Brewing a community

The sweet and mild aroma of malt and a cloud of dust thickened the air as Tyler Montgomery and Cody Thompson cut open sacks of grain.

The pair were working on one of their most popular brews, the Brewgrass Light, a light West Coast-inspired pilsner beer. Tyler and Cody had been working together on different beers for several years. “We’re experimental … but we’re not like weirdly experimental,” Tyler said. “We love to make a good beer-flavored beer.” They have gotten the recipe for the Brewgrass Light down to a system; each ingredient is carefully portioned out according to the specific brew.

Tyler is the owner and mastermind behind Abettor Brewing Co., an independent brewery. The Winchester native was working in publishing around the country when he decided to follow his lifelong passion for beer and the craft of brewing by starting Brewer Magazine, a resource for professional independent brewers. It later supported him when he got the opportunity to open Abettor Brewing Co. in the former Sphar building in historic downtown before moving to a larger building in 2021.

When he is not actively working on brewing or the magazine, Tyler can be found with his dog, Jack, enjoying his own brew, usually the Depot Street IPA, while chatting with the bar’s employees and regulars. Many are close friends with Tyler and often have similar passions for craft beer. Fellow enthusiasts talk with him for hours about everything from fermentation processes and techniques to different styles of beer around the world to their favorite fish dishes. Lead brewer Cody is often found shoulder to shoulder at the bar with Tyler, who is his distant relative by marriage.

“I’m lucky,” Tyler said about moving back to his hometown to open Abettor. “I came back to a town that felt like it had nothing.” Now, he said, thanks to the community he helped build at Abettor, “I don’t really want to go anywhere.”