I must have done something right in a past life to be a beer geek and have a legit, old school style craft brewery in my backyard. I discovered Loyal Foe Brewing back in 2022 by chance while I was perusing Google Maps looking for somewhere completely different. The next Saturday rolled around, and I found myself at the pickup window of co-founder Jason’s garage and I instantly knew I had found something awesome.
Loyal Foe, in our very own town, was founded by two longtime friends, Jason and Corey, who decided to take their brewing talents from the kitchen to a big-boy setup in Jason’s garage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The garage is the actual brew operation. There’s no taproom, and no beer garden in the backyard among Jason’s goats—just brewing equipment, a small cooler, and a pickup window. Not only that, but if you do pick up at 177 Mass. Ave., across from Westward Orchards, most likely either Jason, Corey, or both will be there handing out beer orders and talking shop. Spend 60 seconds talking to them and you’ll not only understand they know their stuff, but you’ll feel like it’s 15 years ago when craft beer was just getting started.
.One of the things I love about Loyal Foe is the range of beer styles they brew. A lot of breweries nowadays have a menu with seven New England IPAs on it and maybe a lager or a sour, but Jason and Corey can do the range: IPAs, stouts, lagers, saisons, and a rotating experimental series affectionately called “Father Frank.” They aren’t continuously brewing all of these styles; they are seasonal. But the guys are also rotating things around approximately every three to four weeks. I’ve been lucky to try many of their different offerings, but my favorite two are by far the Uncle Mic double IPA and the Father Frank saison.
Uncle Mic is a solid double IPA in any market, coming in at 8% alcohol by volume with a great mix of dank and melon on the palette. Where Uncle Mic really shines is in the drinkability department. It does not drink like an 8% beer at all—super smooth, super drinkable. Be careful drinking this one.
For those that aren’t familiar with this less popular style, a saison is an ale that’s usually on the drier, fruitier, and spicier side of things. I’ve never been a big saison guy, but Father Frank turned the tables on me. This thing is perfect to drink ice cold on a hot day in the shade of your favorite tree. Big notes of fermented apples, peaches, and some spice, but nothing comes through overly sweet or overpowering. Just refreshing as heck, and once you pop that glass bottle, you just have to drink it all … right?
If you’re looking for the true craft beer experience, definitely go check out Loyal Foe. In 2022, I’m on record on The Hotter Upper beer blog as saying we’d see big things from these guys, and I’m happy to say the prediction was spot on. Ordering online and picking up at Jason’s garage is still my recommended purchase method, but they now distribute to a select few locations (Harvard General Store, ever heard of it?), have taps at a few local restaurants, have poured at local events, and have expanded their brewing capacity. In 2024 I’ll again say that I have the utmost confidence that this is still just the beginning for the boys. If you like great beer and want to support a great local business, go grab a four-pack from Loyal Foe.
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Greg Schneider is a dedicated home cook, former bartender, and a devoted patron of area restaurants. He currently blogs about local breweries at The Hotter Upper.
