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Castle Island Brewery South Boston

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  • CIB Bar
    CIB Bar
  • CIB Brewhouse
    CIB Brewhouse
  • CIB Brewhouse
    CIB Brewhouse
  • CIB Bar & Mural
    CIB Bar & Mural
  • CIB Seating Area
    CIB Seating Area

Project details

Castle Island Brewery South Boston

Boston, MA

Kaplan Construction was hired to perform a 9,500 SF fit out at 10 Old Colony Avenue in South Boston to house a new craft brewery for Castle Island Brewing Company, the tenth largest brewery in Massachusetts in a ranking by total 2020 beer production, according to the Boston Business Journal.

Located within a turn-of-the-century high-bay manufacturing building, the brewery features a 4,000 SF main tasting room with seating for 220 people, a retail area, and a 1,900 SF private event space which accommodates 140 people. A quarter of Castle Island’s new space was reserved for the brewing operations, including a brewhouse and seven 10-barrel tanks. A large focal wall was manufactured from wood and metal and feature the Castle Island Brewing Company logo. Kaplan cut out a section of the existing exterior wall and installed a new overhead door to create a seamless indoor/outdoor experience and maximize natural light. In addition to removing a series of interior overhead doors, Kaplan demolished existing walls at the front of the building to make room for tap room seating and new bathrooms. Two existing glass garage doors remain to provide access to an outdoor patio for brewery patrons.

At the start of construction, Kaplan uncovered several unanticipated existing conditions in the century-old building despite multiple exploratory efforts performed by the design team and landlord. During concrete removal to accommodate the underground plumbing, it was discovered that the slab was three times as thick as the original exploratory work indicated. As such, the construction team had to work with the structural engineer on determining the best approach to address the cutting and infilling of the structural slab. Numerous underground obstructions, such as abandoned concrete structures, construction debris from past projects, and layers of old concrete slabs, were also encountered as the team excavated for plumbing to service the bar and brewing area. As demolition progressed, it was also revealed that the original bathroom plumbing had deteriorated significantly and required a full replacement.

The brewery and taproom opened in September 2021.

In 2024, Kaplan received an Excellence in Construction Eagle Award from the Associated Builder’s and Contractors Massachusetts and an Excellence in Construction Eagle Award from ABC National.

Client

Castle Island Brewing Company

Architect

Joe the Architect

Services Provided

  • Preconstruction Planning
  • Construction Management