2012 is off to an amazing start for the Armsby Abbey! Draft Magazine just released its Top 100 Best Beer Bars in the country for 2012 and Armsby Abbey was picked as one of the best in the Northeast!

Last month the folks of TV Diner came in to the Armsby Abbey to do a review for their show. At the time we were skeptical as one never knows how they will actually be reviewed… in the end it all turned out great!

TV Diner featuring the Armsby Abbey aired on Saturday, January 14, 2012… Craft brews, local artisan cheeses — and creative ingredients — take center stage at Armsby Abbey in Worcester, Mass. Consider your neighborhood hangout  redefined. TV Diner awards the Armsby Abbey the coveted Platinum Plate!

Look for Armsby Abbey in the 2011 edition of Wine Enthusiast Magazine: 100 Best Restaurants in America issue.  Armsby Abbey is ranked #1 on a list of 5 Beer trailblazers in the US!

Sherri Sadowski – Armsby Abbey – Worcester, MA
Political affiliation
None

Religion
None

Age
34

Job Title
General Manager and Owner @ Armsby Abbey

Role in Community
(as a business)
We’ve created a family…we try to promote as much local as possible. I feel that what we’re doing here is trying to make a difference in the community….for us, its taking it back to basics. What’s good is simple…doing that with local farms whether its cheese, beers, distilleries.

What is your relationship with the Local Indie Community
Alec & I have tried to foster a good relationship with other businesses in the city. The restaurant community is pretty tight, as big of a city as it is and as big of a scene as it can be…everyone pretty much knows each other.

If your local indie community was an Animal, what would it be and why?
I know it might sound awful, but I almost want to go with a Rat, because Worcester is surviving. We’re trying to help people realize that there’s a lot here. A rat is a survivor and I feel like the city is surviving or growing.

Which local biz would you and your community miss most if it were gone. Why?
I have a lot of those actually. One of my favorite floral shops is Sprout, I’ve been working with her for over 10 years now, I’d really miss her if Kathy left.

What one piece of advice from your organizing can you share with the other people and organizations who will see this?
It might sound silly, do what you love and follow it with a passion and a soul, if you believe in a project, no matter what that project is, do what you love.

I took the road less traveled, but here we are, 12 years after business school….somehow I followed my passion and now I have exactly what I wanted, my own place doin’ it on my own terms

If you had a message to deliver to all the other organizations and people who are part of this movement, what would it be?
Stop and think what you’re doing on a daily basis. If you’re gonna live local & live well, its really not that difficult. At the end of the day everybody would feel better about it if they knew where their food came from and if they could put money back into the community.

http://shiftacrossamerica.blogspot.com/2009/05/sherry-sadowski-armsby-abbey.html

By Rich Garven

WORCESTER — When Armsby Abbey opened in the summer of 2008, there was no sign at 144 Main St. identifying the new establishment housed in this old brick building. Combined with its nondescript exterior and shadowy interior, inviting it was not.

The approach went against good business sense, but it wasn’t a novel one for owner Alec G. Lopez. Only a small neon sign identifies the windowless Dive Bar, Mr. Lopez’s other venture in the city.

“We like the anonymity of the two locations,” said Sherri M. Sadowski, Mr. Lopez’s wife and business partner. “We want people to seek us out. It’s really low-key at both places.”

The vibe is low-key at these beer bars. The buzz is not.

That’s particularly true of Armsby Abbey, which was garnering national recognition for its unique and exciting drink and food menus within a year of its opening, having been compared favorably with the likes of The Publican in Chicago and Gramercy Tavern in New York.

“We represent this new wave of boutique beer bars,” Mr. Lopez said early Thursday evening before ceding his table, the last available vacant spot in a room that seats 70, to patrons.

“When we opened, it was really all about the bar. But we’ve grown with the demand for the food.”

There are 22 taps — and an unconnected TV — mounted by the bar, which runs down the right side of this cozy establishment with its exposed brick and polished wood, dim lighting and high ceiling. The selection of handcrafted libations rotates quickly, according to Mr. Lopez, because of the bar’s high volume and the limited quantity of many of the high-quality beers, six of which are always Belgian brews.

The list of bottled beers numbers 180 and the wine list has offerings from small vineyards in New England and the West Coast. The spirits are all from artisan distilleries and frequently combined with fresh fruit to make bold and refreshing “Righteous Cocktails.”

“Armsby Abbey represents craftsmanship,” Ms. Sadowski said. “Whether it’s the beer, the food, the wine or the table you’re sitting at.”

The tables were built by Mr. Lopez’s brother with wood from Petersham. The food, with rare exceptions, comes from small farms throughout the Northeast with an emphasis on Central Massachusetts.

The bread, rolls and pizza dough are made in-house, but soon will be baked at Crust, a new Lopez-Sadowski venture set to open a couple of doors away this spring.

“The food is very important, and the source is very important,” Mr. Lopez said.

Armsby Abbey is in the midst of expanding with a new kitchen in the works and the addition of another 30 seats. The quick rise in popularity is fairly amazing considering this large city has a well-deserved reputation for thinking small when it comes to trying new things.

“The fact that it’s in Worcester and it’s working, it’s mind-boggling at times,” admitted Mr. Lopez, 39, who was born in Argentina and moved to Holden when he was 10 before going on to graduate from Wachusett Regional High School and Worcester State College.

Then again, he didn’t think the risk was nearly as big as others did.

“The Dive Bar really exposed the market for what it is,” Mr. Lopez said. “We knew we had an audience.”

There was a tavern at 34 Green St., home of the Dive Bar since 1995, so long ago the footrest running parallel to the worn and wooden bar is actually a boxed-in trough that previously allowed patrons to, um, relieve themselves without leaving their stools.

When Lopez bought the Dive six or seven years ago, he left the dusty nautical-themed memorabilia in place. What he did do was consciously go about overhauling the rowdy customer base that used to fill the dark, narrow bar to get its fill of massive quantities of mass-produced beer.

“Everything I ever had growing up was full of flavor and fresh,” Mr. Lopez said. “When it came to drinking beer, I never understood why you would drink something that wasn’t good and those factory flavored beers never tasted good to me.”

So it was out with the Buds and in with the Belgians. With the opening of Armsby Abbey, the beer menu has since been altered to exclusively feature handcrafted American beers — although, in a nod to the past, 16 ounce cans of Narragansett are available.

What used to be infamous is now famed among beer connoisseurs across the state.

As for Armsby Abbey, it finally got a sign about a year ago. Seems Mr. Lopez’s resistance gave way to Ms. Sadowski’s insistence.

“People who aren’t looking for you can find it and people who are looking for it find it easier,” Mr. Lopez said. “I ultimately gave in for no real reason than I had no reason for not wanting it other than (self-)righteousness.”

Makes sense, even if business is good.

(via http://www.telegram.com/article/20100318/NEWS/3180755/1011)

Last summer my brother Mario reported on a spectacular New England destination known as Armsby Abbey. Located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, the Abbey features 22 taps of some of the finest beers on the planet. A nice mix of Northeastern and international taps, as well as nearly 200 bottle choices, it’s easy to understand why the Abbey has been crowned as Worcester’s best beer destination for 13 years running. On top of this, Armsby Abbey snatched honors for the city’s best new Restaurant, best chef, best beer selection, and best bartender in 2009.

Shortly after palating the jaw-dropping brews of Ebenezer’s Pub, Lion’s Pride, the Great Lost Bear, and Novare Res, we expected a healthy selection at Armsby Abbey, but were further enamored by the nearly two dozen pours from which to chose. Upon our visit we witnessed taps such as Stone Double Bastard, Allagash Confluence and White, Mikkeller East Kent Goldings, Cazneau Tournay De Noël, Founders Centennial IPA, Dogfish Head Burton Baton, Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA, Victory Strangeways, Haand Bruggeriet Hesjeøl, Lost Abbey Red Barn, d’Achouffe Houblon Dobbelen, and Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca.

The friendly and knowledgeable staff of Armsby Abbey are happy to suggest a beer to the liking of just about any beer enthusiast. We were quite pleased to find this great pub with a relaxed ambiance. The next time you find yourself in Worcester, don’t pass up a chance to experience the world class Armsby Abbey.

(via http://brewpublic.com/places-to-drink-beer/armsby-abbey-great-beer-in-the-heart-of-massachusetts/)

Sherry Sadowski – Armsby Abbey – Worcester, MA

Political affiliation
None

Religion
None

Age
34

Job Title
General Manager and Owner @ Armsby Abbey

Role in Community
(as a business)
We’ve created a family…we try to promote as much local as possible. I feel that what we’re doing here is trying to make a difference in the community….for us, its taking it back to basics. What’s good is simple…doing that with local farms whether its cheese, beers, distilleries.

What is your relationship with the Local Indie Community
Alec & I have tried to foster a good relationship with other businesses in the city. The restaurant community is pretty tight, as big of a city as it is and as big of a scene as it can be…everyone pretty much knows each other.

If your local indie community was an Animal, what would it be and why?
I know it might sound awful, but I almost want to go with a Rat, because Worcester is surviving. We’re trying to help people realize that there’s a lot here. A rat is a survivor and I feel like the city is surviving or growing.

Which local biz would you and your community miss most if it were gone. Why?
I have a lot of those actually. One of my favorite floral shops is Sprout, I’ve been working with her for over 10 years now, I’d really miss her if Kathy left.

What one piece of advice from your organizing can you share with the other people and organizations who will see this?
It might sound silly, do what you love and follow it with a passion and a soul, if you believe in a project, no matter what that project is, do what you love.

I took the road less traveled, but here we are, 12 years after business school….somehow I followed my passion and now I have exactly what I wanted, my own place doin’ it on my own terms

If you had a message to deliver to all the other organizations and people who are part of this movement, what would it be?
Stop and think what you’re doing on a daily basis. If you’re gonna live local & live well, its really not that difficult. At the end of the day everybody would feel better about it if they knew where their food came from and if they could put money back into the community.