3cross Fermentation Cooperative is Massachusetts' first community-owned brewery. Our 5,500 square foot space in the basement of 26 Cambridge Street houses a spacious taproom, a small nano-brewery setup and lots of space for expansion. While beer is the core of our business here at 3cross, we have plans for a variety of other fermented foods and drinks in the future. Since the business is owned by you, our customers, we keep our focus on serving our local community. It's unlikely that you'll ever see 3cross beer sold too far from Worcester.
Our name references the classic spoke lacing pattern for a bicycle wheel and you'll find elements of bicycle lore and culture throughout the brewery. Since we're cyclists as well as beer lovers, we aim to make 3cross the ideal place to end your next ride. Of course, we also aim to be the perfect place for anyone to enjoy a fresh, local beer.
A cooperative is a democratically owned and controlled business that exists to serve its members needs and aspirations. Cooperative businesses are owned and run by and for their members and a share in the profits and decision making.
Here at 3cross, the business is owned both by its workers and its consumers (that's you!). Each group elects representatives to the Board of Directors to help steer the business, with input from the membership as a whole. Unlike a traditional corporation, each member has an equal vote in the affairs of the cooperative, regardless of the amount of their capital investment. In the case of really important decisions (like changing the business's core mission), all members have an equal say in the final outcome.
Beyond having a say in the direction of a business you patronize and having an opportunity to serve on the Board, members will receive a 20% discount on merchandise purchases along with the special perks below.
Once a year, we'll hold our Annual Meeting to elect the Board of Directors and vote on important decisions. It won't be just a meeting though, there'll be plenty of time to socialize and celebrate another year!
Once a quarter we'll randomly select a member to help design and brew a beer of their choosing. They'll be free to have as much involvement as they like - from simply selecting a style to actually putting on some brewer's boots and cleaning out the mash tun. Once the beer is ready, it will be available for members to purchase at cost.
In years when the business has profits remaining after necessary reinvestment, members will receive a dividend in proportion to their purchases with the coop. Some portion of this dividend will be in cash and some portion may be in the form of increased investment in the coop.
Since we have a no tips policy here at 3cross, we donate any cash left on the bar each month to a designated charity. As a member you'll be able to suggest and vote on which charity that money goes to.
The first step is to fill out our membership application here on our website. Please note that memberships are for a single person. If you would like to join the co-op as a couple or family, each individual will need to fill out the application. Once you've completed that you'll just need to make a $150 equity contribution. We'd prefer to have you come in to the taproom to do that (we want to get to know you!), but we understand that's not possible for some. If that's the case, we'll send you a link to make your equity contribution online by credit card.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have made a number of changes to our standard operations. To reduce the risk to guests and staff, we ask that all visitors adhere strictly to these protocols.
We offer beer in a variety of formats for either on-site enjoyment or to bring home with you. Check the on tap page for our current selection. If you would like a drink to savor in our taproom, we offer beer in 125mL, 300mL and 425mL servings. Due to their higher alcohol content, some of our beers are only offered in 125mL and 300mL servings. If you're looking for a libation to take home, we offer all of our beers in 750mL and 2L growlers and many are also available as 4-packs of 16oz cans. Please note that growlers and cans are for off-site consumption only.
Because all of our workers are paid a fair, living wage and share in the ownership of the business we have decided to adopt a tip-free policy in our taproom. While we appreciate your desire to thank your beertender for a job well done, how about buying another round for the table or some bottles to go, rather than a cash gratutiy? We have instituted a "Charity of the Month" program and any cash tips will be donated to the designated charity at the end of the month. Want to help decide who that money goes to? That's one of the perks of membership!
We offer a limited menu of simple fare that will pair wonderfully with our beers. Check the menu for current offerings.
Our taproom is located in the basement of 26 Cambridge Street, at the rear of the building. Our parking lot and entrance are located on Knowlton Avenue. For those of you who've been in Worcester a while, we're in the space that was home to Playoff Entertainment. We're admittedly a little hard to find, but promise that it's worth the effort!
Being a bike themed brewery we hope that you'll ride down to 3cross whenever possible. We have plenty of places to stash your bike inside or on our outdoor patio. We have a good-sized parking lot available for those of you driving, but it does fill up during peak times. There is also limited on-street parking, but please be considerate of our neighbors.
A brevet is not a race. This does not mean that a brevet is easy. You will ride further than you thought possible and encounter unending climbs, broken pavement, torrential rain, and mechanical failure. But you can do this. As long as you stop every once in a while to enjoy the scenery. Much like its namesake, this IPA is meant to be approachable, but not watered down. Huge notes of orange, mango and pine resin dominate, but bitterness is restrained. Flavorful, but not aggressive. Workmanlike, not flashy. 6.7% abv
Like a single-speed bike, our flagship pale ale is a stripped down beer showcasing a single hop. A well rounded malt bill is complemented by additions of the featured hop throughout the brewing process. In this edition, Mosaic hops contribute an array of flavors – ranging from tropical to berry to pine resin – that seem to change with every sip. 5.2% abv
How long can you trackstand? One hand? No hands? While drinking this beer? Like its namesake, this beer is all about balance. It’s a careful interplay between the nutty sweetness of fresh Pilsner malt and the gentle bitterness of Hüll Melon hops. 5.4% abv
Named after the distance of the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling event, this double IPA is our Brevet IPA amped up to ridiculous levels. A staggering amount of hops contribute bold notes of citrus, mango and resiny pine, all backed up by an assertive level of bitterness. 8.3% abv
This edition of our test batch series is a Belgian-style brown ale layered with sour cherries. 8% abv
This edition of our test batch series is a bright and tart pale sour beer with guava and passionfruit. 6.5% abv
As 3cross evolves as a brewery, so to does this beer. Released each year on the anniversary of our opening, we brew it in the solera style, where a bit of each year's batch makes up the total volume. Rich mahogany in color with a assertive, but complex level of acidity and an echo of the barrel it was fermented in. This is one to sip and savor. Cheers! 9.1% abv
3, 2, 1, SPRINT! While taking the holeshot doesn’t guarantee a win, it certainly doesn’t hurt. This American pale ale boasts a generous addition of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, roasted here in Worcester by Acoustic Java, which play counterpoint to bright citrus notes from West Coast hops. 5.2% abv
We swear, we were just riding along and all of a sudden a bag of Maine grown flaked rye appeared out of nowhere and fell into the mash tun! Can we get this warrantied? No? Well, that's alright, the dry, spicy kick from the rye is a nice complement to the old school West Coast hops in this pale ale. 5% abv
Like the renegade scorchers of the 1890s, this brown ale is a little unruly. We added ghost chilis and chocolate habaneros for a nice citrus pepper character and a seriously spicy kick. 7% abv
Ask just about any bike mechanic about Sheldon Brown and you're bound to hear all about his encyclopedic, forever-90's-era website that covers everything from obscure bottom bracket standards to how to lace up a bicycle wheel. Sadly, Brown passed away in 2008, but he lives on through his website and, we hope, through this brown ale brewed in his memory. It features a rich malt base, which brings notes of chocolate and toast, combined with a good dose of American hops for a pleasant citrus finish without too much bitterness. 7% abv
Named in honor of Major Taylor, the "Worcester Whirlwind", this is our interpretation of the traditional Belgian witbier style. With Maine grown wheat, fresh orange and grapefruit zest, coriander seed, chamomile and grains of paradise this is definitely a summertime quencher and perfect to slake your thirst after a good ride. 4.8% abv
Brewed in collaboration with breweries around the world to support justice and equality for People of Color. Proceeds from this beer will be donated to the Worcester chapter of the NAACP and Legendary Legacies. 10% abv
Days are getting shorter and nights are getting colder. That means two things are almost here: Oktoberfest and cyclocross season. We brewed this malty, but easy drinking beer in the spring and lagered it all summer to be at its peak just in time to celebrate both. Prost! 4.5% abv
housemade hummus, olives, feta, pita, baby carrots
Japanese-style rice balls with nori mayo and choice of filling:
pork, mushroom or tempeh
Steamed dumplings filled with piping hot broth and choice of filling:
pork or mushroom
Find 3cross beers on draught at these fine establishments in Worcester.
Find cans of 3cross beer at these stores in the Worcester area.
675 Nantsket Ave
Hull, MA
astreetliquors.com
117 Gold Star Blvd
Worcester, MA
austinliquors.com
20 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA
austinliquors.com
370 Park Ave
Worcester, MA
austinliquors.com
44 Boston Post Road West
Marlborough, MA
marlborowine.com
100 Crawford Street
Leominster, MA
rootsnaturalfoods.com
21 Franklin Street
West Boylston, MA
wachusettliquors.com
596 Summer Street
Barre, MA
facebook.com/wholesomefarmersmarket/
3cross isn't just about brewing beer and supporting our local community. We also want to make sure that we steward our natural resources for the enjoyment of all. Brewing beer can have a significant environmental impact due to large water, electrical and fossil fuel requirements. Here's what we're doing to try to minimize or mitigate our impact on the planet.
Working together with 1% for the Planet, we have committed to donating 1% of all of our sales to non-profit organizations whose missions are in areas of critical environmental impact: climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife.
So far, 3cross has donated to the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), the Regional Environmental Council and Worcester Earn-A-Bike. MassBike and Worcester Earn-A-Bike work within our city and our state to promote cycling as a fun and eco-friendly mode of transportation and recreation. The REC works to secure access to fresh, healthy food for everyone.
Via a partnership with the Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, 3cross offsets 100% of it's electrical usage with the purchase of Class 1 RECs from wind power generated in Massachusetts. By doing this we're helping to make the local electric grid greener, faster.
Breweries generate a lot of waste in the form of grain solids that have been used, but still contain nutrients. We give our spent grains to local farms to use as feed for livestock, keeping them out of the landfill.
When making decisions regarding which products we purchase to run our business, we always consider environmental impact. All of these decisions are important, from little things like paper goods (we purchase 100% recycled) to more impactful ones like our malted barley (the bulk of which is malted without the use of fossil fuels).
Our name references the classic spoke lacing pattern for a bicycle wheel and you'll find elements of bicycle lore and culture throughout the brewery. Since we're cyclists as well as beer lovers, we aim to make 3cross the ideal place to end your next ride.
Yup, we make all the beer we serve in our taproom on-site.
No we don't. Sorry.
Our current licensing doesn't allow us to produce or serve alcoholic products other than beer. It's something we're considering for the future though!
We offer house-made fountain sodas and tap water. Check our "On Tap" page for current offerings.
We offer a menu of simple fare to pair with our beer. Check the menu food current offerings.
Sure, we have gift cards available for sale in the taproom.
Well behaved pets are welcome in our taproom, as long as they remain leashed and under their owner's control at all times. We do reserve the right to request that a disruptive pet be removed.
We are a kid-friendly establishment as long as minors are accompanied and supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
Unfortunately, we aren't able to accommodate private parties during our regular taproom hours. If you're interested in something at another time, give us a shout and we'll see if we can make it work.
As long as you don't need any special accommodations, sure, come on by! Our taproom has open seating though and can get quite busy (particularly during events), so plan accordingly if you'll be coming during prime hours. If you'll be bringing a large group (more than 20), we always appreciate a heads up.
Absolutely! We even have a pile of takeout menus from some great local restaurants.
Sorry, but that's a hard no. Our liquor license doesn't allow for any outside alcohol on the premises.
We don't offer formal tours, but the brewery area is visible over a half-height wall from the taproom. Have a look and let us know if you have any questions about the process!
We fill our own 750mL and 2L glass and stainless steel growlers. We will also fill blank dark glass swing-top or stainless steel vessels of the same size as ours that have a factory marking indicating their volume. Sorry, but MA state law doesn't allow us to fill growlers with the branding of other breweries. We think this goes without saying, but all growlers must be clean. We do not have the facilities to clean growlers behind the bar.
Once you've enjoyed the beer contained within, we recommend immediately rinsing thoroughly (2-3 times) with very hot water. Then, allow it to air dry upside down with the cap off. Leave the cap off until it's been filled again. Never use dish soap to clean a growler.
We're a very small operation but are commited to giving back to our community. We have established two avenues for charitable giving:
Unfortunately, we aren't able to make donations to other organizations at this time and due to the volume of donation requests we receive we are not able to respond to requests that do not fit these criteria.
Subject to availability, we can arrange to have a keg sent to a local liquor store for you to purchase. Contact us for more details.
We work with Atlas Distributing to service our retail partners. If your establishment is within their distribution area, please contact them. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to distribute outside of this area.
Sure, you can purchase a pack of our labels on our webstore.
Not at this time. We will post any available positions here on our website.
You may send information about your product or service to solicitations@3cross.coop. If we are interested we will respond promptly. Unfortunately, due to the number of requests we receive of this nature, we are not able to respond to requests that are not a good fit for our business. Please do not send emails to other email addresses within our organization, please do not send multiple requests, and please do not subscribe us to your mailing list. Any of these actions will result in us ignoring all of your communications and reporting your messages as spam.
Sounds interesting! Send us an email and we'll do our best to answer.
Thanks! Please check your email to confirm your subscription.
Have you checked out our FAQ? We receive many inquires and most of the common questions are answered there. Please give it a look. We're a small operation, so we are unable to respond individually to questions that are addressed in the FAQ. We need to spend our time making beer!
3cross Fermentation Cooperative
26 Cambridge Street
(4 Knowlton Ave for your GPS)
Worcester, MA 01603
Processing application...
There was an error while submitting your application. Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience. If this error persists, please send us an email at info@3cross.coop
Your application has been received. Next time you're in the taproom let us know you've completed the application and we'll process your payment.
Your application has been received. We'll send you an invoice to pay your equity contribution soon.
