Wachusett Brewing Company is a microbrewery

Microbrewery

A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....

 and craft brewery in Westminster, Massachusetts

Westminster, Massachusetts

Westminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 7,277.- History :Westminster was first settled in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759....

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Founded in 1993, by former attendees of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...

, Wachusett Brewing Company is Worcester County

Worcester County, Massachusetts

-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...

's first and only brewery and was well-accepted by the town of Westminster. One of the founders said, "The town has just opened their arms. The area's been hit hard by lay-offs and they're excited to see a new business and a new industry try to make a go of it."

The company maintains a relationship with the founders' alma mater

Alma mater

Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

 and has arranged for students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Department of Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

 to earn college credit in cooperation with the brewery. In 2005, the company's founders received the college's Ichabod Washburn

Ichabod Washburn

Ichabod Washburn was a church deacon and industrialist from Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. His financial endowments led to the naming of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and the foundation of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts.Washburn became an apprentice in...

 Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.

The brewery produces a variety of beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

s including ale

Ale

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...

s and a porter

Porter (beer)

Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...

. Its most distinctive and unusual product is probably "Wachusett Blueberry", a wheat ale

Wheat beer

Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented...

 with a hint of natural blueberry

Blueberry

Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...

 flavor.

Wachusett Brewing Company's largest account is the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area and together they co-sponsor such events as the annual "The Wachusett to Wachusett 5M" ski race

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

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