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Hyland Orchard & Brewing
Categories: Local Flavor Food Breweries Local Flavor, Breweries [Edit]
199 Arnold RdSturbridge, MA 01566
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for Hyland Orchard & Brewing
Review Highlights
"Beer, petting zoo, cheap food, live music."
(in 3 reviews)
"Beer, wine, live bands, and no crowds."
(in 12 reviews)
"We tried 5 different kinds of Pioneer beer."
(in 5 reviews)
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15 reviews in English
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Review from Tom M.
Sturbridge, MA
10/14/2011
great apples, lots of fun, wife loved the beer
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Review from Dessa R.
12/19/2011
I come here at least once every Fall for some family-friendly jamband festy time. I drink good beer, I pick apples, I observe tie-dye tarps and patchwork pants, I smell patchouli, I wiggle dance to songs that never seem to end, and I pet some cute farm animals. Those are my expectations, and they are met every single time.
OK, so it's an apple orchard and beer brewery that sometimes hosts musical events. And also has llamas, goats and chickens. I'm sure in text it makes zero sense, but it somehow all comes together when you are there.
I have never been here on just a normal day, and if I did, I'm not sure what my criteria would be, but for my purposes, Hyland is a DAMN good time! -
Review from John B.
Wilmington, NC
8/11/2011
I obviously missed the point of this place. I don't see tours offered anymore, went for the Sunday music.
Bar area that stunk of wart and bleach
Music? Not to me
WAY too hot, one window unit for the whole bar?
Lots of overalls, beards and long hair ponytails...NO women
The Indianapolis quote from Jaws behind the bar is cool. I asked why it was there, the keep told me "Cause it's fucking COOL!" Can't argue with that.
Meh...just buy their beer at the local packy, save yourself the trip. -
Review from John S.
12/8/2010
Fifth star, since the owner himself did the tour!
The Pioneer Brewing Company sits on a farm and is a magnificent study in a small brewer working to become a regional brewer. While their products didn't blow me away any more than some of the other New England brewers' products, I can say that it is a good enough product to make that transition.
The owner, a friendly guy whose attitude and enthusiasm infected the tour group as a whole, talked as much about the logistics and business plan of running a brewery as making the beer. Being a guy who loves those things, it really resonated with me.
Of note, the tours are on Sundays at 2, so plan accordingly. The bar the brewery is attached to was filled with locals, bikers and homemade pico de gallo. It was an oddly comfortable place, and one I'd recommend going to if you want to see beer made small-scale by a hardworking team.Listed in: A Nation of Breweries
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Review from Jason N.
Warwick, RI
8/11/2011
I love Hyland I really do, the beer is great, the live shows rock, and it is great for the wee ones with the petting zoo. Octfest is always a good time also...
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Review from Kim K.
The is a review just for the Pioneer Brewing Company brewery tour.
First, an important note - during our tour the brewmaster mentioned that Pioneer is moving the entire brewery from their current 4,000 square foot space to a new 17,000 square foot space a little ways down the road on Main Street.
The brewery tours take place on Sundays at 2PM. It's very informal. Pioneer has a big bar room which is an obvious hangout for locals. At around 2:15 the brewmaster gathered us up and took us on a quick tour of the three room brewery.
The great thing about visiting such a small brewery is the quality and detail of the information from the brewmaster. In this case, the tour guide was not just the brewmaster but the owner of the whole company. He was informative and frank, he led a great tour.
The three areas of the brewery are the brew house area where they begin the brewing process, the fermentation area where they age and then bottle the beer, and then the cold storage room which is where they keep their kegs, bottles, and kegs tapped up to the bar room.
After the tour we armed up to the bar for some free samples. We tried 5 different kinds of Pioneer beer. They were pretty good - they all generally tasted similar to me, nothing stood out. Even the blueberry beer didn't have any knockout flavor notes but that's just me maybe.
The orchards and grounds are really pretty and peaceful. A great place to spend an afternoon with friends or family. -
Review from tom k.
Boston, MA
10/8/2009 4 photos
I absolutely love apple picking for about 5 minutes ... I can pick about 10 apples, eat one perfectly red one, and then I'm done. After that, walking around the orchard and fields is fine for a bit, but then I'm ready to bonk people with the apple picking pole, or lay down and nap.
Hyland gives me plenty of other great distractions which I think are integral parts of a realllly great apple picking trip. Beer, petting zoo, cheap food, live music ... and did I say beer ??? Oh yea, and the apples are good, orchards pretty, etc. etc.
The live music is under this really large wooden pavilion-structure-floating-roof-thing ... so a bit of a sprinkle is no biggie. What's more is that the live music is often quite great, like the "Drunk Stuntmen".
The food is pretty decent fare, served at good prices. Burgers, dogs, and apple-y things.
The Pioneer Beer brewed here is really good too, everything from Pale Ale to Stout!
One thing that really peeves me is when quint, wonderful orchards and farms turn into amusement parks, charging admission, etc. (aka Lookout) ... Hyland is great in that they have free parking, entrance, animals, and music ... don't change, please!
Altogether, it makes for a very happy and fun full day of entertainment. -
Review from Nicole P.
Cambridge, MA
10/2/2007
I knew I would love this place as soon as the party van pulled out of JP to take us there. Megan C. organized this amazing outing to Hyland Orchard and Brewery and I reccomend not only the place but renting a van/driver because it was only $30 per person for 20 of us, no worries about drinking and driving and was a sh*t ton of fun!
The apple orchard is quaint! It's very small and you can pick about 15 different types of apples within feet of each other. Even though it was a gorgeous day and small place it didn't feel crowded at all.
There is a kick ass band playing right next to the orchard- they seem to take requests if you ask loudly enough. The brewery has about 8 types of beer that you can buy inside and two types you can grab at the tent outside, by the band. The beer was fresh and yummy but stay away from the wine, far away.
Food, drool. Not your typical apple orchard fare (see my previous orchard review) but a great apple crisp with ice cream is available as well as hot dogs, meatball subs, burgers etc.
The best part- we played horse shoes with the locals! I had never played before and had a blast! I actually got a "ringer" which roused some applause. The people who work at the orchard were super friendly and gave us tips and just made us smile all afternoon- or was that the beer?? Anyway it was fun!
There are also barn animals for those are dig that- goats and such.
My review is slightly biased since I was pretty much drunk the entire time but I think that's the point- Collen N. called our trip "apple drinking." We also played some stick ball with fallen apples- watching those suckers explode is amazing. -
Review from Megan C.
Jamaica Plain, MA
9/21/2009
Just went this past Saturday to the Hyland Orchard and Brewery for the fourth annual "Apples A Go Go" trip with about 20 of my friends. Hyland is such a hidden gem I almost don't want to review it. If you are a parent this place is perfect. It has beer and wine for you and a petting zoo, tractor rides, as well as short trees that you don't need a ladder to pick for the kiddies. If you are like all my friends and arrive without any children Hyland is also perfect. Beer, wine, live bands, and no crowds. Given the lack of people you aren't bombarded with kids running everywhere like you would be at Honey Pot in Stowe.
Years past the orchard sold food however popcorn and ice cream novelties were the only food being sold this year. When I asked about purchasing some food one of the owners informed me that they weren't selling food this year but we could order take out from the pizza place down the road. We had 6 large pizzas delivered to us and ate and drank our beer sitting on the grass in the orchard. This place is one of my favorite spots in New England. -
Review from Rue B.
Montague, MA
1/31/2011
Forgotten brewery in a quiet corner of South Central Massachusetts. It's been about 4 years since I've been here, and they've since fully adopted the name Pioneer Brewing Company, and changed the names of their beers since I had them at the orchard.
This review is therefore incomplete for now, but wanted to include this place on my west of 495 beer destination list. I will soon revisit!
Meanwhile, I have great memories of this place, a dark, wood-paneled tasting room next to the apple orchard on a Sturbridge back road. Great beer for reasonable prices, but since they've changed the names I'll have to get back to you on the specifics after I revisit them for a few pints! -
Review from Mickey M.
7/19/2009
Went here for a private function, and drank a bunch of Pioneer Brewery beers. They have a lot of IPAs and pale-like beers, but they all taste pretty darn good! We had a group of about 50 people and we fit easily.
There was a spread of food and the space was big enough to eat, mingle, drink, and be merry. If you're in the neighborhood and want to taste local brews, I highly recommend stopping here! -
Review from rob s.
Swampscott, MA
2/26/2011
Amazingly knowledgeable and helpful staff. even the owner is willing to spend time talking with you about the company's products. and the beer, is fantastic. i've been to many craft breweries around new england, and this one is my favorite when it comes to the quality of the beer.
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Review from Aaron F.
Sturbridge, MA
12/31/2010
Great atmosphere, friendly staff and owners, decent prices. Ask for same sample and find what you like!
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Review from KT S.
West Hartford, CT
10/24/2008
We love that there is a local brewery right in town! The beer is yummy- we take growlers home with us every time we go.
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Review from Roger D.
Holland, MA
1/13/2011
GREAT beer. The entertainment and animals aren't my thing, but it's a brewery, not a zoo!
