Brattleboro will be getting another brewery soon.
Hermit Thrush Brewery will be opening later this year on 29 High St., at the former site of the Blue Moose bistro.
According to its website, www.hermitthrushbrewery.com, the brewery will be brewing “Belgian inspired ales” using a “responsible” brewing process.
The brewery, according to its Facebook page (facebook.com/HermitThrushBrewery/), “is the brainchild of President and Brewmaster Chrisophe Gagné and his beer-loving friend and Vice President Avery Schwenk.”
Hermit Thrush will use oak barrels, rather than stainless steel, for aging the beer, and the brewery will use local ingredients and sell their beer in “growlers,” or half-gallon bottles, to reduce packaging and waste. Gagné and Schwenk also plan to recycle the spent grain from the brewing process as animal feed for local farms, and use wood pellet-fired steam boilers for the brewery.
Hermit Thrush will be Brattleboro's third brewery. It joins McNeill's Brewery, which closed down its 20-barrel packaging brewery at The Book Press complex last summer and has resumed making its beer on Elliot Street, and the Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery on Bridge Street, which started brewing last summer.
Putney Road changes
The restaurant churn in Brattleboro was particularly vigorous on Putney Road in June.
• Friendly's at 1089 Putney Road, near the Exit 3 roundabout, abruptly closed on June 9. The Wilbraham, Mass.-based company has closed dozens of its restaurants in the past three years as it struggles to survive in the mid-priced family restaurant sector. If you still have a hankering for a Fribble, you'll have to go to either Keene, N.H., or Greenfield, Mass.
• Also closing was Mama & Papa Z's, a family restaurant at 564 Putney Rd. Thick crust pizza and calzones were their specialties.
• Ramunto's Brick Oven Pizza, at 1111 Putney Rd. in the former Bickfords, has an “opening soon” sign in front, but they have not yet announced when that will be. A franchise restaurant chain serving New York-style pizza, Ramuntos has locations in Keene, Claremont, West Lebanon, and Newport in New Hampshire, and Bennington, Quechee, St. Johnsbury, and Williston in Vermont.
• And the persistent rumor of Five Guys Burgers and Fries locating in the former Pizza Hut on Putney Road has been dashed. ClearChoiceMD, a New Hampshire-based medical company, is building a for-profit urgent care center at the site.
Downtown doings
• Hazel, a new restaurant at 75 Elliot St., had a “soft” opening for invited guests over the weekend. Located in the former Frankie's Pizza across from the Transportation Center, expect some good barbecue and pizza from Hazel.
• Milagros Mexican Kitchen, at 97 Main St., completed its first month of business. It opened at the end of May after several delays. Run by Chef Matthew Blau, owner of Fireworks Brattleboro and Fireworks Keene, it has received some good reviews on social media over the past few weeks.
• As for the Brooks House, WOW Frozen Yogurt of Greenfield, Mass., hopes to open its Brattleboro store on Main Street shortly, as does Duo Restaurant, the farm-to-table restaurant to be located at the corner of Main and High streets.
The $24 million restoration project to restore the historic downtown landmark to its former glory continues on schedule, and is expected to be finished in August.
New in Putney
• Katy's has opened up at 118 Main St. in Putney, at the former site of Swirl. They're serving breakfast. lunch, and dinner daily (except Tuesdays) from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Katy Aldridge and Brad Hammond are the owners and chefs. They've run several culinary endeavors over the years, including Katy's Cafe in East Dummerston and Newfane. They say they will be serving “gourmet comfort food” and also will offer catering.
• And Mountain Paul's General Store on Main Street closed its doors as of June 1. A part of Putney since 1979, the store boasted of having the best sandwiches in Putney. The laundromat will stay open, but the rest of the building is for sale.