The past year has certainly been a time of change, and this summer is providing another seismic shift in the local beer world.
After 13 years of serving as head brewer at the Northampton Brewery, Boog Pacher is pulling up his New England roots and transplanting them in Vancouver, Canada.
His wife, Danielle Ignace, got a job offer that was too good to refuse, and so westward they will go.
“It’s basically like she got picked No. 1 in the draft,” Boog said with a smile about his wife’s career.
While that is great news for the couple, the collateral damage is that we lose a brilliant brewer, hilarious mind and all-around great guy. Given that the Northampton Brewery is my local, I got to know Boog fairly well over the years and have had many great chats with him about beer, politics, music, baseball and sports in general.
And with sports, he also taught me how to love soccer. For that, I will be forever grateful. He made the game make sense to me and now I’m a fan. (Although I am a Liverpool fan and he is an Arsenal rooter. He didn’t convince me to go to the Dark Side.)
But more than that, he also taught me a lot about beer. I obviously had a decent amount of knowledge before I ever met him, but I would always pick up bits and bobs in casual chats with him, and those little nuggets turned out to be quite an impressive collection over the years. His expertise has been wonderful for me to have around.
And while I’ll miss all that, most of all I’ll miss just having a beer with him – usually one of his own glorious creations.
While Boog tweaked the original lineup at the brewery over the years, it was the string of new brews he created that showcased his artistry. His Blue Boots IPA has been the flagship beer there for years now. And while I love that beer, I like some of his others even more (some of which only show up occasionally): Lobsterback, Contract Killer, and Summer (or Spring) Fling.
My favorite, however, is Mean Green Double IPA. Double IPAs can be tricky, and frankly I don’t love most of them. But Boog got it right.
He also contributed to the community in a massive way, such as making all the hot chocolate for the annual Hot Chocolate Run (to benefit Safe Passages) and doing “Donald’s Dash” in conjunction with “Monte’s March” to raise money for the Food Bank. (His given name is Donald, and he is also a triathlete.)
Fortunately, the brewery will still be in great hands, as assistant brewer Steve Bilodeau – another great guy and brewer – will take the reins. He has been Boog’s wing man since he took over, so the transition should be smooth. I’m also not worried about Steve’s creativity with brewing as he is responsible for one of my other favorites, Greyhound IPA – not to mention that he had input on most other new creations over the past 13 years.
And a little icing on the cake is that Steve will be assisted by Meghan Leahy, who will become the first woman brewer at the Northampton Brewery. I love that owner Janet Egelston-Cichy is giving Meghan the opportunity. I spoke briefly with Meghan a few weeks back, and her enthusiasm alone indicates she is a good choice.
So it’s farewell to Boog and Danielle, with a big barrel of gratitude for all the great beer and memories. Slainte!
