Wormtown Brewery Reopens Worcester Taproom With Doubled Capacity, New Menu

The taproom at 72 Shrewsbury Street is back open, and it barely resembles the space regulars remember. Wormtown Brewery reopened its Worcester taproom Friday with a new look and nearly doubled capacity, after shifting its production to Framingham. The newly-renovated space is 8,609 square feet, nearly double the size of the former 4,500-square-foot taproom. The site is capable of holding up to 300 guests, with 16 total beer taps and a new private event space.

The nine-month closure started in July 2025 when Hendler Family Brewing, the Framingham-based parent company that had acquired Wormtown in 2024, shut the Shrewsbury Street site for construction. The months that followed were marked by genuine uncertainty about what the taproom would become under new stewardship, or whether the physical Worcester presence would survive the transition at all. Sam Hendler, co-founder of Jack's Abby and CEO of the Hendler Family Brewing Co., had said after the acquisition: "We're here. We've bought in. We believe Worcester will be the heartbeat and soul for Wormtown for a long time to come." April 3 was the proof of concept.

The beer program is where the new Wormtown makes its sharpest statement. Of the 16 taps, two are dedicated to rotating experimental releases. The rest carry Wormtown staples alongside taproom-only pours designed specifically for the Worcester market: Be Kool, a Fruit Punch DIPA; Be Lucky, a Nitro Irish Stout; and Seven Hills, a pilsner-style pour that signals the Hendler team understands lager. Those three taps alone give the renovated room its own identity, distinct from the Framingham production scale that now backs it.

The kitchen kept pace. The new menu runs deeper than bar snacks, featuring tater-tot lamb-ragu poutine, chicken pot pie, and the Worcester Burger, a dish that wears its geographic loyalty on its sleeve. The renovation is part of Wormtown's strategy for growth under the new ownership of Hendler Family Brewing Co., the parent company of Jack's Abby Craft Lagers. The renovation will significantly enhance the customer experience by creating a more restaurant-like atmosphere.

Should you make the trip this weekend? Go if you want the full tap list with room to compare: 16 handles and two rotating experimentals mean there is no excuse to order the same pint twice. Go for a meal, not just a beer; the kitchen overhaul was deliberate, and the lamb-ragu poutine is not a bar you find at most taprooms. Come back midweek if Saturday crowds concern you. Current hours are Tuesday through Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m., Monday closed. The new private event space absorbs some of the weekend overflow, but a Thursday afternoon pour will give you the space to actually taste what nine months of construction produced.

The Patriot Place taproom in Foxborough remains closed for renovations, the one remaining piece of the Hendler repositioning not yet resolved. Worcester is the proof of concept. Foxborough is next.