The doors to Spacecraft opened on Jan. 2, giving Sudburians a sneak peek inside a one-of-a-kind establishment that will officially host its grand opening on Jan. 4.
Spacecraft is a brewery and tap house that also serves an array of shareable, locally-sourced lunch, appetizer and snacking options. Located at 854 Notre Dame Ave., Spacecraft owners Dan Carnovale and Melissa Mehes have worked to incorporate the old with the new, while keeping a distinctly local theme going throughout the 150-person capacity building.
The tables at Spacecraft are re-purposed bowling alley lanes from the Capreol bowling alley, the rocks that adorn the base of the bar were pulled off the mountain behind Spacecraft, the wood in the brewery room that hangs over the large tanks was the former roof of an A&W restaurant that once stood at that same location.
Raised in Azilda, Carnovale has been in the restaurant business for a number of years, and with the help of partner Mehes and brother Chris, they came up with the concept of what amounts to a large gathering place.
"I used to explain it as a dinner and drink table," said Dan.
"It's a great way to bring community together, craft beer, good food, it's good way to bring people together," said Chris, who now lives in British Columbia but is back home in Sudbury to help with Spacecraft's opening.
What sets Spacecraft apart from other tap house and pub-style restaurants in Sudbury is that they will be brewing their own unique beers in-house. There are two Spacecraft brews on the menu right now - a Riesling IPA and a hazy citra IPA, both of which will be named at a later date.
The vision is to have half of the 14 brews on tap to be Spacecraft originals, with seven other local or near-local brewers in the mix.
"Collaborations with other breweries are inevitable and will happen down the road," said Dan.
Spacecraft will be the first place in Sudbury to brew and serve its own beer alongside other craft beers, as well as food.
Speaking of the fare at Spacecraft, the focus of the menu is local and shareable. There are options for plant-based diets, such as vegan kale Caesar salad. Local food purveyors like Princess Perogies, and Giacomo's meatballs are on the menu.
"We're really trying to use local items as much as possible," said Melissa. "We're working really hard to promote local fare here in Sudbury. We have snacks like things from Creative Meats at the bar, we've been using Tarini's."
Dan explains that the energy and talent of some of Sudbury's best bakers and butchers made it an obvious collaboration to bring their products into Spacecraft.
"When you talk to people about who has the best porketta in town, it's Tarini's," said Dan. "Who hasn't had the Calabrese bread from Regency Bakery? You talk to those people at the deli counter and you just feel the energy there."
As its name suggests, Spacecraft does have a lot of ties to space and science in its decor, with Science North-style snowflakes displayed prominently on the front windows, bright neon chairs and a giant LED beer menu that resembles a ship launch schedule.
"There's definitely a connection to science and space in Sudbury," said Chris Carnovale. "You talk about things like meteorites, neutrinos, and also the science of crafting beer, there's a lot of science involved in that as well."
The brewery and tap house also sits on a large amount of property off Notre Dame Avenue, with 16 acres at their disposal. Dan has plans for some events on the property that could feature live music and more.
You can find out more about Spacecraft by visiting them on Facebook or swing by and check them out at their grand opening celebration on Jan. 4.
