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The Cambridge House
by Gregg Glaser
35 Powder Horn Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897-3122, 203-834-0800
Copyright, 2005, by Gregg Glaser. All Rights Reserved.
First North American Rights to Yankee Brew News
April-May 2003 issue
The Cambridge House brewpub opened in Granby, CT, on April 1, 2005. Six months later, on October 1, they won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Not bad for the new brewpub on the block.
"The GABF award is a great way to bring more awareness of your beers to your customers," said Steve Schmidt, brewmaster at The Cambridge House.
This award - a gold for his Kolsch in the Cellar or Unfiltered Beer category - marks Schmidt's seventh GABF medal since 1997. As Director of Brewery Operations for seven years at Empire Brewing, a popular brewpub chain in western New York, Schmidt won three gold medals (Octoberfest, Schwarzbier, Kolsch), one silver medal (Dry Irish Stout) and two bronze medals (English Brown Ale, Klsch) from 1997 to 2002. In 1998, Schmidt earned a bronze medal for his Kolsch at the World Beer Cup.
A Brewpub for Upstate
The Cambridge House is the first - and only - brewpub in Connecticut's Farmington Valley. The enterprise is also the first foray into the brewing and restaurant businesses by partners Steve Boucino and Scott Scanlon, the former an ex-insurance company executive and the later still toiling in that field in nearby Hartford.
"At first we wanted to have an English themed pub," said Boucino, an affable, energetic host during a recent visit, "but we realized that brewing added more of a chance to succeed." His research taught him that seven out of ten restaurants fail in their first year or two, but that seven out of ten brewpubs succeed in that same time period.
Boucino recently quit his job of 13 years as vice president of sales for a credit collection company in order to work full-time at The Cambridge House. Before that, the Naugatuck, CT, native worked in sales and marketing in the insurance business in Hartford. He attended the University of New Hampshire, where he graduated with a degree in financial management.
The Cambridge House is located in the former Copper Lantern restaurant, which over the years housed different restaurants and a coffee shop. Boucino and Scanlon bought the building and land in December 2002 through their investment partnership, The Cambridge House Real Estate Holding Co.
The Copper Lantern closed in 1998 and the building, constructed in 1932, was a mess. Flooded many times from a stream in the back, Boucino wrote on his website: "If the Copper Lantern building were a horse, you'd have to shoot it." Repairs to the building were performed by Boucino, Scanlon and friends on weekends, aided by professional contractors.
The partners added to the building's footprint and added a second level for an upstairs dining room. The entrance was changed from the front to the rear, where a large outdoor deck was erected. The original entrance was raised two feet to allow for floor drains. This is where the brewhouse now stands. Glass walls and sliding glass doors allow the brewhouse to be visible from the street and the front parking lot.
The re-built and re-designed 5,500-square-foot brewpub now has three indoor seating areas on two levels. Upstairs is a bright, airy, high-ceiling dining room with many windows that seats 75 diners. Downstairs a 3,000-square-foot bar area seats 20 around a U-shaped bar and 60 at counter-level tables. A side dining room seats 44.
Boucino said he thought he had done his research on opening a brewpub so well "I read every book on brewpubs and restaurants" - that he could bypass the most common mistakes he had read and heard about.
"I was cocky enough to think I knew it all and could do this quickly," Boucino said, "but you can't go faster. I thought I could do it better, but that's not possible, either. You always need more money and more time."
Boucino and Scanlon visited brewpubs in at least 15 states as part of their research. "'Only borrow from the best,' was our first slogan," he said.
A creative financing idea the partners introduced to raise money for their venture was to sell shares. They sold 120 shares to 22 investors at a price of $300.00 each. Any investor who purchased two or more shares enjoys a free pint a day at The Cambridge House for as long as they remain investors.
"No shares were bought by friends or family," Boucino said. "The investors are all strangers."
The Brewhouse
Boucino and Scanlon bought a seven-barrel PUB Systems brewhouse that had previously been in use at a Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery in Texas. The compact brewhouse uses two copper vessels: a mash/lauter tun stacked on top of a hot water tank and the brew kettle. Four vertical cylindrical stainless steel fermenters also stand on the brewhouse floor. Directly underneath is a cold cellar with five bright beer tanks from which the beer is pumped to the taps upstairs at the bar.
During a typical brew day, Boucino said he's the "assistant, assistant brewer, hauling grain bags up to the grain mill." Schmidt holds the title of brewmaster, and the day-to-day brewer at The Cambridge House is Dave Weickel, a native of Vermont who has brewed at Dogwood Brewing in Atlanta, Long Trail in Vermont and Redhook in New Hampshire.
Schmidt also currently works as Lead Brewer at Redhook in Portsmouth, NH. He said Redhook has been good to him, allowing him to consult with The Cambridge House on their brewpub design and the formulation of their recipes, as well as brewing there.
"I love doing this," Schmidt said. "Redhook is my super techie side of brewing and Cambridge allows me to exercise my creative side. I need both the big and small brewery experience."
Originally from Syracuse, NY, Schmidt trained as a mechanical engineer at Rochester Institute of Technology. His first job was with the Niagara Mohawk Power Co., working in nuclear reactor engineering. He's also a graduate of the Master Brewers Program of the University of California, Davis. In addition, he holds an Associate Membership in the Institute of Brewing (London) and he's a Professional Member of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
"Steve brought us great brewing knowledge and engineering and technical know-how," Boucino said. "We owe him a lot."
The Beers
In the short time since opening, The Cambridge House has brewed nine beers. Sales are brisk and Boucino said they're on track to brew 1,000 barrels in their first year. "We can't keep up with demand," he said.
The five beers usually on tap at The Cambridge House are Newgate Mild (4.1%), Cooper Hill Kolsch (5.1%), Old Mill Pond ESB (6.7%), Abijah Rowe IPA, (6.8%) and Three Steve Stout (4.6%). Other beers have included Holcomb Hefe-Weizen, Discovery Organic Pale Ale, Wilhelm's Wild Blueberry and a pumpkin ale. The beers' names originate from Granby's local history and geography. Wilhelm's Wild Blueberry is named after a nearby farmer.
Guest beers include those from two Connecticut micros - Farmington River Brewing and Thomas Hooker Ales & Lagers as well as Redhook, Southampton Publick House, Berkshire Brewing and Long Trail Brewing.
"Beer is the number one seller here," Boucino said, "with Kolsch selling the most, followed by IPA, ESB and stout." The Cambridge House also serves 16 wines and maintains a full bar.
Time to Eat
Beer-infused cuisine such as Stout Soaked Steak, IPA Chili, Spent Grain Pizza, a stout chocolate sauce and a stout dressing are specialties at The Cambridge House. Spent grains from the mash tun are also baked into breads. A Brew Master Dinner will take place in January.
"Beer is the number one thing for us and also fun for the chefs," Boucino said. "They smile more when they get to cook with our beers."
Special events at The Cambridge House include private functions in the upstairs dining room, acoustic music on the weekends and an occasional comedy night. A webcam will soon be installed in the brewhouse.
Granby is about 20 miles from both Hartford and Springfield, MA, and Boucino said his location on Routes 10/202 is excellent because thousands of cars travel by each day as commuters head to and from Hartford.
"All I need to attract more business," he said, "is a stoplight right in front of the building."
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