Rob Trask grew up in Lee, so his ties to the Berkshire landscape, culture, and community are strong. He left to pursue a chemical engineering degree at Columbia University, worked for a German firm in Westchester County for several years, and returned to Pittsfield years later to take a finance job with General Electric, developing his business acumen at GE through an internal financial management program.
He always felt a pull toward the restaurant world and “was always intrigued by the creative vision and unique atmosphere of themed restaurants,” he recalls.
Recovering from a head-on collision in 2002 provided time to think more seriously about that pull and explore opportunities to enter the restaurant waters. “I was recuperating at home for several months,” he explains, “and had time to weigh the impact of staying in a corporate job with heavy time demands versus starting my own business and having more control over my time.” His daughter’s arrival in 2003 cemented his decision.
When an opportunity arose to buy 51 Park Restaurant & Tavern in Lee, he jumped—initially staying on at GE while getting his restaurant off the ground. “The key for me was buying an ongoing restaurant,” he points out. The prior owners, a local couple, provided valuable guidance and advice. “Having systems and procedures in place for staff to complete daily tasks was especially critical,” Trask acknowledges.
His new venture in Lenox—Antimony Brewing—has ties to that restaurant, but with a fresh kick. Explaining the name and wolf logo, Trask says antimony (the 51st element on the periodic table) “is known as the wolf of metals, devouring everything except gold.”
Turning his vision into reality
Trask has been a “home brewer” since the 1990s when many caught the brewing bug. “I was rinsing bottles in my bathtub along with the rest of the crowd.” He began brewing on a more committed level in 2017 and 2018. “I was about to pull the trigger on a potential brewery location in Pittsfield just before COVID hit,” he says, “but withdrew my project application due to the pandemic. In the long run, that decision was very beneficial.”
While the pandemic was a setback for many in the industry, it prompted Trask to greater success. He had envisioned opening a brewpub behind 51 Park, but it didn’t make sense given the licensing requirements. Instead, based on the incredible uptick in take-out business during (and after) the shutdown, he turned the back building into a full commercial kitchen to service that operation. Demand was high.
Meanwhile, on the lookout for a suitable space, he started brewing one keg at a time a few years ago. “I was always interested in the draft line-up, analyzing what sold and what didn’t,” Trask notes. “This site [55 Pittsfield Road in Lenox] had been abandoned, and I felt fortuitous to find it” as it had the necessary space for both a brewery and a kitchen.
His search for a brewmaster, mainly through Indeed and Pub Brewer, drew applications nationwide. “It was a little overwhelming,” Trask admits. Ultimately, he hired a local—Jeff Egan from Lenox—a lucky break for both of them.
With Egan as head brewer and Karrie Gulmi (previously at Haven Cafe and Bakery in Lenox) as chef, the team began working to bring the vision to reality. “We opened Antimony Brewing this past June, and it’s been crazy ever since,” Trask says, smiling. They had a record-breaking weekend in early October, with leaf-peepers here to check out the fall color and locals returning to bookmark their new favorite places.
Young or old, single or family-focused, you’ll find a great place to hang out at Antimony—it seats 140 people inside and an additional 100 outside, where fire pits and heaters promise to smooth your transition from après fall hiking to après winter skiing.
While the “higher-end bar food” (mostly traditional “American fare scratch cooking”) and open brewhouse atmosphere are significant draws, “the goal is to raise the profile of the beer and make it a selling point,” says Liam Gorman, Trask’s full-time marketing and communications guru. Along with regular burgers, their game burgers (lamb, elk, and bison) are already a big hit.
“We try to source things locally where it makes sense,” Trask says. “The restaurant business was an aspect that I knew, but the brewery is an exciting new venture,” he continues. “Here, the focus is on what would go well with beer.”
And he is hugely involved. The abandoned building required a significant investment, but the location in central Berkshire County was a big selling point (as was the 90-plus-room hotel across the street). Being adjacent to Kennedy Park, popular with hikers, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers, is another boon.
With a seven-barrel system in place and four fermentation tanks, Egan currently brews 14 beers onsite. Catalyst (a blonde ale) and Inner Displacement (a hazy IPA) are two of the most popular brews, and many of the beer names are plays on chemistry-related words. The bar also serves nonalcoholic options along with cider, wine, and cocktails for those less into the hops.
“I was much more involved in the brewing before we opened,” Trask acknowledges, “helping support Jeff in terms of manpower and vision” (all of which Egan graciously accepted, he notes). Then, he needed to focus on overall operations and getting his staff up to speed on consistency, service, and overall customer experience. Still, he looks forward to returning to the brewing action once things are more streamlined, learning from Jeff.
With 20-plus years in the Berkshire restaurant scene, Trask is no stranger to managing people. “I’ve employed hundreds of people over the years,” he estimates, “and currently employ over 100 between the two restaurants.”
Tim Perusse is the operations manager, helping him oversee both businesses. Their connection dates back to when Perusse was in high school and began working at 51 Park as a busboy. He had planned to become a physical therapist after college, but when Trask offered him a chance to manage at age 23, he took it—and has never looked back.
Building community
“Liam [Gorman] introduced family hikes on Sunday mornings followed by brunch, which has been a big success,” Trask states. Since opening, Antimony has been hosting live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, as well as Sunday afternoon. “There’s a lot of cover music, along with original artists, local artists, and a diverse group of performers from Brooklyn, Albany, and Connecticut,” he adds. “We’re trying to be community-minded, striking the right combination of providing entertainment and still letting people socialize.”
“We’re still becoming known,” Trask continues, but being one of a handful of pubs or restaurants open late (Sunday through Thursday until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.) has helped attract locals and tourists alike.
Special events and collaborations—many tied to fundraising for various organizations—help them gain exposure, too. Recent examples include The Taste of Lee during Founder’s Weekend in Lee supported the Lee Youth Association, The Apple Squeeze in Lenox helped out the Lenox Alpine Ski Teams, and Oktoberfest at Bousquet raised money for Farm to Fork—all worthy causes that have been and continue to be mutually beneficial.
The Berkshire Beer Trail—an ongoing collaboration among Berkshire County breweries—was created to build a craft beer destination in the Berkshires, complete with punched passports, and promises to draw future beer enthusiasts to Antimony.
“We have enough depth on the management team and staff to support the operation,” Trask confirms, “but the learning curve is still there.” How have they pulled this off with a brand-new team? Perusse gets most of the credit for that. “Staffing is always an issue in the Berkshires, but Tim successfully holds things together,” Trask says, adding, “You always have to be proactive and stay ahead of staffing needs.”
Living up to its name (and logo)
Back to the wolf logo: According to Trask, antimony, the wolf of metals, bonds well with other materials and was used to purify gold during the age of alchemy. Hence, the double wolf head symbolizes being “bonded by beer.”
In keeping with the beer tradition (with roots dating back as far as 7000 BCE by the ancient Chinese and 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia), Antimony is about gathering—and connecting—as much as it is about drinking beer. “We are a community space bringing together friends, old and new, to share good times and make memories over great craft beer and delicious food,” its website boasts.
Check the website (antimonybrewing.com) for details about their Wednesday night dinners beginning in November, where $60 will get you a six-course meal, each plate paired with beer—plus insights from the culinary masters explaining their “reasoning for the seasoning.”
Where does Trask hope to go from here? “I want to keep things consistent,” he answers. “I think there’s potential for future growth if the brand is well received. I could envision opening another taproom, but at this point, I’m taking one day at a time.”
All of the things Trask loves about the Berkshires—hiking, skiing, watersports, and cultural offerings—seem uniquely concentrated in this region but also integral for the success of the brewpub business. By tapping into this chemical element with the power to bond, Trask—and Antimony Brewing—are poised to catch fire and make gold.
