How One Contract Brewery Is Setting Down Roots on the South Shore

If you google Entitled Beer Company right now, an erroneous address pops up. People don’t seem too thrilled about it; it’s duped some at first glance, even fooling a few into actually traveling to the site. While there is no brewery at said address, Entitled Beer Company is alive and well, and the team soon hopes to open a full-scale tasting room and brewery in Massachusetts.

Ideally, Entitled cofounders Jim Hodgdon and Brian Barry want to set roots in Hingham sometime in 2018. The two develop the majority of their recipes there, as well as live and work in the area. They learned their craft as home brewers and cultivated a love for beer while working in the restaurant industry on the South Shore. Entitled is now a full-time gig for them both, so establishing the brewery in Hingham would not only keep them close to home but also provide quality beer for their neck of the woods.

“If we find the perfect space tomorrow, then I’ll literally start the process tomorrow,” Barry says. “I’d be surprised if we don’t have a space by the end of this year, at least.”

Entitled Beer Company [official photo]

While Hodgdon and Barry work out the logistics for a brick-and-mortar, the brand exists as a contract entity across New England. Entitled currently brews around 90 percent of its beer at Dorchester Brewing Company in Boston and makes up the difference at Ipswich Ale Brewery.

Despite existing only between draft and retail accounts, Entitled has more than made the rounds since debuting. The brewery began as a keg-only venture in 2014, then started canning up its products once it got involved with Dorchester Brewing. Entitled currently distributes its beer across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Before long, it will also be available in Connecticut.

“[A tasting room] was a huge priority in the beginning, and then the brand starting growing so fast that it become secondary,” Barry says. “Keeping up became the main goal, and now it’s coming around again, where the tasting room is one of my goals.”

Entitled currently hangs its hat on four core beers: a “dangerously drinkable” namesake IPA; Therapy, a session IPA brewed with an “ungodly” amount of Citra hops; Artie’s Strong Arm ale, named after a close friend; and the Wit & Wisdom Belgian-style witbier, a white ale brewed with Meyer lemons. The team hope to soon add a few more beers to that mix, including an adjunct-free, ~6% ABV stout.

“We’ve brewed it a few times and have it down pat,” Barry says. “It has this amazing chocolate malt and coffee flavor.”

It’s a somewhat small catalog at the moment, but one that’s allowed Barry and company to put weight behind their most field-tested recipes. While Barry says the IPAs definitely “drive the train” right now, he hopes to soon branch out into more uncharted territory.

“Once we have our own tasting room, it’ll be easier to release some new recipes,” Barry says. “Everything we do right now has to be done on a larger scale, because we do everything in 60-barrel batches [at Dorchester Brewing], so it’s tricky when we release a new beer. A lot gets lost in translation.”

Entitled Beer Company [official photo]

Whether drinkers find an Entitled beer on tap in Dorchester, or in a can somewhere along the coast of Rhode Island, know that the team have sunk their best ideas into that vessel. Even the name “Entitled” stems from the notion that everyone deserves a quality glass of beer. Because of that, Barry and his crew don’t want to rush their growth; they’re taking each challenge as it comes, learning from their mistakes, and focusing on building the brewery and making a name for themselves.

A tasting room is definitely part of that equation, but Barry says they’re not abiding by a definitive timeline just yet, and there won’t be a ton of opportunities or special events geared toward showcasing Entitled’s beer until then. But no matter what 2018 brings to his brand, he feels that he’s accomplished something he never anticipated: opening a brewery. To the Entitled team, anything that follows is just gravy.

“On our truck that you see out on the road, one side says, ‘Deliciously hoppy, with an inflated sense of self-worth,’” Barry laughs. “We’re trying to have some fun.”

This story is part of Beer & Mortar, a series in which Eater Boston contributor Alex Wilking explores the beer scene in Boston and beyond. Stay tuned for new installments each week, featuring profiles of both classic breweries and soon-to-open ones, reports on local beer trends, and more.