Rushmore & Sons Brewhouse, Upton MA

22 March 2025

Rushford & Sons took over an old service station and use the space very nicely. On the day we visited, a one-table farmer’s market was set up in the transition from indoors to outdoors, as you can see. They have a large tap list and although there’s no kitchen, they do have “gourmet snacks” available and food trucks (today’s was Tako Loko, but we didn’t try it).

The interior space is varied and my friend, Ron, and I were able to sit in comfy chairs at the far back, away from any noise and next to a window looking out on the creek below. And yes, I did “accept” the incoming call from BEER 🙂

I had two flights and will describe both left-to-right. Here’s the first:

Leann Rua – (pronounced “loo-ann roo-uh”) Irish Red Ale, 5.3% – Love the name, didn’t love the beer itself quite as much. For me, it didn’t have the flavor of a traditional red ale and the finish was very dry. Based on this one, I decided not to try their Imperial Red Ale (8.5%).

Bonfire – Wood-smoked lager, 6.1% – It’s hard to go wrong with something like this, although it is possible. This one reminded me a lot of another famous smoked lager from a brewery not far from here, and it was certainly enjoyable if not particularly special in its own right.

The GIPA – Grapefruit New England IPA, 5.5% – Their IPAs are very mild and this one was no exception. In fact, I struggled to taste any grapefruit at all in it, although I think I finally did get a sense of it. This was very drinkable, but not one to be looked back on as a “Wow!””

Grove St. Gose – Cranberry Orange Sour, 5.1% – I’m not sure I could do a full pint of this — although I will admit it grew on me as I continued to sip my way through the flight glass — but it was a really nice sour. If it were maybe two notches less sour, I’d say this would be a delightful summer beer!

Golden Lion – Abbey Style Belgian Ale, 6.3% – I really enjoyed this beer! In fact, I took a 4-pack of it home with me. It has the interesting Belgian taste but it’s clearly Rushford & Sons’ own take on the style.

Rosa – Double New England IPA, 8.1% – This is a Pinks Boots Society brew and I also really enjoyed it! It was smooth and just the right amount of sweet; I would have also taken a 4-pack of this with me if it had been available in cans.

Slush – Hazy New England IPA, 6.9% – Honestly, I expected more out of this one. Again, it was so mild as to almost not be an IPA at all and I’m not sure what it really was. It was nice, but didn’t have the flavors I expect from the NEIPA style.

Emperor Bear – Imperial Brown Ale, 10.6% – I don’t find a lot of brown ales I like, so to find an Imperial brown that I love is truly a unique event! This did not in the least taste like it was that strong a beer and if this had been in my first flight, I may have skipped the second flight to have a pint of this. I *almost* took a 4-pack of it home with me but decided I didn’t really need something this strong tempting me every evening 😉

I was also impressed by the number and variety of special events this place sponsors, everything from a monthly book club to first-time-homeowner seminars, Dungeons and Dragons intro sessions, Tarot readings, and on and on. We’ll definitely be back here again for more of their beers and pleasant atmosphere!