A brewery of the people, by the people, for the people. That’s the vision for Black Cloud Brewing, a new brewery poised to revitalize the former location of Modestman Brewing on Main Street in Keene.
Former Modestman employees Marc and Melissa Smith, Tom and Heather DuFault, and George Colarullo said they envision a comfortable, colorful and community-oriented business. The venture is also supported by Rob and Aly Betz of Maine.
Modestman closed its doors in August after the owner moved operations to Maine.
Seated around a table at the work-in-progress space on Saturday morning, the local founders said they’re aiming for a late winter opening, but are awaiting state and federal approvals before they can start brewing.
But Marc Smith said he already knows the flagship IPA, “Surge,” will be the first taste of Black Cloud’s lineup when the time comes.
Like Modestman, where Smith was the head brewer, the new brewery will offer a selection of hazy New England IPAs, Smith said, but it will also be serving up a broader selection of German and other European beers.
“A beer for everyone” is the goal, said Tom DuFault.
In the kitchen, Heather DuFault will be mixing up specialty sauces and dressings, some of them beer-based, as well as making pizza and pretzels with locally-made dough, some of which will be made in part from spent grain from the business’ brewing process.
The founders said they also plan to serve charcuterie-style “sharing plates.”
Like the concept of a sharing plate, designed to be enjoyed by multiple people, the long table in the new brewery’s taproom invites gatherings.
That’s what the Smiths, DuFaults and Colarullo said they’re going for. They want the business to be community oriented, they said, and hope to work closely with other business, organizations and charities.
‘A serendipitous collision of dreams’
Owning a brewery of their own has been a dream for the Smiths for over a decade, since Marc started volunteering at a brewery in Massachusetts. He’s since held several jobs in the industry, including at Harpoon in Windsor, Vt. and, most recently, brewing at Modestman.
Heather DuFault called Black Cloud Brewing “a serendipitous collision of a lot of different dreams.”
For the Smiths, it’s the brewery dream. DuFault has always wanted to run a cafe or similar joint, and Colarullo has an MBA he wants to put to work.
Unlike some brewery founders, Tom DuFault said, they’re all going into this knowing more or less what it entails. Their collective experience in the industry is invaluable, he said.
The goal is to bring their dreams and experiences together to create a relaxing, comfortable and fun place to sip new and familiar beer, snack and hang out, they said.
The owner-operated brewery likely won’t have any non-founder staff until at least the summer, they said.
Until then, “if you want to talk to the owner, pick anyone in the building,” Tom DuFault said.
Abigail Ham can be reached at 603-355-8554 or aham@keenesentinel.com.
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