PROCTORSVILLE, Vt. – Taylor Shaw and Wesley Tice brought their vision of an outer space-themed brewery and taproom to life when they purchased and built out a historic woolen mill in Proctorsville and opened Outer Limits Brewery on July 5, 2019.
The space is open and bright, with an oversized, inviting bar, and a focused menu that features wood-fired pizza and wings and local beers on tap. The brewery has been a popular après ski destination since Tice, Shaw, and their team brewed their first batch of craft beer.
On July 5, 2024, they happily celebrated the brewery’s four-year anniversary, and less than a week later, the state experienced what is now being called The Great Vermont Flood of 10-11 July 2023. The Proctorsville-Cavendish area saw major flooding and damage. The Village Green, Depot Street, and Main Street were all under water, and few of the businesses in the downtown area were spared.
For Outer Limits, this meant the total loss of their processing equipment, fermenters, and all stored product. The floodwaters also completely destroyed the electrical system, and the building was without power for almost four months.
During that time, Tice said, “Many, many, many people showed up. Neighbors, customers, friends, everyone wanted to help.” He mentioned Ludlow restaurant and bar Gamebird helped by directing some donations to support Outer Limits staff. Singleton’s General Store came through with meals during the early weeks of recovery.
Tice said the experience “has been like a rollercoaster. I went from making beer to being a general contractor, managing 30 people through construction projects.”
Outer Limits’ main brewer, a tall, soft-spoken man named Orion, nodded his head as Tice described the work that was put in by the staff and all the helpers; cleaning, sanding, painting, drywalling. Tice said he was lucky he had a contractor/family member who came to Vermont, stayed with them, and worked alongside the assembled crew for four to five hours every day until the work was completed.
The tap room finally opened its doors again on Friday, Jan. 13. The Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce welcomed the business back with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
“This was our third opening,” Tice remarked. First was the grand opening in 2019, then they were shut down in 2020 during the pandemic, and now, back again after another disaster. Whether or not the third time’s a charm, Tice and Orion are in agreement that there will not be a fourth.
“I’m trying to take this experience as a positive one,” Tice commented. “We’re not returning to any of the old brews, since we lost everything in the flood. We’ll be introducing all new recipes, and we’re really excited about that.”
The woodfire oven survived, the kitchen is back to serving the full menu, and the taps are flowing with many local Vermont and New England beers. The brewery features live music every Saturday, from 4-7 p.m.
Tice plans to continue to communicate with town officials and other area business owners regarding ideas to prevent this type of extreme weather event from repeating itself. In the meantime, Tice looks to the future, and remains grateful for community support.
“In the end, that’s what I think I’ll remember most,” Tice commented, “how everyone came together.”