Hopsters to Open a Fort Point Location in Early 2017

Photo provided for “Hopsters Becomes Newton’s First Commercial Brewery“

UPDATE, June 29: Hopsters is taking over the former Sleeper Street Café space at 51 Sleeper St., Boston Restaurant Talk reports.

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Fort Point is truly becoming the beer hub of Boston. The standout Trillium Brewing Company is based there, next door to Row 34 and Megan Parker-Gray’s excellent draft list, and a new Craft Beer Cellar is slated to open this summer. Next year, thirsty beer drinkers can add Hopsters to their lists of beer destinations in the neighborhood.

The Newton-based brewery announced that it’s close to finalizing a location near the Fort Point Channel for a new brewpub (see Update), with an expected opening date in February 2017. The 6,000-square foot space will give customers the chance to brew their own beer, grab a few crowlers of Hopsters beer to go, or just stop in for a drink and some grub.

“We’re super excited to get into the Seaport,” says owner Lee Cooper. “I can’t give the exact location yet, but we’re not far from Seaport Boulevard.”

Cooper says a big piece of this new location will be the “crowler” operation the brewery launched two weeks ago. For those unaware, a crowler is a 32 oz. can of beer popularized by Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado. Essentially a gigantic tall boy, these large cans provide a more eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to get customers fresh draft beer that traditional glass growlers provide. Hopsters currently has crowlers of their Newtonian double IPA, Ship of Fools IPA, and Comet Citra Session IPA available at the Hopsters Alley store in the Boston Public Market, but Cooper promises that list will expand once the new space opens.

For now, customers can head to the brewery’s Newton site and package house brews in a crowler to go. And yes, that includes beer you brew there yourself. The planned Fort Point brewpub will also function as a restaurant, with a menu similar to the one in Newton, serving up flatbread sandwiches and bar snacks.

“I think about nine months to open the Seaport spot up,” Cooper says. “About the same amount of time it takes to have a baby.”

Hopsters, 292 Centre St., Newton, 617-916-0752, hopstersbrew.com.