Brewery, Taproom and European-Style Beer Garden Coming to Salem

Veteran brewer Chris Lohring has deep roots in his hometown of Salem, Mass., so for him, it is the perfect place to launch his newest endeavor. He is the fourth-generation to live in a house his Polish grandfather bought in 1920. It made perfect sense of him to chose Salem to build his new brewery.

On July 7, Lohring signed a lease for a 5,000-square-foot space on the back side of a building on the South River at 283-R Derby Street.

The front side of the building is Brothers Tavern, which is staying put.

The space will house a brewey, and a taproom. Lohring is planning on creating a European-style beer garden.

I really want to have a community feel,” Lohring said. “I want to base it on a German or Czech beer hall. There will be no bar, no TV, so people can socialize.”

Not to worry, Lohring said, there will be televisions for major sporting events.

Lohring founded Notch Brewing Co. in 2010. his craft beer company specializes in sessions beer, or low-alcohol beer. Notch was the the first brewing company in the U.S. to focus exclusively on session beer.

In 1993, Lohring was an entrepreneur major at Northeastern University. His senior year project was to consult a startup brewery, a project that sparked his interest in the buisness. After graduation, he attended brewing school at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. 1993, Lohring founded Charlestown’s Tremont Brewery. He owned that brewery for 12 years.

“I left brewing for a few years,” Lohring said, but he was drawn back to it, and founded Notch in 2010.

The craft beer business was booming, but Lohring said there were very few craft beers being created with a low-to-moderate alcohol content.

“The craft brewers were focussed on higher-alcohol beers,” Lohring said. Lohring rented space in existing breweries to craft his beers.

Notch currently brews beers at three locations, the Ipswich Ale Brewery (Bottles, Draft, Cask), Two Roads Brewery (Cans, Draft) and Kennebunkport Brewery (Cask One-Off).

“I wanted to prove out the brand,” Lohring said.

The popularity of Notch beers steadily grew, and Lohring made the decision, along with his wife, Mary Ellen Leahy, to open another brewery.

“The new brewery roots us, and gives a sense of place,” Lohring said.

He has one full-time employee, Zac Antczak, whose title is brand manager.

Construction of the brewery will begin in September. Brewing is scheduled to begin early next year.

“And we hope to open in March or April,” Lohring said.

Lohring said city officials deserve a lot of the credit for his decision to build his brewery in Salem.

“They helped me to I’D spots, and worked with me,” Lohring said.

Photo Credits: Notch Brewing Co.