Six Pack Questionnaire Series: Moby Dick Brewing Co.

Meet Scott Brunelle, head brewer at Moby Dick Brewing Co.

Full Name:
Scott Brunelle

Your title:
Brewer

Brewery Name:
Moby Dick Brewing Co

Brewery Location:
New Bedford, Mass.

#1) What made you decide to get into the craft brewing industry? I kind of lucked into an assistant brewer role while tending bar at Brewmoon Boston. Unlike most craft brewers I had only home brewed once before I was actually paid to brew. 

#2) Which of your beers do your customers enjoy the most and why? We have a wide range of regular guests as well as a wide variety of styles available. I like to think if a group of people come in they should be able to find a beer on our list that they will enjoy. Our regulars try new offerings but tend to favor my west coast IPA as well as my European Lagers.

#3) What's your favorite thing about your brewery? My favorite things about my brewery is that I picked out the equipment and that I have full autonomy over all phases of the brewing operation.

#4) Besides your own, what Massachusetts craft beers or breweries impress you the most and why? 

I love all Ma breweries. Saying that I love CraftRoots since they make great beer and Maureen was my intern at RB Braintree many moons ago. I am also a fan of Mayflower since they are in the town that I live in and have great staff, great beer and great ownership.

#5) What’s a little known fact about you or your brewery that you think customers would get a kick out of? We are technically in a National Park, The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. We are in a building that used to be a fruit company(Tropical Banana Company) so we have hooks in our basement where they used to gas the bananas in order to kill the tarantulas.

#6) Do you remember your first gateway craft beer? What did you love about it and why? My first gateway craft beer was Sierra Nevada Pale ale. I just remember loving the color, the appearance and the aroma. It was just so much more complex, flavorful and more  interesting than all of the mass produced American lagers that I had tried in the past. ​

Bring some local pride to the table this Thanksgiving #MABeer

Anything wine can do, beer can do better - so clear the wine glasses and make room for Mass. made craft beer as you set the table this Thanksgiving.

From the buttery stuffing and mashed potatoes, tangy cranberry sauce, flavorful turkey and creamy pies, there’s a local offering that can hold up to any side or dessert you can dish up. 

We unfortunately can’t help you navigate political conversations around the dinner table, or make your in-laws more bearable, but we can help you navigate the craft beer aisle with a list of beers brewed right here in Massachusetts. 

And when all else fails, just change the subject and talk about how great the beer is …

First Thanksgiving on a Sour Planet!, Aeronaut 
A tart wheat ale, brewed with 180 lbs. of Massachusetts grown apples and exotic cinnamon. A pleasantly refreshing sour with prominent apple pie notes along with warming autumnal spices.

“Gose Well With Cranberries” and “Gose Well With Pumpkin Pie,” Second Wind Brewing Co.
Second Wind Brewing Co., released two beers just in time for Thanksgiving. A split a batch of “Gose Well...” with the first made with pureed pumpkin and holiday spices and the second made with pureed cranberries. Both 4.7 ABV and mildly tart. Available for sale in the taproom only.  

Kill Your Idles: Crantastic, Idle Hands 
A sour ale brewed with cranberry and blood orange puree then back sweetened with Lactose to balance the acidity. Full of cranberry flavor with just the right amount of citrus notes to keep the beer interesting. The addition of lactose allows for the flavors of the fruit to stand out among the acidic character of the base beer.

Cranberry Wheat Ale, Stone Cow
An American wheat ale bursting with fresh cranberry flavor and aroma. This trusty Thanksgiving sidekick can hang throughout the entire meal, from first bite to last sip. Especially great for cranberry sauce lovers. 

Goody Two Shoes Kölsch-Style Ale, Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co. 
This well-carbonated traditional Kölsch is a great partner to Thanksgiving dinner. Higher carbonation helps cut the richness of the turkey, gravy and stuffing and the light body and low ABV won't fill you up, leaving more room for pie. 

Rising Wind, Moby Dick Brewing Co.
A medium bodied, well balanced German-style, Dortmund/Export lager. What’s a Dortmund/Export lager you ask? As far as German golden lagers go, it breaks down like this: Pilsners are hoppy, Munich lagers are malty, and Dortmund/Export lagers are well balanced. This beer goes well with chicken, turkey and pasta as well as fatty flavorful fish like salmon, swordfish or tuna. 

Sweet Brown, Castle Island
Castle Island’s limited fall release, Sweet Brown, is a brown ale brewed with sweet potatoes. By including this ingredient, the sweet potatoes are able to provide a rich complexity to the mouthfeel that helps distinctly characterize the beer. Toasted malts also provide deep roasted chocolate and caramel notes that round out the beer and allows it to stand up to any Thanksgiving feast.

Slumpkin Pumpkin, Somerville Brewing Co.
It’s still Pumpkin beer season. Somerville Brewing recommends Slumkin Pumpkin to pair with dinner and pie. Awarded a Top 10 in the US by Rate My Pumpkins, this beer delights with fresh sugar pumpkin and a tiny hint of spice.

Storm Door Porter, RiverWalk
When the days get shorter and the shadows longer, the storm door goes on signaling the end of summer. So we meet the season head on with a beer sturdy enough for the harsher weather. Vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks enhance our rich dark malt to create a warming finish to sustain us all until the warmer weather returns.  

With the weather set to bring us the coldest Thanksgiving on record, Storm Door Porter pairs well with roaring fires, full bellies and hearts filled with thanks. Rated the #10 Porter in the country in 2018 by Paste magazine, this beer is the perfect choice for hiding from the weather and relatives alike.

Skwäshbuckle Imperial Porter, Turtle Swamp Brewing Co. 
This beer is named after the linguistic and phonetic spelling of squash, because umlauts are fun. It also shares a surname with Jim Buckle, the New England farmer who grew the 100 pounds of various baking squash that went into this beer. This rich and hearty limited offering is brewed with squash and spices, and pours dark brown with ruby red highlights, foaming up with a frothy, mocha colored head. Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and clove, the initial sip of this porter is surprisingly light with notes of brown sugar and only a hint of the heat from its 10.7% ABV. The finish releases more complex notes of dried fruit, banana, clove, and hints of pine from the Cascade hops. 

Trappist Holiday Ale, Spencer Brewing Co.
Mahogany in color, wholesome in body, lightly spiced, a heart-warming feast day ale from our table to yours.

Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2018

The Mass Brewers Guild Highlights New Breweries with Roundtable Tasting Event - Saturday, March 3 from Noon to 3 p.m.

NATICK, Mass.| Haven’t had the chance to check out some of the state’s newest breweries? The Mass Brewers Guild has you covered. “Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2018,” will bring together nine of the state’s newly launched breweries for an intimate, roundtable style tasting event with unique access to brewers.

The lineup includes: 7th Wave Brewing, Lookout Farm Brewing Co., Moby Dick Brewing Co., River Styx Brewing Co., Shakesbeer, Shovel Town Brewery, Turtle Swamp Brewing, Untold Brewing and Widowmaker Brewing.  

Tickets are $40 and all proceeds will benefit the Mass Brewers Guild, the state’s trade association that works to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the Commonwealth. The fundraiser aims to foster learning and education of the brewing process and inspire deeper connections between brewers and craft beer lovers.

“We had a record-breaking number of breweries launch in the state last year - 39 to be exact - and we are expecting 25 additional breweries to come on board in 2018,” says Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild. “This event makes it easier for our craft beer fans to keep track of our freshman breweries, and gives them the opportunity to wrap their lips around some of the Bay state’s new beer. This is the second year that we are hosting this event. It’s a different approach to a beer festival that both our attendees and brewers really enjoy.”

How does the event work? Upon arrival, guests will be broken up into groups of eight. Each group will then have twelve minutes with each brewer to enjoy up to three samples, ask questions, and hear the story behind the beer and the brewery before rotating to the next brewer. Attendees will receive a souvenir MBG tasting glass and gourmet, Bavarian pretzels from Wicked Twisted Pretzels.

Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2018 will take place at Lookout Farm Brewing Co., 89 Pleasant Street South, Natick, Mass, on Saturday, March 3 from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets are limited. For more information about the Mass Brewers Guild, or the state’s breweries, visit massbrewersguild.org. To purchase tickets to Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2018, visit mtbfc2018.eventbrite.com.

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