Like it spicy? Specialty hot sauces with beers to chase it down at this new Hanover venue

HANOVER – When a dab of Original Habanero from locally made Burke’s Hot Sauce first hits your tongue, the notes of the peppers, garlic and vinegar take center stage. Then, a split second later, the heat bursts in, creating an immediate warmth like a lit match to a fuse.

The spice, while it lingers, isn’t overpowering. That’s what Kevin and Shannon Burke’s line of hot sauces offer: enjoyable flavors with a kick.

The husband-and-wife duo sold their first bottle of hot sauce at a farmers market in 2021. A little over two years later, they’ve created a space with a beachy vibe to serve peppers and pints side by side.

The Fermentary Taproom opened in late September at 200 Webster St. in Hanover, at the former site of Burke’s Alewerks (a happy coincidence, but no relation to the hot sauce Burkes).

Vitamin Sea in Weymouth and Widowmaker in Braintree are among the local craft breweries featured at The Fermentary. There are also natural wines, which are typically made with organic ingredients and fewer additives.

Snacks and limited hot-food items include chips, hot dogs and pretzels. A fridge is stocked every Thursday with items by H Cole, a caterer and provisioner based in Humarock, such as hummus and salsa in addition to specialty items like charcuterie boxes and mushroom “poke” bowls.

The taproom also hosts live musicians, food trucks and events including a chunky blanket knitting party. The fermentary can be booked for private events too.

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All six of the Burke’s Hot Sauce flavors – Original Habanero, Ginger Habanero, Thai Chili Habanero, Verde Serrano, Mango Scotch Bonnet and Pineapple Habanero – are available in-house or to take home.

While Kevin prefers their Thai Chili, Shannon, who tells people she's the "mother of the sauces," said right now her favorite is the Mango Scotch Bonnet.

"It's got good heat, but it's not as hot as the other sauces," she said.

When they first met, Shannon and Kevin bonded over their shared love of hot things, daring to try the ghost pepper chili pasta at a Boston restaurant’s “Hell Night.”

Nowadays, taco night is “like a religious holiday in our house,” Shannon said as they decked the table with no fewer than 10 sauces so each bite can have a different flavor. Another thing she likes to do is add hot sauce to clam chowder, which provides a nice blend of creamy and spicy like wings and blue cheese.

With an educational background in biology, Kevin Burke enjoyed tinkering with hobbies, whether that be brewing his own beer or developing his own hot sauce.

“I've always found a little more interest in experimenting with things, and fermentation kind of fell in line with that,” said Kevin, who works in sales at a tech company.

He began growing peppers in February 2020, and from there he tweaked the recipes and bottled the results to share with friends. The more bottles he made, the more Shannon thought her husband’s hobby should turn into a business. So they got cooking in a commercial kitchen in Norwell.

Days when The Fermentary is closed, Monday through Wednesday, are when the sauces are made. In the space that used to house brewery equipment, Kevin blends the peppers and other ingredients and lets the mixture ferment.

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Then the sauce is heated and blended more. The Burkes use a process called “hot fill bottling,” which allows the heat of the sauce, when poured into a bottle and turned upside down, to create a natural vacuum that keeps bacteria out.

When Shannon came up with their five-year business plan, she envisioned a place for customers to drink natural wines and craft beer and pair their hot sauces with a rotation of small plates from different local chefs.

“It’s kind of wild to think that basically we’re doing that in our own space much sooner than that,” said Shannon Burke, who had been a director of channel operations at a tech company.

With The Fermentary Taproom open, the Burkes hope to further expand partnerships with local chefs and, in the next year, venture into wholesaling their sauces.

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Fermentary Taproom in Hanover offers hot sauce, local beers