Progression Brewing Company

 

Handy location right off downtown with lots of (paid, but cheap) parking nearby. Standard 21st century brewery setup - post-industrial space, long bar with taps, plenty of seating, mix of normal-type tables and hi-tops. I was there early on a Saturday afternoon and the place was slammed with douchebaggy hipsters and their screaming, minimally supervised toddlers. Somebody actually changed a dirty diaper on the hi-top next to where we were sitting. I mean, seriously. What the fuck is the matter with people?! If I could assign vibe a number lower than 1, I would. Maybe it’s better at other times, but 'other times' isn't when I was there. Anyway. Solidly IPA-centric tap list - included a kölsch(-style) and a milk stout, otherwise NEIPA’s all the way. But the IPA’s were excellent, cans to go were dated* and available as singles, so bonus points x2 there. *But all the cans I turned over were at best over a month old.

Spring 2023 and the only sensible decision is to go west to the Pioneer Valley for a brief weekend getaway, right?

The weather has been consistently rainy and cold in New England as of late but we all know this is temporary as the enjoyable, warmer months will be here soon. We're just not sure when exactly that'll happen.

In the meantime.....

We find ourselves in Northampton, part of a scenic western Massachusetts exploration where I find myself wondering why we don't visit this area on a more frequent basis. Nevertheless, after a trip to the underwhelming Eric Carle Museum in Amherst it's high time to venture to Northampton for some afternoon shopping and lunch.

Pro Tip: 'Turn It Up!' is a terrific music store in the area, featuring an extensive selection of record sand CD's. I visited Newbury Comic first, but the real gem is 'Turn It Up!' for your music needs. It's always a good idea to support independent music stores.

Progression Brewing Company is located towards the end of Pleasant Street on Pearl Street. The atmosphere and vibe here was great, on this unsuspecting Saturday afternoon, it looks like an old industrial space that's been turned into a brewery. Lots of exposed brick, open space and a plentiful amount of game activity like darts and shuffleboard are available. A bunch of entertaining board games are on hand for patrons too. A comfortable place to chill and drink quality beers, if you're into that sort of thing ::sarcasm::

The service arrangement is unique, you order your beer and food at the front bar area. No traditional table service per se, but it works.

There were like 10 beers or so on tap and a bunch of 4 packs available in a cooler. I sampled a couple of beers and they were excellent. The IPA's I had were spectacular, danky and fresh.

I'd say this is a borderline 'must stop' if hangin' in the area - great space, quality beers and good brewery vibes.

 

 

Cool little place in rehabbed industrial space. L-shaped bar to left of entry seats about 15 with a dozen small and communal tables spread throughout the room. 8 beers on draft, mostly ipas, the 2 I had were excellent. They also sell single pints to go. Nice environment, look forward to returning.

Went here the other day. Progression is located off Pearl Street in Northampton; some street parking, a parking lot, and the parking garage is not too far from the facility. The brewery appears on the outside as this painted white concrete. Inside was wonderful. The brewery kept the brick wall look with some rafters and hanging lights with a steel bar area. Area adorned the walls in this pretty huge space.

Service was really good. The two bartenders were very attentive to my needs and quite talkative about general stuff or brewery information. The brewery did have food but I did not eat any. Other patrons near me were eating and it looked like you could get salads, burgers, and sandwiches at this place.

The beer selection was pretty good. They had fridge of their cans and a lot on tap. I would say they maybe had at least 10 of their own beers on tap. Most were geared toward IPAs, but I noticed an imperial stout on their draft menu.

Overall, what a nice addition to the Pioneer Valley. Would definitely go back.

Good new place in Northampton, still evolving to the space , but doing a good job at it!