our region has brought more energy, creativity, and community along with it.

Looking back and ahead

Now, as we celebrate 10 years in business, we are proud of where we started and grateful for where we are today.

Being the first taproom in Beverly is something we do not take lightly. It is a point of pride, but also a reminder of the support we have received from this community since day one. Without that, none of this would have been possible.

We have seen a lot change over the past decade. Trends have come and gone. The industry has evolved. Challenges have come our way.

But what has not changed is why we do this.

We are still here to make great beer.

We are still here to bring people together.

And we are still incredibly grateful to be part of this community.
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Here's to your first pour, the next, and to many more in the years ahead.

– Paul & Christen, Founders
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(photo from the way, wayback time machine)