Pioneering Cambridge Brewing will be closing its doors in December after 35 years of serving the Cambridge, MA community. The 10-barrel brewpub was the second brewpub to open in the state in 1989 and has been a highly respected brewery in the industry for over 3 decades.
“To our dear CBC friends and family, our time is coming to a close. Our last day of service will be Dec. 20th. But what a time it has been!” the brewery posted on its Instagram page.
The brewery has been a well-known fixture in the industry since its early days. The brewery was founded by Phil Bannatyne who is now 68 and reportedly ready to retire. Brewmaster and partner Will Meyers joined Cambridge in 1993 and has said he is not currently looking for another job in the industry. In 2017, the Brewers Association presented Will with the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing.
Past employees have moved on to all parts of the country with various projects after honing their skills at Cambridge. The Cambridge family tree includes Ben Roesch, cofounder and brewmaster at Wormtown Brewery, Megan Parisi, now the head brewer at the Samuel Adams Tap Room, Ben Howe, Head Brewer at the Ebeltoft Gårdbryggeri brewery in Denmark and Sean Nolan, owner and brewer at Honest Weight Artisan Ales in Orange, MA.
“We opened in 1989 with essentially 2 goals in mind. We were the first commercial brewery to produce a Belgian Style beer in this country and one of the first to embrace multiple yeast strains in-house and even to intentionally invite wild organisms into our brewery.”
Cambridge Brewing Tripel Threat became the first Belgian-style beer to win a medal at the Great American Beer Festival.
“Over our 35 years we have hosted millions of guests, witnessed joyous family gatherings, awkward first dates, college reunions, running and social clubs, raucous bar crowds and countless other occasions. It is this accomplishment we are most proud of,” said the Instagram post.
The brewery, which still uses its original 10-barrel system, has become an almost “Cheers-like” evening destination for many and always a noted stop for industry members when in town. Best wishes to Phil and Will!