"Industrial park or corporate park breweries are challenged right now," Mike McNamara told the Plymouth Independent in September. "People are really looking for more of an experience."
McNamara owns Hog Island Beer Company and, since last year, Mayflower Brewing. He was explaining why Plymouth's oldest craft brewery will close its brewery and tasting room at 12 Resnik Road on December 31. The building has been Mayflower's home since 2007. The beer will keep being made, and it will keep the Mayflower name. Production moves to the Cape Cod Beer brewhouse in Hyannis, which McNamara bought at the same time as Mayflower.
So the brand keeps its name and its beer, and it loses its Plymouth brewery. Once the year ends, the only Mayflower spot in town will be the seasonal beer garden on the green at The Pinehills, which McNamara says will stay open. He has also said the company is looking for a new tasting-room location. Between now and New Year's Eve, three dates on Resnik Road and one in The Pinehills cover the shift.
Eighteen months ago, the building was the reason for the sale
The Resnik Road site wasn't always the problem. When Drew Brosseau, who founded Mayflower in 2007, announced the sale to Hog Island in April 2025, the Plymouth Independent reported that the Resnik Road brewery and taproom would remain open, along with the Pinehills beer garden. In that same report, Brosseau said Hog Island needed more brewing capacity and could get it in Plymouth, at Mayflower's 9,000-square-foot facility in the Plymouth Industrial Park. He described the deal as "as much of a merger as an acquisition."
This fall, McNamara described the same building as more than the business needs. "The space is just far too great for what we need, and the cost associated was pretty grand," he told the Independent. The Hyannis brewhouse, he said, has the tank space to brew both brands.
He also tried to make the tasting room more of a destination before deciding to close it. He brought in live music and added canned cocktails and wine to draw new customers. In his telling, the room's problem was where it sits.
It's happening across the state, too. The Independent cites the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, which counted 179 breweries in Massachusetts as of this past July, down from 236 in January 2025. The paper attributes the decline to market oversaturation, lower alcohol consumption and the popularity of legal cannabis.
Three dates left at 12 Resnik Road
Mayflower's own website events calendar may not show these, so the details below come from the organizers' ticket and registration pages.
- Saturday, November 28, noon to 7 p.m.: One Last Sail. The brewery's going-away party listing calls it a send-off for "20 years of memories" at the address. Dylan Wheaton plays from noon to 3, and The Fey Band plays from 4 to 7. The Filling Station food truck serves all afternoon. The listing also promises "major blowout sales" on Mayflower merchandise and beer to go, while supplies last. It's two days after Thanksgiving, and it's the last scheduled party in the room.
- Sunday, December 20: Cousin Eddie's Christmas Run 5K. The third annual run is held at Mayflower Brewing, and race-day packet pickup is from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the Mayflower parking lot. Because the brewery closes eleven days later, this third year is also the last one at Resnik Road.
- Thursday, December 31: closing day for the brewery and tasting room.
The 5K's theme is a costume theme. The Race Roster page says runners can dress as Cousin Eddie, and the "Jelly of the Month Club" registration option includes the green bomber-style hat and white robe. Prices go up as race day gets closer:
| Registration window | 5K | Prost Package |
|---|---|---|
| General, through Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m. | $45 | $75 |
| Late, at packet pickup and on race morning | $55 | $85 |
You can pick up your packet early at Marathon Sports Plymouth, 9 Court St., on Friday, December 18, from 3 to 6 p.m., or Saturday, December 19, from noon to 5 p.m.
The beer garden that stays gets one winter Sunday
The Pinehills beer garden normally runs on a summer schedule. Mayflower's beer garden page lists a 2026 season from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, open Friday through Sunday plus holiday Mondays. After December 31, the green is Mayflower's only place to pour in Plymouth, and it's mostly a warm-weather spot. That's why its one winter appearance this year matters.
On Sunday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Pinehills holds Jingle All the Way to The Pinehills Village Green. The lineup includes:
- a Mayflower Brewing Winter Beer Garden
- the 20th Annual Reindog Parade, presented by Cape Cod 5 and benefiting Plymouth Helping Hands for Animals
- Book Love's Holiday Farmers Market
- Santa, food trucks, and activities at the Village Green businesses
Reindog registration details, including how to enter a dog in costume, will be posted on that event page. The event lands eight days after the Resnik Road party.
The kind of taproom McNamara described is already in town
Mayflower's departure leaves Plymouth with six breweries: Vitamin Sea, Untold Brewing, Second Wind, IndieFerm, Llama Nama and Sour Not Sorry. When McNamara talked about breweries that sell "an experience," the Independent pointed to Vitamin Sea. Its waterfront location has plenty of outdoor seating in the warmer months.
Another approach is to fill the calendar. Untold Brewing at 2 Loring Blvd. has scheduled a run of taproom events this month. On Sunday, November 15, it held Brunch & Brews, with Great Grandma Flaherty's food truck, brunch cocktails, NFL games and an acoustic set by The Merrills. Next up is a CineSweets Bake Shop pop-up this Saturday, November 21, from 2 to 5 p.m.
Untold and Vitamin Sea show the two approaches McNamara described, a setting people want to visit and a calendar that gives them a reason to come. Resnik Road had neither a waterfront nor a village green, and its run ends with the November 28 party, the December 20 5K and the December 31 closing.
Lindsay Conlon keeps a close eye on how Plymouth's businesses are changing, from a brewery leaving the industrial park to a beer garden on The Pinehills green, because those changes shape what neighbors tell each other about where they live. If you'd like to know how your own corner of Plymouth fits in this winter, Lindsay Conlon is happy to walk you through it. Get My Valuation.
