Meet Rachael Stillman, Assistant Brewer at Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Co.
Full Name? Rachael Stillman
Your title? Assistant Brewer
Brewery Name? Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Company
Brewery Location?
19 Weed St
Marlborough, MA
#1) What made you decide to get into the craft brewing industry? My older sister used to be the sales rep for Moon Hill Brewing and introduced me to craft beer right when I turned 21. I've bartended at some dive bars in the past, but there's really something special about a taproom setting and talking with craft beer customers.
#2) Which of your beers do your customers enjoy the most and why? I think more than anything, people go crazy for the collab beers and seasonal beers. It's great to see people coming out on a mission to try something they just saw posted on social media. Walking in Darkness was stout we brewed in collaboration with Dave at Strong Side Brewing and it was really well received.
#3) What's your favorite thing about your brewery? Our taproom is my favorite. Since we do coffee and beer, it feels pretty lively at any point in the day. For the holidays, the taproom gets transformed into a winter wonderland, "The Lost Forest", where we bring in dozens of trees and decorations.
#4) Besides your own, what Massachusetts craft beers or breweries impress you the most and why? I started my career in craft beer at River Styx Brewing and they definitely have nailed pastry stouts and cocktail inspired beers/seltzers. I've seen the crazy brainstorming that goes into their ideas and it's super admirable. Their Day of Darkness stout event is one you don't want to miss.
As far as a stand out beer, With Fang & Claw was a French saison that Sterling Street released in collaboration with Amory's Tomb for their first anniversary. Fingers crossed maybe they'll see this and bring it back?
#5) What’s a little known fact about you or your brewery that you think customers would get a kick out of? Something unique, funny or unusual? The name Lost Shoe is an homage to Marlborough's history in shoe manufacturing. I think Lost Shoe's place in the downtown Marlborough community is really unique too. Double T's Tavern up the street made a beer cheese for one of their burger specials with our Festbier. And Welly's roasted pumpkins for our Eastwitch beer and later put it on tap.
#6) Where do you think craft beer is headed? What do you think craft brewing is going to look like five years from now? Before I was in the craft beer industry, I worked on my family's dairy farm in Lunenburg. We had our own processing plant where we pasteurized, homogenized, and bottled our milk. My family still has a farm store but has stopped milking cows and processing milk. As the fate of the dairy industry becomes more dismal, I think we're going to see a lot more dairy farmers switching gears and getting into the beer industry. I've found the production skills are super transferable. I think farmers will see the success of breweries like Stone Cow and want to make a transition.