Geary Brewing Company
Photo: Geary Brewing Company
The taps at Geary Brewing Company have been open since the winter of 1986 when it began pouring its flagship beer, Geary’s Pale Ale. Established in 1983 with federal craft brewing license #13, this is New England’s first craft brewery. Initially brewing in open fermentation, the company made the transition to closed fermentation and brewed an extensive line of beers.
Founder David L. Geary began traveling and training in England and Scotland in the winter of 1984. Upon his return to the US, he and his wife Karen began the long and arduous task of building a business. Alan Pugsley (the co-founder of Shipyard Brewing Company) was recruited to set-up the brewery, eventually expanding the offerings to ten beers. In 1987, Geary’s began distributing to Hannaford and Shaw’s supermarket, a huge break for the burgeoning company. By the 1990s they were distributed outside the northeastern US.
Increasing competition and the passing of Karen Geary led to the sale of the company to new owners in 2017; David Geary passed in 2023.
Geary Brewing Company is still going strong today, offering everything from the original Pale Ale to the award-winning London Porter, the Blueberry Lager, and a series of IPAs. You can grab yourself a pint and get a tour of the region’s very first craft brewery seasonally.
