November 21, 2018 Turtle Swamp Brewing to open Winter “Bierhalle” at the Historic Roslindale Substation
Roslindale Village Main Street (RVMS) announced this week that Jamaica Plain-based Turtle Swamp Brewing will operate an indoor winter beer hall in the historic Roslindale Substation Building this year.
The Turtle Swamp Winter Bierhalle opens on Friday, November 30th, and runs through the holidays to mid-January. The Bierhalle, located in the heart of Roslindale Village, will be open Friday through Sunday and for holiday events, and will serve a variety of fresh draft beers, brewed at Turtle Swamp’s brewery in Jamaica Plain.
The location will include open seating and occasional pop-up food options from local restaurants and caterers. Turtle Swamp also hopes to host the work of pop-up artists and crafters. The Bierhalle will also be open during the RVMS Holiday Market on Thursday, December 6th.
“We are locally owned Jamaica Plain brewery with deep community roots,” said John Lincecum, Co-Founder of Turtle Swamp “it’s a natural fit for us to come to Roslindale, a neighborhood known for its active and committed community, and especially to the Substation, a building that has developed its own brand as a destination for people who like craft beer.”
The Roslindale Substation, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1911 to convert alternating current (A/C) electricity from the Boston Elevated Railway’s South Boston power plant to direct current (D/C) power for use by the trolley system in the Roslindale area. Service was discontinued in 1971 and in 2016 the building underwent a $2.5 million renovation conceived and undertaken by Historic Boston, Inc., Roslindale Village Main Street, and Peregrine Group, LLC of Rumford, RI. The lower level of the Substation is the current home of the Craft Beer Cellar, which opened in January 2017, ending 46 years of vacancy.
Last winter, Trillium Brewing hosted the Trillium Garden at the Substation, an inspiration that sparked interest in making the Substation a home for subsequent beer halls.
“Last year, we learned that a beer hall in the winter brings out the whole neighborhood,” said Alia Hamada Forrest, Executive Director of RVMS, “The family-style picnic tables, good drink and good food, brought the spirit of the RVMS Farmers Market to the Substation in the dead of winter. With Turtle Swamp, we’ll revive this warm community ambiance again.