Winch & Pulley Beer Company Opens No-Frills Neighborhood Taproom in Framingham
Andrew Guard's Winch & Pulley Beer Company took over 81 Morton St. in Framingham, the address where both Jack's Abby and Exhibit 'A' got their start, with set Thu-Sun hours and named core beers on tap.
When Jack's Abby outgrew 81 Morton Street, Exhibit 'A' Brewing moved in. When Exhibit 'A' left for Williamsburg, Andrew Guard saw the opening. His new venture, Winch & Pulley Beer Company, opened its taproom at that same Framingham address, adding another chapter to one of MetroWest's most recycled craft-beer real estate stories.
Guard, who co-founded sparkling soda brand Culture Pop before launching beverage manufacturing company Right Coast Brands, established set taproom hours beginning April 2: Thursdays and Fridays 4 to 7 p.m., Saturdays noon to 8 p.m., and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. The operation had soft-opened last fall before locking in its weekly schedule, a deliberately conservative ramp that reflects the sustainability-focused approach Guard brought to the project.
The tap list leans into accessible, named beers with direct personalities. Shark Blood Light, a crisp sessionable lager whose name nods to Madaket Beach, anchors one end of the board. Husky Boy is the dark lager. Scout's Honor IPA rounds out the early core lineup, and canned seltzer is in the pipeline under the Right Coast Brands umbrella.
"We want to be a reliable neighborhood place, no frills, just good beers on tap," Guard said.
That positioning carries through to the operational details. Winch & Pulley runs a bring-food or order-in policy, keeping overhead low and the atmosphere informal. Trivia nights and community events are already part of the programming. A beer garden is also envisioned for the outdoor space, though it will require additional city approvals before Guard can open it.
For the homebrewer eyeing a brewery launch, the Winch & Pulley model is instructive on two fronts. Taking over a space already permitted and plumbed for production, Guard sidestepped much of the capital friction that stalls early-stage taprooms. The 81 Morton Street address arrived with infrastructure from two previous tenants, compressing the timeline from concept to first pour. Pair that with a tight four-day operating window and a tap list designed for repeat visits rather than hype cycles, and you have a blueprint built around customer retention over opening-weekend buzz.
Jack's Abby now pours out of its larger home on Clinton Street. Exhibit 'A' rebuilt in Williamsburg. The Morton Street address, meanwhile, keeps producing new operators willing to bet on the Framingham market at the neighborhood scale. Guard is the latest to make that call.
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