We want to officially welcome you all to the Doctor’s Island Brewing Community!
A lot has happened since our last blog post, including a slight name change to avoid a trademark infringement and to better reflect our connection and commitment to the local community - We couldn’t be more excited to welcome everyone to our beachside Nantasket brewery and taproom this summer. We thought we’d seize the moment on National Beer Day to share the origin of our passion for craft beer and how this dream all started.
So sit back, relax, crack a cold one and join us on this amazing journey!
Let’s take it back…like way back. We’re talking about the “quantity over quality” days.
Back in college, it was all about Busch Light and Natty Light. It was cheap, readily available in bulk and, sometimes cold. It got the job done and it was just what we knew. Honestly, those early experiences turned us away from beer for a little while, but with age comes wisdom.
The gateway to what we now know as a wonderland of craft beer was our Sunday night pizza and beer dinners in the early 2000’s with Michelle’s Aunt Sue, who always had a fridge full of Sam Adams Boston lager. We began to realize that beer could be darker and actually have some flavor to it. And then the real game changer was when Greg pulled a Harpoon IPA out of the cooler at a family holiday party in 2010. He says it felt like he was discovering a whole new beverage and at that point, we got our second wind for appreciating beer in a more mature manner. That Harpoon led to a devout interest in discovering more of the amazing craft beers we’re lucky to have in the New England area.
We really love beer because of the role it can play in all the right places. An ice cold beer just hits differently when we’re somewhere that means a lot to us, whether it’s at home on Black Rock Beach or up at Sugarloaf Mountain (where we got married!) coming off the slopes after a long day of skiing.
It all got more real for us a few years ago when we were first exposed to the art of home brewing. Our neighbor Rob was really into making beer. He invited us over for one of his brew days to learn about the process, and after seeing it first-hand, we knew we had to take a run at it ourselves. We brewed our first 2 ½ gallon batch in our kitchen and after 2 weeks, we eagerly tapped the keg with low expectations as to what was going to come flowing out. To our amazement, out came a beautiful golden colored IPA. And after a taste test, we were blown away by how delicious it was! That first batch was monumental. It was encouraging, and it kept us going. We were all about the diligence of the process. In a lot of ways, it felt like baking which is something Michelle has loved ever since she was a little girl making bread and homemade pastries with her mom. The idea of creating something and then giving it out to friends and family has always been so exciting and heart warming - We absolutely love sharing our beer with our friends and supporters and the communal feeling we get from sharing a drink that we were able to craft in our own home.
Making beer is great, but sharing it is even better. And that’s what is so special to us about being able to open a brewery and taproom in Hull, a town we love so dearly. We took a year break at one point and missed brewing
so much. That’s how we knew we wanted to bring Doctor’s Island to fruition. We’re excited to have a lineup of 8 beers including a traditional island lager that’s perfect for the beach and a hazy IPA that we anticipate will be one of our flagship offerings. We’re striving for drinkability!
It’s a dream come true to open a small taproom in a town that’s meant so much to our family over the years. It’s also a tremendous honor to be among such a stellar lineup of South Shore craft beer
makers - Vitamin Sea, Untold, Widowmaker, Barrel House Z, Stellwagon, and all the rest. You inspire us and we look forward to contributing to this beer scene and offering our own unique experience to the local craft beer community. Our vision is finally taking shape. It’s our great pleasure to share the history of our island through delicious beer enjoyed with friends and a beautiful ocean view. Doctor’s Island craft beer; “It’s good for what ales ya!”.
Happy National Beer Day! See y'all on the front porch this summer!
Cheers!
M + G
