ENFIELD — Mike McManus has every reason to celebrate.
He’s raising a pint glass in celebration of his success after opening Powder Hollow Brewery, which was Enfield’s first brewery.
“It’s very nice to be celebrating 10 years. For a business owner, it’s a serious milestone that not everyone reaches. There was no other option for me other than hitting the 10-year mark. I like business, that’s all I dream about, and what I want to continue to do,” he said.
The brewery will officially celebrate their 10th anniversary with an all-day party on Nov. 23.
“There will be discounts on drinks to thank our customers for their patronage, as well as on four-packs and growlers. Musician Jack Meers will also perform from 6-9 p.m., and we will have special new anniversary swag for sale,” said Kenzie Grant, marketing and tap room manager for the brewery.
Business for McManus began at the early age of 14 when he started a small woodworking business, then at 16 moved on to his own landscaping company.
After attending Vermont Technical College, where he received a degree in engineering, he worked for a large construction company, but soon realized that working for someone else wasn’t going to be a right fit. And that is when he decided to open his own brewery.
But that decision didn’t come out of left field.
“I was brewing beer as a hobby throughout college and into a young professional career. When I made the choice to open a company, I figured why not do my number one hobby. I can’t be a pro golfer, so I might as well be opening a brewery,” McManus said.
While living in an apartment while attending college, McManus noted he purchased the basics to get him started in home brewing — a pot, a burner, small grain grinding equipment — and began making little five-gallon batches of beer.
“I continued that hobby after graduating from college and that is how I learned how and to build up a brewery. I started with stouts and porters, then I moved to lagers. I found lagers to be a very good learning tool because you can’t hide a flaw in a light beer. So, I focused on that for a long time to understand how to properly make beer and as time went on that is how I stared to develop other recipes,” McManus said.
Over a decade, McManus with the help of Lance Boylan, head brewer, and Logan Nee, assistant head brewer, have developed hundreds of different beers and are always putting out new styles and new creations.
“We have IPAs, stouts, lagers, porters, sours … the goal for us with 12 beers on tap is that there should always be a beer for everyone. So, if someone comes in and is really into IPAs or has never stepped foot into a brewery, we must be able to make a beer that works for them. And that is what we always will do, to be a company that offers a wide variety, not one with only five beers, four of which are IPAs. Everyone should always be able to find a beer here that they enjoy,” he said.
At least a dozen beers are always on tap at the brewery, including at press time a West Coast IPA and Lift Your Kilt Scottish Ale, two customer favorites, as well as a 1929 Prohibition Porter, Caffeination Station, Hop Hazard Double IPA, Josie’s Pale Ale, Red X and others that vary from week to week.
“We have a Russian Imperial Stout that will be coming out on Nov. 23 during the party. We have been making it since our first year in business and only make it for our anniversary each year. It is a beer I enjoyed making as a home brewer … a very full-bodied, high in alcohol, flavorful beer. It’s a beer that you usually see more in the colder months and it works for us also coinciding with our anniversary,” McManus said.
Beers are available in flights or pints when drinking in the tap room, or to-go in cans and 64-ounce growlers.
At Powder Hollow Brewery, their focus is entirely on beermaking and on community in what McManus called a “very laid-back environment.”
“We specialize in making local craft beers, not on serving food. You can bring food with you into our tap room or call the local pizza place and have it delivered. People meet here to have a few beers, many of them on a regular basis, some of whom have made very strong friendships along the way.
We’re not a bar where people come do shots and get crazy, they come here to chit chat and to enjoy a few of their favorite beers. We also host birthday and other parties, and we offer live music for our patrons,” McManus shared, adding you can belly up to the bar and order your favorite pint or try a flight of beers.
As for the bar, you will never find televisions on the wall in front of you while sitting there.
“We believe conversations should happen while sitting at the bar and your attention should be on others you are sitting with. However, there are televisions elsewhere in our tap room,” McManus said about those sitting at tables.
Also, back in 2020, McManus began encouraging conversations at a second location at Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield.
“I really enjoy business and expansion is always on my mind. While looking for another location, an opportunity came up to be a partner in Yankee Candle. We built our new brewery in what was once their Chandler’s Restaurant. It was an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed, and we are happy to be there alongside Hillside Pizza, which is their own entity and serves all the food in that location,” he said.
As for the future, McManus says he “always has plans.”
“My thoughts for the future are that we are not slowing down, we will continue to make great new beers, and hope to continue to expand,” he said.
For those who enjoy the grape, R Dee Winery, jointly owned by McManus and his sister, is attached to Powder Hollow Brewery in Enfield.
The original Powder Hollow Brewery in Enfield is located at 504 Hazard Ave. It is open Monday through Thursday from 3-9 p.m., Friday from 3-10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.
For more information, and upcoming events such as their Hand Crafting Turkey Night, Santa’s Workshop, Third Annual Holiday Night Market, and Ugly Sweater Holiday Party, visit the Powder Hollow Brewery Facebook page or call 860-996-0092.
