Hi, friends! We have updated our hours for the summer at all locations.
Acton is fully open with a brand new kitchen and menu, and Sturbridge is also sporting a brand new spring menu!
In Spencer, we have some exciting news: Savage Wraps Food Truck is on site every Wednesday and Friday until 6pm! Their food is absolutely amazing and goes perfectly with our hand-brewed beer.
Acton, Spencer, and Sturbridge Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 4-10pm
Friday and Saturday: 12-10pm
Sunday: 12-8pm
We are so excited to announce that Savage Wraps Food Truck will be at the Brewery to offer amazing, fresh-cooked food for you! Check out their menu:
Pretzel-Wrapped Glizzy
A delicious frank wrapped in a warm, soft pretzel
‘Merica Fries
House seasoned fried potatoes. Served with ketchup or spicy aioli
Fried Lasagna Wrap
Mama Mia! Homemade meat sauce smothered with ricotta and mozzarella, then wrapped in lasagna noodles. Finished off by topping with panko bread crumbs and deep fried.
Chicken Fingers & Fries
Fried chicken breast tenders and ‘Merica fries all wrapped up in a flour tortilla.
Bacon Cheeseburger Meal
Toasted Flour Tortilla stuffed with seasoned shoestring ‘Merica fries, 1/4 lb. of seasoned ground beef, bacon, American Cheese. lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and house special sauce. No super-sizing necessary!
Deli Crunch Wrap
Your choice of meat (Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Capicola, Salami) all wrapped up with American Cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoni, deli mustard, mayo and smothered with crunchy potato chips.
Savage Wrap
Our Deli Crunch Wrap with all meat options included, as well as Cheddar cheese and banana peppers.
Fiesta Crunch Wrap
Best Wrap north of the border! You choose chicken or beef, then we complement it with shredded lettuce, tomato, green onion, shredded cheese, avocado cream, cilantro-ranch salsa. All rolled together with nacho cheese Doritos!
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Probably the only good thing about Buffalo! Your choice of Grilled or Fried Chicken wrapped up with lettuce, tomato, onion, shredded cheese, blue cheese and tortilla chips. Too Hot? Try with BBQ instead.
Fried Xango
A flour tortilla filled with creamy cheesecake and your choice of fruit (Apple or Strawberry), then deep fried and tossed in a bath of cinnamon sugar.
Originally manufactured by US factories including Wrights Mill in West Warren, MA, parachute tables were constructed of solid steel and wood specifically for sewing parachutes during World War II, a job typically held by women. Understanding that the parachutes they manufactured would eventually save the lives of the men they loved, female parachute workers worked with extremes of both gravity for the task at hand and pride for their contribution to the war effort. Parachute women were well-respected and appreciated by enlisted people as well as the general public.
To manufacture the parachutes, sewing machines were bolted through holes in the tabletop, while the smooth, steel surface prevented tears or pulls in the parachute’s silk material, allowing it to be easily and safely manipulated during construction.
Today, these parachute tables are used at our Acton and Sturbridge venues, although the bolt holes have been covered and the original surfaces etched with the Rapscallion R. Otherwise, they are intact. We are proud that these historically significant tables are a permanent part of our decor.
In 1893, Consumers’ Brewing Company set up shop in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1898, the decision was made to change the name to Harvard Brewing Company, and this newly branded business successfully expanded its product line, production capabilities, and market reach over the next two decades.
Prohibition went into effect in 1920 and the brewery’s plans to succeed by selling colas, ginger ale, and near-beer (<0.5% alcohol beer) weren’t working. With failure looming, Harvard executives added the beer back into their near-beer . Profits came back, and so did federal agents, culminating in August of 1925 when a truck filled with 100 barrels of illegal Harvard beer was hijacked in Lowell. As the hijackers were transferring the kegs to their cars, their movements were noticed by the neighborhood. And everyone wanted some of that!
As reported by the Lowell Courier-Citizen, “As soon as it became known in the locality what was going on, hundreds appeared and surrounded the truck. They all clamored for a chance to secure a barrel of the beer. Men came to blows and bedlam reigned. Besides the men involved, it is known that several women even procured barrels and rolled them along the sidewalks or in the streets to homes thereabouts.”
Due to the ruckus, police showed up to the scene and the mob scattered in all directions. When the liquor squad inspected the back of the truck, they discovered only two dozen kegs still remaining. Tracing the truck to Harvard Brewing, the police called in federal agents from Boston.
In the meantime, police picked one of the hijacker’s cars and chased it almost into neighboring Chelmsford before it crashed in a ditch. Its occupants leapt out and escaped on foot, leaving their precious cargo of two kegs of Harvard beer behind. The car had been stolen that morning by the rum-runners, who were not caught.
Knowing agents were coming, brewery workers scrambled to ditch the beer, going so far as to dump barrels into the River Meadow Brook, which still runs along the Lowell Connector today. Arriving agents were initially refused entrance to the Brewery for lack of a search warrant. However, upon hearing workers smashing barrels inside, the officers forced the door open and five inches of beer cascaded out over the steps and onto the agents struggling to climb into the building — a veritable river of beer. The workers escaped. Nearly 500 barrels of beer didn’t. The agents had hit the motherload.
The raid was the largest in New England’s prohibition history with over 100,000
gallons of full strength brew confiscated by the government.
Our Spencer Mug Club Members took it upon themselves to enter a Rapscallion float into the Spencer Parade of Lights. Spearheaded by Creative Director Chris Lindquist, the team of Mug Members created a “Christmas Vacation” themed float complete with camper, green-tinted smoke machine for Randy Quaid’s famous Cousin Eddie scene, and recliner for Uncle Lewis. Their talents and efforts won them Second Place overall (out of over 100 entries!).
The crew gathered at Raps Spencer after the parade and packed the house. Special thanks and shout out to our Raps family for making such an amazing creation.
We are hiring hiring hiring!
We are looking for enthusiastic FOH servers/bartenders to provide an excellent guest eating and drinking experience, with ability to create classic and innovative drinks exceeding customers’ needs and expectations. Compensation includes base server rate and tips. We are also seeking line cooks either part-time or full-time to assist in our busy kitchen. Ability to work weekends a must.
We are looking for enthusiastic bartenders, servers, and food runners to mix and serve cocktails and beer, deliver food to guests, bus tables and clean, and assist bar staff. Ability to work weekends a must.
We are looking for enthusiastic taproom bartenders to provide an excellent guest experience by serving our hand-brewed beer and other selections. This is not a cocktail position, no experience necessary — we will train! Compensation includes base server rate and tips. Ability to work weekends a must.
To apply, please email hello@visitrapscallion.com, or stop into our Acton, Sturbridge, or Spencer locations. We look forward to meeting you!
Rapscallion is a proud partner of Brew Biscuits, a local micro-business that works with local breweries to up-cycle spent grains into dog biscuits. Brew Biscuits are made with simple ingredients: peanut butter, eggs, flour, and the spent grains from one of our flagship beers, Honey Ale. Born out of a love of dogs, beer, and baking, these dog-tested and lab-approved treats are lovingly hand-baked in a fully licensed residential kitchen out of Holden, MA. They are 100% safe for dogs and tested by an external lab — and that is a laboratory, not Labrador, although they approve, too!
Learn more at www.brew-biscuits.com, and don’t forget to tag them and us on social media in a picture of your pup enjoying a treat. Available at any Raps location. Thank you for shopping local!
Rapscallion holds membership in both the Middlesex West and Central Mass South Chambers of Commerce, and we are continuously amazed by the Chambers’ unwavering support of their local businesses and community. From philanthropic endeavors to networking events, the Chamber of Commerce helps local businesses and non-profit organizations thrive by providing a space for sharing ideas, offering educational opportunities, increasing visibility and credibility, and allowing access to a robust network of trusted vendors.
Throughout Covid, the Chamber of Commerce has provided an invaluable support system for local businesses, many of which were greatly challenged by economic shutdown. Additionally, the Chamber provides targeted networking and growth opportunities by hosting events such as Women in Business, Young Professionals, business roundtables, and lunch and learns.
Recently, the Middlesex West COC announced the hire of its new Executive Director Debra Strick. Pete Daniels, Co-Proprietor of Rapscallion and President of Middlesex West COC commented, “The Chamber is looking forward to having Debra on board. Our businesses have been in the Covid transition for two years, and this is the leadership we’ve been seeking. Debra offers a great mix. She lives and works locally, and it is a treat to have her new ideas and energy. The Board is taking on new members and we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.” Read the complete announcement here.
Rapscallion offers our warmest congratulations and welcome to Ms. Strick, and encourages all local businesses and non-profit organizations to join their local Chambers of Commerce. A membership in the Chamber of Commerce is an investment in our local community. Thank you, Chamber of Commerce!
We pay tribute to a very loyal and inspirational friend of the Raps community. JB demonstrated daily how to be loving as a devoted father and husband to four amazing girls and their equally devoted mother, Crystal. He was a true family man who worked hard and supported his family with all their endeavors. He always made sure his friends who visited his family’s Sturbridge summer home were happy and relaxed, forever hospitable no matter the hour or the weather. Thank you, JB, for hosting us and providing such a fun atmosphere to unwind, and for being a fast friend to many of those lucky enough to meet you. You will forever be remembered and the mugs will always be clinking in your name! Click here for JB’s obituary.