Portsmouth brewery purchases Van Hof property for $1.25 million

Ragged Island hopes beer-lovers will be hoisting mugs at farm by summer 2020

By Jim McGaw
Posted 6/14/19

PORTSMOUTH — Ragged Island Brewing is now the official owner of the former Van Hof property on Bristol Ferry Road, where the business intends to relocate next year.

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Portsmouth brewery purchases Van Hof property for $1.25 million

Ragged Island hopes beer-lovers will be hoisting mugs at farm by summer 2020

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Ragged Island Brewing is now the official owner of the former Van Hof property on Bristol Ferry Road, where the business intends to relocate next year.

According to a warranty deed filed with the town on June 4, Van Hof Land Associates sold the former 37-acre site of the Island Garden Shop and nursery for $1.25 million to Matthew Gray and Kathryn Meadows-Gray, and Warren Stuart Gray and Linda Deery Gray. The sale includes “all property, buildings and improvements.”

Matt and Katie Gray founded the brewery, which opened in 2017, along with their longtime friends, Patrick and Elizabeth Donovan. Warren and Linda Gray are Matt Gray’s parents.

Van Hof Land Associates consists of Martin Van Hof, Peter Emerson Van Hof, Thomas Van Hof and David Van Hof. The Island Garden Shop and Van Hof Nursery, at 54 Bristol Ferry Road, closed in the fall of 2018 after more than 50 years in business.

Matt Gray said the property sale lifts “a big weight” off his shoulders.

“It’s exciting,” he said Friday. “It’s the first major hurdle — the ownership of the property.”

An earlier hurdle was cleared in April, when the Zoning Board of Review unanimously approved Ragged Island’s request for a special-use permit to transform the property into a farm brewery. That was made possible after the Town Council, in October 2018, voted to amend the zoning ordinance to define the term “farm brewery” and allow the use throughout all zoning districts through the special-use permit process.

The plan involves updating the existing greenhouse/farmhouse into a retail and taproom space, maintaining and later restoring the other existing three barns and constructing a new, modern 9,335-square-foot building for their brewing operations and seasonal taproom.

If all goes well, Mr. Gray said, construction should start in September and the brewery, now located at the Portsmouth Business Park, should open its doors at the new site by summer 2020.

“We’re still working on things. (The Van Hofs) still have a bunch of equipment they’re trying to sell off. Basically, we are still in the planning stages,” Mr. Gray said, adding that a contractor should be selected by next week. “It’s probably a nine-month, or a 10-month, buildout once it’s started.” 

The first thing the business needs to do is take a look at the property’s site plans. 

“There’s quite a bit of land-moving that needs to be done and we need to clean things up. It’s not organized the way we need it to be. We’ll get a big dumpster out there and make things happen,” Mr. Gray said.

About 22 of the 37 acres are wetlands and not buildable, Mr. Gray said.

Original building needs work

The main farmhouse building which formerly housed the Island Garden Shop will be used as a year-round taproom and retail space. Mr. Gray said its roof needs repair and the building will be repainted. 

“It’s an 1800s house, so it needs some work,” he said.

There are also three barns on the property, all of which will remain. The new building, located further down the sloping farm from Bristol Ferry Road, will be home to all brewing operations and will have a seasonal taproom (late spring through early fall).

From the beginning, Ragged Island has planned to use the farm to grow its own hops and other ingredients for its wide array of brews. This year, workers will plant row of hops, he said.

“We’ll just start testing things to see how they take. We have plenty of time since they’re perennials,” said Mr. Gray, adding that more crops will be planted next year.

The business still needs to secure state and federal permits for the brewery.

Ragged Island

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Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.