During the summer, we’re going to be talking to local brewers and other beer professionals about what you can look forward to when visiting breweries in our area. We start today with Progression Brewing’s Todd Sullivan.

Progression Brewing Company is located at 9 Pearl St. in Northampton. (George Lenker photo)George Lenker

When you’re hiring a brewer for a new brewery that’s only one city block away from another incredibly popular one that’s been thriving for more than three decades, you’d better make a great choice.

So it’s a good thing Progression Brewing – which in 2018 opened a mere 5-minute walk from the legendary Northampton Brewery – got Todd Sullivan as its head brewer.

Sullivan, who started homebrewing in college at age 18, said he got his start from “the cool kids down the hallway” who had a homebrew set-up and were making beer. While his initial focus in college was commercial art and industrial design, he later decided to expand his horizons and attend the Siebel Institute for Brewing Technology. After seizing the opportunity to refine his skills at a number of Massachusetts breweries, Sullivan was later recruited by Progression owner Drew Starkweather.

In a recent Q&A, we asked Sullivan about his brewing methodology, his preferred beer, and what patrons can anticipate when they come to Progression, among other topics.

Q: Do you have a primary philosophy that guides your brewing process?

Sullivan’s answer to that was short and sweet: Keep it simple. His arsenal of ingredients for making his IPAs only includes about four different malts. He appreciates delving into the subtle differences of malts and hops and assessing how they react when combined. He has witnessed other brewers utilize countless malts in a single brew. He has the ability to readily select malts and modify their quantities, switch out ingredients or adjust the temperatures in order to perfect his brews.

I also approach each beer I design as trying to be the best one on the planet. I will study who is making the best and the highest-rated style, and I will implement my style to make an even better one. I am always after the top dogs.

Q. You are known for your New England-style IPAs. How hard is it to make a bunch of different varieties of a style without repeating yourself? How do you come up with new ideas for new NEIPAs?

In my opinion New England IPA’s are about just a few simple things. Utilizing the perfect hop to achieve the tropical flavors you desire. I love that a hop can have tastes and smells of pineapple, guava, passionfruit, citrus, pineapple within them. It amazes me. Water chemistry is important. Malt is the basic part. I enjoy the right balance of wheat and oats to get a silky mouthfeel without being overly slick.

But the bottom line is keep it simple. Making them different and recognizable in my opinion is not hard. These IPAs are all about the hops. The hops I use taste and smell very differently. Different temperatures and fermentation times will get me vastly different results. More hops, less hops. More oats – it is all about mixing in vastly different amounts of hops to achieve my goals.

Q. What’s your favorite style and why?

My favorite style that we make is our Kolsch. Simple but just perfectly lagered, and it is given the right amount of tank time and cold conditioning to achieve a balance of perfection. I love using pilsner malt to get that crisper bite, and a simple small hop addition gets me where I want to be with this beer. I am a huge fan of lager. Tank space is at a minimum at Progression since we mostly make IPAs. I would love to squeeze a lager tank in there someday.

Q. What’s your biggest challenge as a brewer that you face on an ongoing basis?

Changes. I am part of this group called “angry old brewers” on the internet. They speak of making beers with Oreos and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Swedish fish. I just can’t do it. I am a purist. I am old, and I have been doing this for 26 years professionally. I was so hesitant to make a seltzer when we first made it. I felt like I was selling my soul. I will totally mix it up with a pastry stout or a fruited sour, but some of these changes I just can’t accept.

Q. What’s your favorite thing about being a brewer?

I definitely think making beer is still my favorite part. The part of actually brewing the beer and seeing it to completion. I have a great brewery and a small staff and I am alone a lot. Just me and my creation. It is a beautiful thing, brewing right here in downtown Northampton super early in the morning by myself.

Q. What would be your suggestion for a great summer beer to someone who is visiting Progression for the first time?

New Magic Wand. There was a time a couple summers ago that I actually got tired of beer and started drinking tequila and margaritas. I made a great sour, and we had always mixed in fruit. One day I said, “You know what I am going to do? I am going to try to make a margarita sour.” That’s 100% what I would suggest to anyone visiting Progression in the summer. And of course there’s always NOHO, my Kolsch. You cannot go wrong with that beer in the summer.

Progression Brewing Company is located at 9 Pearl St. in Northampton. For more information, go online to progressionbrewing.com or call 413-341-3517.

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