Worcester Beer Garden-Palooza: Second Brewer Setting Up Downtown

WORCESTER, MA — Forget the heart of the commonwealth, Worcester is the beer garden of the commonwealth.

A third beer garden received approval Thursday to open in the downtown area, this time operated by Franklin's 67 Degrees. The brewer will set up shop inside the plaza along Eaton Place between Mercantile and Front streets.

The 67 Degrees garden will be just a few hundred feet away from one that Notch Brewing will operate at the Mercantile Center on the plaza between Commercial and Mercantile streets. The Notch Worcester Biergarten began operating this week.

Just across the common, the Worcester Beer Garden will be serving cold ones all summer along Franklin Street.

67 Degrees is no stranger to beer gardens. The brewer was picked in 2022 to operate a garden inside Boston City Hall plaza. 67 Degrees also operates a garden at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets. The brewery was founded in 2020 by Olivier Edouard and Laury Lucien.

Edouard told the Worcester License Commission that the garden will aim to "activate" the Eaton Place plaza, which includes some grassy and garden areas, but hasn't otherwise been used in recent years. Edouard said he hopes to have food trucks and local artisans on hand when the beer garden is open.

The license commission granted 67 Degrees permission to operate the beer garden from July 4 through Oct. 13. The garden will be open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. (4 p.m. on Sundays), weather permitting.