Beer Updates: Breweries Expand in Boston and Beyond

Greater Boston is still far, far away from hitting peak craft beer. With a core group of breweries in the metro area and plenty more throughout Eastern Mass. and beyond, a number of them are still finding room for growth and have announced plans to expand everything from taproom spaces to production volume.

Lamplighter Brewing Company has won itself a loyal crop of customers in the four short months since it opened its Cambridge taproom, and with lines out the door a routine sight most evenings, the brewery now wants to add capacity. With a maxed-out petition in tow, Lamplighter will seek permission to build out space in the middle of the brewery as an extension of the taproom and cafe area to accommodate an additional 70 people and 35 seats.

Around the corner from Lamplighter in Cambridge, Lord Hobo is kicking expansion plans into gear. Even with the Cambridge space and a taproom/brewery in Woburn, Lord Hobo has more room to grow and just shared the news that it’s looking to add an outpost in Boston’s Seaport, according to The Boston Globe.

Such an expansion will only add to the already strong beer presence in Seaport/Fort Point, with Trillium and Harpoon Brewery. Both currently have plans to expand, and Harpoon wants to do so by adding an outdoor beer garden to its existing complex on Northern Avenue. Boston Magazine reports that this will be a seasonal space spanning around 2,500 feet adjacent to the brewery. Trillium’s plans, as previously reported, involve a move to a larger space (still in Fort Point) that will ultimately include a restaurant, patio, and possibly a roof deck bar.

Castle Island Brewing Company is also in the midst of expanding its brewery in Norwood. The brewery is just over a year old, but it will double its production capacity with the addition of three new tanks that bring the total number of barrels produced each year up to 13,000, according to the Boston Business Journal.

Wormtown Brewery, known for its Be Hoppy American IPA, plans to more than double the square footage of its home in Worcester, taking over an adjacent space. The volume of beer produced will increase dramatically, and Wormtown will be able to up its distribution capabilities and add more staff.

Up in Salem, Notch has an expansion in the works as well. The brewery plans to add onto its existing brewery and taproom to the tune of 2,500 additional square feet of space, which will accommodate more seats and room for visitors to move around.

And finally, a new brewpub is just getting started in New Bedford: Moby Dick Brewing Co. has opened for business serving lunch and dinner along with its lineup of beers, according to Boston Magazine. Alongside pub-style comfort food, there are lagers, IPAs, and an aptly-named Ishm-Ale, the brewpub’s amber.