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Annual Guide Outtakes: “Here’s my beer. What do you think?”
As I mentioned last week, I’m going to be posting bits and pieces that, due to space constraints, didn’t make it into the 2012 Annual Guide. In this outtake, Todd Marcus, brewmaster at Cape Cod Beer, talks about how he cleaned draught lines to get his foot in the door, the brewery’s community-first ethos, and why I shouldn’t have tossed my plastic cup in the trash after a beer tasting.
I usually say I was gathering intelligence along the way (while I was working for Hyannisport Brewing Company). I even went so far as to work part-time for another local business that was involved in draught line cleaning so I could get into these bars and restaurants on the Cape, talk to the managers and bartenders, learn about their draught systems, what worked and didn’t work, what they liked in the beers that were on tap and what they didn’t like. It allowed me some nice ins later on, after Hyannisport Brewing Company closed, when I would say, “Remember when I was here to clean your draught lines and said that I was thinking about opening a brewery some day? Well, here it is, here’s my beer. What do you think?”
Cape Cod Beer started with Red and IPA. Originally, you could only get the IPA if you had the Red on tap. Having the Red and IPA together meant that if a customer tried the IPA and didn’t like it, but they were still somebody who was interested in trying a craft beer, that they’d try the Red and they’d be happy and satisfied with it. To this day, Cape Cod Red still accounts for more than half of our sales.
Recycling is huge for us—it’s a major part of who we are. We typically put out about one big black bag of trash from the brewery every week. Just about everything else from here gets recycled—all of our plastics, all of our metals. To be perfectly honest, I’m going to go pick up that plastic cup you threw in the trash on the way in here and I’m going to put it in the recycling bin. It’s not your fault. It’s just one of the things I’m going to do.
People know that if they’re going to drink our beer, that money they spent is going to stay here on Cape Cod. I’m going to get my paycheck and I’m going to go to the local hardware store, the local jeweler, the local optician. What comes around goes around.
If you look at our brewery’s retail shop—the books, the candles, the coffee, all that stuff—75 cents of every dollar we spent on retail items last year went to someone on Cape Cod. Now, nobody on Cape Cod is combing cotton to make a T-shirt obviously, but at the very least we’re using local screenprinters, local embroiderers, and as many locally sourced items as we can. We’re a great tourist destination, and we’re trying to help these cottage industries by giving them an outlet. We want to say, “We appreciate what you’re doing, trying to live here and enjoy what Cape Cod has to offer, and that you’re trying to make a living doing what you love as well.” Hopefully, as a result, those people are drinking Cape Cod Beer.
- Posted in Blogs, Food, Jeff Harder's Blog
Ten of My Favorite Views
Who doesn’t love the view of the Cape Cod Canal? When driving over the bridges, I wish I could stop in the middle just to study the magnificent waterway curving gently around the hills between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay. The approximate difference of three hours between high tide times in these two bays results in tidal currents through the canal stimulating to observe, but challenging to inexperienced navigators. Seeing sunset over the west end of the canal from the Bourne Bridge is the best.
In Woods Hole, the vantage point of Nobska Lighthouse is so encompassing. Facing south, Nantucket Sound runs to my left between the bluffs along the New Seabury Coast and four lighthouses on Martha’s Vineyard’s north shore. The view looking south is all of Vineyard Sound separating Martha’s Vineyard from the Elizabeth Islands. On the high shore along Tarpaulin Cove on the island of Naushon stands one of the oldest lighthouses in North America. It was erected to direct sailing sea captains to the inn/tavern at Tarpaulin Cove long before there was any talk of the Cape Cod Canal. And, looking to my right from Nobska is the village of Woods Hole and Steamship Authority port for ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard.
On the Vineyard, my favorite view is of Menemsha. There is a foot path up the hill overlooking this classic, so-often-painted fishing village. However, from the high road leading toward Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah, one can observe all of Menemsha Pond and its surroundings. The channel runs to the pond from the village and separates Menemsha Harbor from the beach in Lobsterville. Menemsha Pond is tidal and only for shallow draft vessels, the smallest of which can continue up into Nashaquitsa Pond. From here, Hariph’s Creek runs into Stonewall Pond. These fascinating, beautiful tidal waters flow from Vineyard Sound northwest of Menemsha to a narrow strip of land about one-eighth of a mile from open ocean south of the Vineyard.
On Nantucket, in the evening, I like to saunter to the end of the longest pier and look back over the Boat Basin to the outline of this Rockwellian harbor-front village alive with lights, music, diners, shoppers, and boaters.
In the middle of old Cape Cod, approximately seven miles apart are two views, one looking south to Nantucket Sound and the other looking north toward Cape Cod Bay. On the south side, I love the views from the highest hill in Hyannisport by the old stone church. With Nantucket Sound as a backdrop, a tidal inlet surrounds Squaw Island and a handsome golf course in the foreground. Seven miles due north lies Barnstable Harbor and Millway Beach facing toward Cape Cod Bay. Across the harbor on beautiful Sandy Neck Beach sit a few cottages in the shadow of an old lighthouse, much to the delight of many artists.
In the Lower Cape on the north side, my favorite view is of the extensive sand flats on Cape Cod Bay when the tide is out. Stretching from Eastham, in front of Rock Harbor in Orleans, across all of Brewster and portions of Dennis, low tide exposes many square miles of sand flats, much to the delight of young children—and the young at heart. At the elbow of the Cape, if you will, facing southeast, Chatham Lighthouse overlooks the harbor and its fish pier, the barrier beach and its storm breach, the open Atlantic, and the rest of the world.
Including almost all of the Atlantic-facing shore on the Outer Cape, from Eastham and Wellfleet to North Truro lies another of my favorite views: the beachside hills and sand cliffs. I like to slowly walk as close to the surf as possible, listen to the crashing and rushing waves, breathe in the ocean air, and totally mesmerized, let my mind’s eye wander ahead of me beneath the majestic cliffs of sand. One can see and feel Mother Nature at work.
Finally, what could be more appropriate than to view Provincetown Harbor, where the pilgrims first landed? And what better vantage point than atop the Pilgrim Monument? Bordered on three sides by Province Lands dunes and beaches, the village looks south over the harbor to all of Cape Cod Bay. On a clear day from the top of the Pilgrim monument, Judy, our boys Josh and Max, and I could see the shape of the Cape all the way around Cape Cod Bay to the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. Wow!
My best,
- Posted in Blogs, Brian Shortsleeve's Blog
Diversity Around Us
One of the best things about my job as Cape Cod HOME’s editor is that I meet so many knowledgeable people, from an antique expert who can tell you where to find an authentic pub sign for your living room to a woodworker who will handcraft a table from old Nantucket cottage floorboards. Especially in this issue—our Annual Resource Guide, which covers countless local home and garden subjects and services–I find myself marveling at the diversity of skilled, knowledgeable businesspeople on the Cape and Islands.
The truth is that even though we may be limited in terms of geographic space, we have experts in just about anything you need to transform your home into a Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, or Nantucket dream. Just like the gorgeous home on our cover, which is the work of one of this issue’s featured businesspeople, Falmouth architect John Dvorsack. Our talented writer, Mary Grauerholz, who interviewed all the Business Focus people in this issue, has a gift for getting to the heart of each person’s special ability. When she talks to Dvorsack in his office located in Falmouth’s historic Highfield Hall, you can hear the man’s love for the skill he shares with lucky homeowners.
“As a small practice, I am able to spend a lot of time working closely with my clients to understand what’s really important to them,” says Dvorsack in the story, which begins on page 36. “I really enjoy the owner’s reaction when it all comes together.”
Looking at Dvorsack’s work—and the work of all the featured BusinessFocus people here—you can see why our coastal world is so well known. Folks seem to be determined to have their home—whether a grand manse or a simple half-Cape—reflect the natural glory that surrounds us all.
So whether you are remodeling your kitchen with exquisite kitchen cabinets (read about Lewis & Weldon on page 62), dreaming of putting in a spectacular infinity pool (listen to John Viola of Viola Associates on page 74), or planning to finally transform your backyard into a gorgeous landscape that makes the most the most of Cape Cod’s natural glories (find Mary LeBlanc on page 68), this issue is for you. I promise if you call any one of these folks to help you shape the Cape Cod or Island home of your dreams, you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for turning to Cape Cod HOME.
Susan Dewey, Associate Publisher & Editor
sdewey@capecodlife.com
Architect John Dvorsack’s office, located in historic Highfield Hall in Falmouth, is a picture of subtle color and form. Look closely and you’ll see the hand-cut nails that stud the pumpkin pine floor. In late afternoon, you may notice a particular golden light that pours through the deep original windows. The bright, spacious office, tucked away on the second floor of the grand 1878 former estate—now a cultural center—perfectly melds historic craftsmanship, the natural world, and modern architectural practices. Read more…
- Posted in Architecture, Interiors
John Viola can plan a massive project, move tons of concrete, design like a madman, and does it all with the attitude of a kid on summer vacation. As the owner of Viola Associates in Hyannis, Viola and his team design, build, and install swimming pools, spas, outdoor lighting, water gardens, sprinklers, and irrigation systems. Another part of the business is dedicated to pool and spa maintenance. Read more…
- Posted in Architecture, Design
Mary LeBlanc and her husband, Michael, literally built their Cotuit home brick by brick. Their property, backing a conservation area, is dotted with a constellation of flowers, shrubs, and trees, including her favorite, a Japanese Stewartia that LeBlanc got as a seedling from the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens many years ago that now towers over her half Cape house. Read more…
- Posted in Landscaping
For Chuck Hart, the kitchen has always been, and always will be, the most important room in the house. “It’s more than where people cook and eat meals,” Hart says. Besides being the emotional center in most homes, the kitchen is also the site of great movement. As Hart says, “Almost any activity within the scope of the home starts or finishes in the kitchen.” Read more…
- Posted in Architecture, Interiors
Margo’s in Osterville is a sumptuous haven that combines comfort and sophisticated style. On Cape Cod, this home décor shop has a very special niche. “Our goal is to be original, and we are, in almost everything we do,” says owner Margie Huggard. “When I have clients come in, they are often pleasantly surprised.” Read more…
- Posted in Interiors
When a client consults with Cape Cod furniture maker Dick Kiusalas, everything is on the table. Freeform, structured, conceptual, artistic—Kiusalas has rendered these and almost every other style imaginable in his 40 years of business. Read more…
- Posted in Architecture, Interiors
