Medford's First Brewery Starts Taking Shape

MEDFORD, MA — It's been a long road for the Medford Brewing Company, a two-man team of brewers who started canning beer as a side project. Co-founders Max Heinegg and Nick Bolitho live, work and started families in Medford, and when it came time to open their first brewery, it only made sense they'd start looking at home.

That was easier said than done.

The pair began the "odyssey," as Heinegg puts it, of finding a location for their brewery about two years ago. Support from their neighbors was loud – Medford Brewing Company raised more than $280,000 from 483 investors on the crowdsourcing platform WeFunder – but they were stymied as the city worked to pass a brewery ordinance, and they struggled to find a place to land.

Heinegg said they went through four possible locations before buying the building at 30-34 Harvard Avenue in late September.

"It means everything to open in Medford," Heinegg said. "[It's the] culmination of almost six years of work, as someone who has lived in Medford and taught in Medford for over 20 years, who has kids in the Medford schools, this is what I wanted to do."

Heinegg began brewing as a hobby 13 years ago and started the Medford Brewing Company with Bolitho in 2016. The company now has beers in more than 200 stores across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Production is contracted to an outside distributor, which cans the beers using Heinegg's recipes, but will move to the brewery when it opens.

Heinegg and Bolitho are in the process of redeveloping the space. The plan is to turn the former auto body shop into a brewery and taproom, eventually installing a kitchen to offer small bites that pair well with their beer.

Medford Brewing Company is targeting a March opening, depending on how soon it can get approved for permits and finish renovating the space. The brewery will open with eight beers on tap, but that could go up to 10, as there are seasonal offerings and other products like gluten-free or low-alcohol options in the works.

Heinegg said he wants the brewery to serve as a gathering spot for the community. He hopes to host readings and live music – "singer-songwriting-type stuff, not loud music," he clarified – and partner with local charities and food producers.

"I feel like this is something the town is missing, and when we asked people to contribute to our WeFunder, people did," Heinegg said. "People in Medford wanted it, now we have to do the work. But I'm psyched."