Stan Costa, of Southwick, bottles beer at the Westfield River Brewing Company. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)
SOUTHWICK – The Westfield River Brewery is settling into its new digs at the former well-known Chuck’s Steak House on College Highway.
Owner Sergio Bonavita is now seeking a Farmer-Brewer, Farmer-Winery, and Farmer-Distillery license.
The application notes that the property is a three-story barn and beer would be served on the first floor only.
The serving area consists of a 2,500 square-foot space with two rooms and an outdoor seating area that “will be fenced and visible from the inside through the window and door.”
A hearing is set for Aug. 11 at the Southwick Board of Selectmen meeting at 7:05 p.m. Town selectmen also serve as the liquor licensing board.
The proposed hearing will accomplish:
1. Issuance of a new license Farmer-Breweries, Farmer- Wineries & Farmer-Distilleries
2. Approval of Member and Manager of Westfield River Brewing Co., LLC.
Application and plan are on file in Board of Selectmen’s Office.
One of the perks of moving to Southwick was the ability to grow larger crops of hops.
This past spring the brewery began growing its own hops on land behind the property, which is leased to them from John Whalley. Bonavita said they would use the hops in their own brews and would also sell to home and micro brewers.
Moving to the larger space will also give them the opportunity to give tours of the brewery, as well as the hops field. It also lends itself to larger events at the brewery.
“We plan to offer pints and have folks come in and fill growlers,” said Bonavita. “We will be able to expand our production to two to three times what it is now.
Bonavita said the new location would offer more visibility to the public and still be close to home in Westfield.
Westfield River Brewing Company will still have tastings at the bar people knew and loved when it was Chuck’s.
In addition to growing his own hops, Bonavita said he hopes to utilize other local crops in the beers including a local apple orchard for the brewery’s apple ciders and apple cider beers.
The most popular product at Westfield River Brewery continues to be Charlie in the Rye, which is a rye IPA with citrus style hops that Bonavita said they will grow behind the new location.
