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Abandoned Building Brewery Finds Its Place in the 413
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
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att Tarlechi says many people assume that he found a home for his fledgling brewery and then attached a name that spoke to that location.
Truth is, he and friends had long before settled on the name Abandoned Building for this venture — he’s from Philadelphia, and, apparently, there
were a lot of abandoned buildings there at the time — and then went about securing a home that, well ... fit that description.
He found one, sort of, in the complex of mills on Pleasant Street in Easthampton. The spot chosen, in the sprawling Brickyard Mill, wasn’t exactly abandoned, but it was vacant, having last been occupied by a manu- facturer of plastic bags and similar products.
A decade or so after settling in, Tarlechi and a grow- ing staff now numbering 14 have found more than a
home. They’ve found a place — among the growing number of breweries in Western Mass., in the com- munity of Easthampton and the surrounding area, and, increasingly, on the list of intriguing destinations on Friday night.
Indeed, in addition to producing a wide variety of brews with names like Dirty Girl IPA, Galactic Insanity (another IPA), and Cool Beans, a cold-brew coffee stout, ABB, as it’s called, has become well-known for its Food Truck Friday, which is just what it sounds like — the gathering of a few food trucks, some live music, and cold brews in the mill’s parking lot.
“We set up tables and chairs, and we invite three to five different food trucks to come out,” he explained. “We also have live music and provide beer in the beer garden. We do it 16 times a year, and it’s become a sta- ple in Easthampton for families, friends, and visitors.”
On a good night — and weather is usually the biggest factor — these events will draw more than 700 people to the mill, he said, adding that they have become part
“We had a good amount of time to establish ourselves as a craft brewery that puts out consistent beers throughout the year. And we’ve had a lot of customers who have been here since early on that we still have today.”
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Brewer and owner Matt Tarlechi