:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828809/11425147_484902798325318_9160007365760624027_n.0.0.jpg)
The first-ever brewer at Harpoon has a new project in the works: a small-batch brewery called Barrel House Z (or BHZ), which will add barrel-aged beer to the burgeoning craft beer scene, according to Boston Restaurant Talk.
Russ Heissner started as brewmaster at Harpoon in 1986 after earning a degree in fermentation science from UC Davis and will now carry on his innovative spirit in the form of BHZ's collaborative productions. BHZ has reportedly signed a lease for a 16,000-square foot space in Weymouth and could open sometime in the middle of 2016. Heissner is partnering with Harpoon and Bully Boy Distillers on the project.
Heissner told Boston Magazine that the planned location in Weymouth was an old industrial space that will provide ample parking and room to barrel-age the beers. BHZ tested a possible beer at a Harpoon X-Night back in June. RR#23, a rye ale, was served three ways: unoaked, and aged in Bully Boy whiskey and rum barrels.
