About east regiment beer co.
East Regiment was started in 2014 by Scott Perry and Joshua Engdahl, two Salem Locals and longtime friends. At the time Scott was serving in the US. Navy and Josh was working as a Merchant Marine on an offshore Oil Exploration Rig. The two were avid homebrewers and after meeting some success in competitions decided to start down the path of creating a brewery in their hometown. And thus began a long journey of permitting, paperwork, and obtaining financing (all the fun stuff). In 2016 The two acquired the Original Fire House in Salem and began turning it into a Brewery. This required a ton of work as the basement was an abandoned coal storage area with a dirt floor, low hanging wires, and next to no mortar in the 170-year-old building. The two set to work stuffing mortar into joints, laying down the brewery floor, and giving the place a heavy-duty pressure wash and paint. In addition to performing a large amount of work on the building, the owners hand built a Nano Brewery using skills they had picked up during their previous careers. The Team built the brew stove, kettles, fermenters, glycol chillers, keg washing station, cooler, and much more. This system has been going strong for 5 years now, save for the v.1 brew stove which warped due to heat! It’s not always comfortable running a brew at East Regiment but it’s extremely fun to see what creations come out of this humble, yet versatile system.
In 2024 Josh departed East Regiment to pursue other opportunities as well as gain some more family time, leaving Scott Firmly at the Helm. Scott’s main goal and drive is to constantly improve the styles of beer produced at East Regiment. The advantage of being a small batch brewery is that it allows for rapid iteration. This in turn means changes can be implemented quickly to our styles, which we tend to do every batch. Part of the fun of brewing is seeing what minor tweaks in the process and ingredients can do to evoke new flavors and an overall higher quality. East Regiment will never stop striving to make the perfect beer. We hope you enjoy!
ABOUT the EAST REGIMENT of Salem
On December 13th, 1636, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered that the Colony’s militia to be organized into three regiments: the North, South, and East Regiment. All males between the ages of 16 and 60 from that day forward were required to bear arms and participate in the community’s defense. In response to the growing threat of the Pequot Natives, the militia prepared with weekly drills and guard details. On an unspecified date in 1637, the East Regiment officially mustered for the first time on the Salem Common to mobilize in its defense. This event marked the birth of the modern day National Guard. On May 4th, 2002, the monument was dedicated to honor its historical significance.
In January of 2013, President Barack Obama signed legislation sponsored by Massachusetts Congressman John Tierney, which officially designated Salem as the birthplace of the National Guard. Each year, the city honors the First Muster with a ceremony conducted by service members, veterans, and community supporters.