Drink This Now: Patchwork Kilt by Down the Road Beer Co.

Patchwork Kilt by Down the Road Beer Co. / Photo provided

Next spring, Down the Road Beer Co. will have a taproom and brewery to call home in Everett. But until then, founder Donovan Bailey and his team are intent on expanding the contract brewing relationships that have helped them establish the brand.

They have a new one close to home: Down the Road is the first official partner at Dorchester Brewing Company, and this weekend, the DBCo. taproom starts pouring the first Down the Road beer brewed there.

To celebrate, the breweries are cohosting a release party for that inaugural beer, a Scottish ale called Patchwork Kilt, on Friday, November 4. The festivities include complimentary Scottish fare from the Haven in Jamaica Plain.

If you can’t make the party, 16-ounce cans of Patchwork Kilt are expected to hit eastern Massachusetts store shelves in the next week, and a few local bars are planning to tap it.

Patchwork Kilt is billed as a smooth, malty session beer with flavors of dried fruit and honey, and roasty smokiness. Its name and artwork are inspired by the tale of a headless drummer of Edinburgh Castle, a ghostly guardian who protects the fortress from intruders. Bailey anchors all of his beers in some layer of folklore inspired by the regional style of the beer, whether it be the New England-rooted tale behind the Pukwudgie pale ale, or the springtime themes around Fée des Fleurs saison.

Down the Road is so far the only official partner of Dorchester Brewing, but contract brewing is integral to its business plan, and there are other relationships in the works, says cofounder Holly Irgens. Entitled Brewing Company will soon begin canning there, and Entitled IPA is currently on draft at the DBCo. taproom, she says. Mass Brew Bros also reported that Brazo Fuerte Artisanal Beer would be an upcoming parter, which jives with plans founder and brewmaster Bev Armstrong shared with Boston earlier this year.

Bailey hopes to brew a few other beers in Dorchester later this year, according to a press release. As he previously told Boston, he will continue using other brewhouses even after the Everett facility opens, to supplement Down the Road’s output.

“With its state-of-the-art equipment and convenient Boston location, Dorchester is a perfect additional brewing partner to keep up with the incredible response to our fresh, local-inspired beer,” he says.

Down the Road Beer Co. Patchwork Kilt Scottish Ale Release Party, Friday, November 4, 6-11 p.m., Dorchester Brewing Company, 1250 Massachusetts Ave., Dorchester, 617-514-0900, dorchesterbrewing.com.