Trout River Brewing comes to Springfield

Three Springfield High School friends have bought the equipment and recipes of the Trout River Brewing Co. of Lyndonville and are setting up a brewery in downtown Springfield.

Published December 3, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Trout River Brewing comes to Springfield By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Three Springfield High School friends have bought the equipment and recipes of the Trout River Brewing Co. of Lyndonville and are setting up a brewery in downtown Springfield. The friends, Trevor Billings, Gabe Streeter and Kelen Beardsley, have incorporated under the name Vermont Beer Shapers, a nod to their location in the former Fellows Gear Shaper building on River Street. Kurt Staudter of Springfield, the executive director of the Vermont Brewers Association, said the three men had been in touch with him off and on for a number of years, but had recently completed the sale of Trout River. He described the three Springfield men as accomplished home brewers. Most of Vermont’s craft breweries either started as home brewers or have apprenticed to a master brewer, said Staudter, who recently authored a book, “Vermont Beer: History of a Brewing Revolution.” Staudter said Trout River’s founder, Dan Gates, had been trying to sell his brewery and was seeking a change in his life. He described Trout River as “one of the major breweries in the state,” and he said Gates was “an icon in the Vermont brewing world.” Trout River’s Rainbow Red ale is probably its best-known brew, he said, as well as its Dragonslayer ale and Chocolate Oatmeal stout. “Dan was a very creative brewer,” he said. “Dan’s been in the business for 18 years, he and his wife. Their marriage ended, she went west and he remarried,” Staudter said. Staudter said Gates wants to re-establish his pub with its popular sourdough pizza in the spring, but in Burke. “Dan Gates is a really interesting character,” Staudter said. “He made really wonderful beer.” Staudter said Gates resisted growing much bigger. “I asked him why he didn’t want to take it to the next level, and he told me, ‘I’m as busy as I want to be.’” Efforts to reach Billings, Streeter or Beardsley were unsuccessful this week. Streeter and Beardsley work at Health Care and Rehabilitative Services, and Billings works at PCM, a local machining company. But their attorney, Stephen S. Ankuda of Springfield, said the trio would definitely be using the Trout River name. He said it would be a couple of months before they are able to start setting up their Trout River equipment and start brewing. “They can’t begin brewing until state and federal licenses are in place and that can take some time, probably within a few months,” their lawyer said. “They bought the equipment and the name, and the recipes. They did not buy the business,” he said. Staudter said there are between 40 and 45 craft breweries in Vermont; another new brewery recently opened in Brattleboro, Hermit Thrush. While nationwide craft beer claims between 10 to 12 percent of the business, in Vermont, the figure is between 20 and 25 percent of store sales. And in bars, he said, the loyalty is even deeper. “We’ve got half the tap handles,” he said. “Vermonters support local beer makers. We were locavore long before they even had a name,” he said. A group of Springfield-area entrepreneurs, Vermont Beer Shapers, announced that they have purchased the brew recipes, equipment and name of Trout River Brewing Company of Lyndonville. They will be opening their brewery in the One Hundred River Street facility in downtown Springfield Vermont. Vermont Beer Shapers is a local company created by Trevor Billings, Gabe Streeter and Kelen Beardsley, who have been interested in developing a brewing business for some time. According to Beardsley, this was an opportunity to purchase an existing Vermont brand. “Trout River is an established name in Vermont and is known for great beer. We’re looking forward to continuing the traditions of the brewery, while working to make it our own”. Beardsley said that equipment has been moved to Springfield and work will be starting soon on renovations for the new brewery space. He said that they hope to have the new facility up and running this winter. Initially, the focus will be on the production and distribution of beer. There is the potential of a tasting room or even a brew-pub in future years, he added. Claremont Savings Bank provided the financing for this project. Beardsley added that Vermont Beer Shapers also appreciated the help they received for their efforts from Springfield Regional Development Corporation and their Small Business Development Center. Beardsley Stated “There was a tremendous amount of support from the local community to help us with this project, we are extremely excited to bring this business to our hometown”. Trout River Brewing was started in 1996 by Dan Gates. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.