2020 Massachusetts Manufacturing Awards 5
B
arrel House Z is a small-
batch brewery and taproom
in Weymouth, MA that was
founded by Russ Heissner in 2016.
BHZ produces beer and hard seltzer
which are sold as 4-packs at the
brewery as well in select accounts in
MA.
Brewing approximately 1,500
barrels of craft beer and hard seltzer
in Weymouth annually, BHZ has eight
full-time employees. At BHZ, every
team member has a deep love of
craft brewing.
Constant innovation is a
watchword at BHZ. Over the past
year, BHZ has developed a line of
craft hard seltzer. Building a new
process and tinkering with flavor
ideas has allowed the team to grow
creatively and develop new, valuable
skills.
The COVID-19 pandemic
presented a huge challenge to the
small business as the taproom was
initially closed. The team quickly
pivoted to selling packaged beer
directly to consumers from the
brewery. Employees adopted an
"all-hands-on-deck" mindset, with
each team member redefining their
workday to absorb any and all duties
needed to fulfill the new business
model.
In addition, Barrel House Z
initiated several efforts to help
customers and partners weather the
pandemic.
Hand Sanitizer: donated beer
to Dirty Water Distillery to have
it distilled into hand sanitizer.
BHZ gave their allotment of hand
sanitizer to local first responders and
healthcare facilities, and partnered
with Katsiroubas Bros. to help them
sell fresh produce boxes.
In addition, the company reached
out to other local restaurants who
needed revenue-generating vehicles
and created food/beer meal-kit
collaborations.
Barrel House Z
City/Town: Weymouth
Total Employees: 8
Year Company Founded: 2016
Company Website:
www.barrelhousez.net
Nominated by:
Senator Patrick M. O'Connor
M A S S A C H U S E T T S
Manufacturing Awards 20 20
