A shot of life: Odd By Worcester Brewing brings off the wall vibe to Midtown Mall

Peopled and beautified, the Midtown Mall has hummed with new life. Only lately the mall has pulsated with the din of a crowd and the music of the '90s echoing through its revamped corridors.

On recent nights, after most of the businesses on the first floor have closed for the day, 40 people guzzling beer and playing PlayStation, Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo has the effect of sounding like a thousand.

The source of the welcomed commotion is Odd By Worcester Brewing, 22 Front St., and its opening this month has crystalized the transformation of the once barren, crumbling downtown landmark.

The sign to Odd By Worcester’s 840-square-foot beer garden screams retro, bringing to mind the logo for everyone’s favorite video store chain.

Rows of picnic tables sit atop AstroTurf. Fake vines surround a neon sign that reads “Neon Sign.” Lights mimic the night sky on the ceiling.

On one of the walls a vibrant mural depicts the brands, icons, franchises and shows that defined the 90s. I couldn’t stop staring at the gigantic Air Jordans. And the likes of Ace Ventura, Wolverine, Crash Bandicoot, Tommy, Chuckie, Biggie, Tupac and Mario pop off the wall, painted in bold, bright colors by Worcester artist Ferd.

Amid the nostalgia, you’ll find wry humor alongside references to Worcester, its people, problems and businesses.

Raised by Worcester

The brewery’s easy-drinking ale, “Parking Tickets,” pokes fun at the city’s parking woes. The label has a cop ticketing a car, its windshield already plastered with citations, in front of what looks like a certain ballpark.

“The mayor and city manager thought it was hilarious,” said Odd By Worcester owner Jay Grey, who sported a purple tracksuit during the Feb. 8 ribbon cutting. “We can’t give away a free pour due to Massachusetts liquor license laws, but if you get a parking ticket in the city of Worcester, day of, you can come here and we’ll give you a pour of the beer for $1.”

Grey, before opening Odd By Worcester, established two seasonal hotspots in southern Maine. His acclaimed restaurant, Food For Thought, opened May 2019 in Ogunquit, followed by Odd By Nature Brewing in York.

Born in Boston, Grey likes to say Worcester raised him. “I grew up when I came to Worcester,” he said. “I got my first big boy job. I met a lot of people who I have life-long friendships with now.”

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Grey’s Worcester friends frequently traveled the hour and a half up to his brewery or visiting his restaurant. Their support emboldened him to bring Odd By to Worcester, where he worked for a decade and met his girlfriend.

Grey will show his love for the city by helping to revitalize the mall and spotlight the folks and businesses who make Worcester buzz.

“A lot of people who look at Worcester from the outside, they knew Worcester from what it was 20 years ago and still think it’s that. And I think a lot of people who live here, who’re looking forward, think of Worcester as what it’s going to be 20 years from now,” he said. “But a lot of people forget what Worcester is right now, which is an amazing, eclectic city, with a lot of hardworking, blue-collar people.”

The brewery didn’t have space for a full brewing system, so it takes wort – the sugary water that forms the base for beer – brewed in Maine and brings it down to Worcester, adding the yeast, hops, fruits and other ingredients to its four fermenters. Since gaining approval to open, Grey and his team of two have been busy brewing up nine different beers; the beer garden will serve cocktails, including nonalcoholic ones, and wine to complement its brews.

More uniquely Worcester beers have been planned, Grey told me, notably a collaboration with the strip club Hurricane Betty’s.

They’ve called the forthcoming orange, pineapple and blue raspberry sour “Sweaty Betty’s.\" It\'ll come in a can showing a voluptuous woman dripping in sweat. The ale lovingly takes inspiration from a Blue Hawaiian, which was the cocktail of choice for the grandmother of Hurricane Betty’s owner.

“It has a lot of heart,” Grey said.

Having fun at the mall again

Odd By Worcester oozes joy.

Every table comes equipped with free-to-play retro video games. The rotating lines of sometimes decadent, sometimes juicy and refreshing ales will by turns challenge and subvert your understanding of beer; pigeonholed as sours they drink more like fruited cocktails, Grey said.

In the tanks now, Grey has two sours inspired by the rarest flavors of Backwoods cigars: Banana and grape. The banana cream ale and the grape vanilla marshmallow ale were made in collaboration with Denied Approval, a clothing line created by Worcester native Curtis Kariuki.

And Woo Juice, another mall tenant, has joined Odd By Worcester to brew a strawberry banana yogurt sour as a nod to the drinkable Danimals yogurts.

Later this month, the beer garden hosts a pop-up with the arcade and video game shop Materia, a midnight release for the game, "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth."

Justin Suarez, Odd By Worcester's general manager, aims to bring retro gaming tournaments to the taproom soon. An avid gamer and streamer, the big bearded Suarez spent more than seven years at Medusa Brewing Co. in Hudson before joining Grey’s team.

The other businesses in the mall have told Grey it has never felt more alive. But he’s quick to credit the strides they’ve made toward enlivening the former eyesore.

“Everyone who got in here before us took a lot of chances on a place that hasn’t been anything for a long time,” he said. “They’re the reason we were able to open. They got the wheels turning.”

Odd By Worcester Brewing is open Thursday through Monday, noon to 10 p.m. Bring your own food.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Beyond Beer: Odd by Worcester an exciting addition to Midtown Mall