THE

OCTOBER 2016

STURBRIDGETIMES
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING

MAGAZINE

Prsrt. Std
U.S. Postage
PAID
Worcester, MA
Permit No. 2

MUSINGS FROM LONG HILL

BEER FROM HERE

BY RICHARD MORCHOE

LEGAL
BRIEF

ROBERT A. GEORGE, ESQ.

STURBRIDGE ATTORNEY

O NT H LY
F O R

H E

LEGA

REA D ERS

T URB RID GE

DVIC E

O F

IM ES

AGA Z INE

HOME INSPECTORS
Dont buy a home without first hiring a home
inspector to climb over it, crawl through it and
peer into every nook and cranny.
Massachusetts is one of only a few states that
regulates and licenses home inspectors. The idea
is to make sure that homebuyers have an opportunity to hire someone who is not only competent, but working only on their behalf.
In addition to being of good moral character
whatever that means - the regulations require
home inspectors to have a high school degree, pass
a licensing exam, successfully conduct 25 supervised home inspections and take a 75-hour inspection course.
Realtors, who have a monetary stake in seeing
a sale go through, cant directly recommend a
home inspector, who may uncover so many problems that the sale falls through.
Usually a buyer goes to the inspection, which
can take several hours. The buyer gets a thick
binder full of photos, comments and recommendations. It can cost upwards of $800.00, but the
buyer can take the binder to the seller with a request to fix a few things.
Theres yet another reason to hire a home inspector. While home inspector contracts usually
contain language saying you cant sue them if they
miss something, the state regulations say they cant
completely limit their liability from mistakes, especially big ones.
And if they do make a big mistake, such as
missing a broken furnace or a hole in the roof,
theres money to pay for it: the regulations require
them to carry malpractice insurance with a minimum payout of $250,000.00
18 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE

If you wanted to see beer from locally

sourced ingredients come to Main Street in
Sturbridge, it would be a good idea to consult
with the man who wrote the book on the subject. It might even be better to get him to
bring it here himself.
Well he did it, but it wasnt easy.
Jonathan Cook wrote Beer Terrain: From
Field to Glass with more than a little assistance
from his wife, Suzanne LePage. It is a tale of
his odyssey of discovery. He thoroughly researched the local brew situation here in New
England. Beer Terrain was reviewed in these
pages in the December 2013 issue. Since,
Jonathan and Suzanne have continued the
quest.
Just how local are we when it comes to suds
in the region and why is this even a problem?
We once had a regional beer industry with the
raw material grown and produced here. Prohibition ended that. When the 21st Amendment passed and alcoholic beverages were
again legal, the agriculture that provided raw
materials for brewed beverages did not revive.
In the last several decades, there has been
interest in local and sustainable practices in
raising what we eat and drink. Craft beer also
gained a following as people desired more
than the watery national brands.

Jonathan and Suzanne are at the confluence of the two streams. They share an interest in beer with character and
sustainability. Suzanne, teaching at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has sustainable as a
broad interest of her work. Jonathan ran
the chef s garden at the Salem Cross Inn.
That, and writing the book tells you where
he stands.
The couple have been working toward
beer made with completely Massachusetts
ingredients. They pioneered a beer CSA.
A CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, is where people buy shares in the harvest of a farm and receive a portion through
the growing season. The Homefield Brewing CSA provided members with suds as locally sourced as possible. The choice of
name should be self-evident.
The logical progression would be a brew
pub. Interest in the artistry of beer making
is one thing, to have to go through all the
work of searching for a location and enduring the bureaucratic approval process is another. Still, they did it all.
Homefield Brewing has opened at 3
Arnold Road, just off Main Street in Sturbridge on the lower level below the recently
closed Village Music. It is across the street
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING

treats. There is a collection of condiments including West Brookfields In-A-Jam and Ugly
Hot Sauce out of Boston. Honey from Brookfields Grimes Apiary is available.
We were just about the only folks when the
doors opened. As we spoke with Suzanne,
people filtered in and filled the tables. On
weekends there is music.
Homefield is as pleasant a space as there is
in Sturbridge and surrounding towns. The
beer is well worth the trip. It is open Thursday
and Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday opening is noon and closing at 9:00 p.m.
Sunday opening is also at noon and closing is
at 6:00 p.m.

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

from the Senior Center.

Thus, it was time for us to come down from
Long Hill and pay a visit. While Jonathan was
off making beer, my wife and I got to sit down
with Suzanne on a Saturday afternoon. The
venue is a welcoming spot with a long counter
where the beer is served. The east wall is beautiful stone work by local artisan Randy Noble.
Before she came over, we had ordered some
beer. Robin tried the Copacetic and I got
Doug the Iconoclast. I asked Suzanne how the
name, Doug the Iconoclast came about for a
beer? The yeast was cultivated in Douglas by
Brian Kretschmann of KBC brewing.
I also tried Gratitude. This is made with
Trappist yeast from the Spencer monastery.
We asked about styles and Suzanne said they
dont label them as such. It may be like an IPA
or Belgian, and be described that way, but the
goal is to do something unique to the land.
Suzanne said Jonathan put it this way, It doesnt make sense to make a beer from the New
England terroir after another style from a different part of the world.
The French word terroir refers to the environmental conditions, especially soil and climate that the ingredients are grown in.
Though most associated with wine growing regions, it is not limited to grapes. The Valley
Malt from Hadley and the Hops from Four
Star Farms in Northfield validate Jonathans
thoughts on terroir.
Homefield does not only serve its own

THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING

brews, but features beers from producers as

far away as Bratttleboro, VT. The whole
local beer movement in New England is supportive of each other. Rapscallion up the
street and Wormtown in Worcester as well as
KBC in Webster have worked with Homefield.
As much as beer is the raison d'tre of
Homefield, one need not starve at 3 Arnold
Road. There is a menu that is in keeping
with the local ethos. You can choose a panini
or quesadilla or from an la carte snack
board.
Cheeses come from just to the north at
Robinsons Farm in Hardwick or Westfield
Farm in Hubbardston. Breads are from
Brynnes in Oakham and Rose 32.
Suzanne herself provides wonderful pickled eggs from her own hens among other

THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 19