Brewin' business
PArtners to open brewpub in Pontiac Mill complex
Tamara McKenney and Kris Waugh were looking for a new endeavor. The business partners, who met when they started an IT recruiting company, were looking for a business that could be a collaborative community space. They considered a few ideas, from a coffee shop to a food truck, but nothing seemed to check all of their boxes.
In 2015, craft beers were booming, and the two women looked at each other and decided a brewpub should be their next project.
“It was creative, it involved hospitality, I love the collaboration of the beer brewing, the craft beer industry,” McKenney said.
So began the Apponaug Brewing Company. Named for the old Apponaug Mill, which was once owned by McKenney’s grandfather and great-grandfather, the partners eventually found the perfect home for their brewpub - another mill, Pontiac Mill.
McKenney spent six months in 2016 carefully running the numbers to see what type of space would make sense for their developing interest. They looked at a variety of properties throughout Rhode Island. Pontiac seemed to be the perfect fit. They are self-financing the venture. Both women are from East Greenwich, and feel comfortable and welcome in Warwick.
“It’s a demographic we understand, it’s close to home, and we’re part of the community. It felt right to be in Kent County,” McKenney explained.
The building was nowhere near ready during the initial walk through. “This building had no roof here,” McKenney said, pointing upward, “but you could see the potential, the river, the windows- once we found this, we were sort of done.”
That potential is now slowly turning into an active community space. With plans for eighty-five seats inside, and forty-five outside, a full craft bar and kitchen, the brewpub should be ready to carry out the vision that McKenney has for the space.
“Pub is short for public,” she said, “Historically, a public house was place people gathered to share food and news. We’re trying to bring back, in a modern-day sense, what a public house was in the 1800s.”
Justin Tisdale was initially introduced to McKenney and Waugh through a mutual friend, mostly to simply talk beer before they set out into the brewing world. It was clear that he knew his beer, with previous experience working at Sons of Liberty in South Kingstown, and Foolproof in Pawtucket. He is now signed on as the head brewer at Apponaug. Their ten-barrel brewing system is currently being set up, and when it is up and running, it will produce 310 gallons of beer.
The brewery is looking to hire about 25 employees, with Tisdale as the head brewer, a bar manager, and head chef already in place. While the employees are crucial, McKenney is also looking forward to patrons leaving their mark. She is excited about what she describes as “letting people come in and be part of that growth.” She explains further, “We have a head brewer who is very good at his job. But, he’s open to talking to people about what they are looking for in beer. The same goes for the kitchen. When you knit people into the fabric, they are a part of this.”
The beer community in Rhode Island is thriving, with more than 15 breweries in the state. McKenney said that there is a lot of great beer in the area, and adds that the brewing community in the state is an impressive group to be a part of. In addition to six to eight of their own brews, which are made in house, Apponaug Brewing Co. seeks to feature a variety of different beers from around Rhode Island as well. For now, the beer made in house will only be served at the brewpub itself.
The owners are excitedly getting ready to carry out their overall goals, what McKenney describes as their company tripod.
“Our goals are food, beer, and community, and they all rise and fall together. We make beer to bring people in here to be a part of a community.”
Apponaug Brewing is part of the larger development of the Pontiac Mills, which is opening the first of its two phases of housing within the next two months. The Pontiac Mills is a sprawling, mid 1850s complex that once produced the original Fruit of the Loom fabric. The mill is expected to house both 137 apartments and 100,000 square feet of commercial property, with the Apponaug Brewing Co. being the first of the commercial areas to open. Within the vast complex, Apponaug Brewing is located to the right of the water tower, along the Pawtuxet River off Knight Street.
As of now, the opening date and hours of the brewery are not set, as utilities, electricity, and a working kitchen are not yet up and running. Even when everything within the building is ready, it will take another six weeks for the first batch of beer to brew. It is then that McKenney, Waugh, and their full staff will be ready to open their doors to the Warwick community.
