Taking Flight
Cape Cod Life / September/October 2016 / Food & Dining, People & Businesses, Recreation & Activities
Writer: Joe O'Shea / Photographer: Dan Cutrona and Jennifer Dow
Taking Flight
Cape Cod Life / September/October 2016 / Food & Dining, People & Businesses, Recreation & Activities
Writer: Joe O'Shea / Photographer: Dan Cutrona and Jennifer Dow
It’s a story of family, fun, and savoring a few cold ones
Naukabout Beer
With roots planted in a Barnstable music festival, and on the verge of opening a microbrewery in Mashpee, Naukabout Beer is the “little brew that could” among Cape brewers.
“The beauty of the craft beer world is that people are always looking for something new, different, and off-the-wall to drink,” says Pete Murner, a Bourne native and a Naukabout co-owner. “Craft beer fans are adventurous risk-takers.”
The same could be said for Murner and his business partners, Mark Germani, Russ Gentile, and Jeff Conley, whose father, Tim, can take credit for the “Naukabout” name. When Jeff and his brothers were growing up in Barnstable, Tim would barge in the front door, change out of his “work-abouts” and encourage the boys to get into their “knock-about” clothes to go out with him and have some fun.
Over time, the term “knock-about” morphed into “naukabout” and came to mean doing what one loves to do—after doing what one has to do. Conley, a musician, and Murner, an avid Cape music fan, connected and launched the Naukabout Music Festival at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in 2008.
Because the fair was all about good music, local food, and beer, Conley, Murner, and their friends decided to try their hand at brewing their own beer for the festival. “People loved it,” says Murner, and the partners decided to start brewing with a contract brewer. “We didn’t have the wherewithal to build our own brewery at first,” he says, “but we’ve always wanted to brew on the Cape.”
The team aims to open the Naukabout Brewery and Tap Room in Mashpee’s former Flume Restaurant, which was owned for decades by master chef Earl Mills, who is also known as Chief Flying Eagle of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
“The Flume was an iconic landmark for years,” Murner says. “So we’re excited about moving into a historic space that Chief Mills brought to life.”
Joe knows: Try Naukabout’s American Pale Ale!
For more information about Naukabout Beer, visit naukabout.com.