Wave Maker Craft Brewery & Taproom

Scott Pautler grew up a few minutes from the Laurel Street building that now holds Wave Maker, and by his own account he opened the brewery in Preston to be part of the community he came from rather than to chase a busier address in a bigger city. That hometown frame runs through everything on the taps. The brewery answers to a single motto — Beer With Soul — and the working version of that idea is a beer program built to push at brewing tradition without losing the people who walk in on an ordinary Thursday night.

The tap list is broad enough that a mixed table finds its glass without anyone settling for a compromise. The Lagerbier is the easy entry, an unfiltered Franconian-style lager that pours hazy and finishes crisp, and from there the range fans out fast. Field Season is a Belgian-style saison brewed with fresh rosemary; Surfin' Cerveza is a light Mexican-style lager; Orion is a citrus-driven amber ale; Heart of a Lion is a West Coast IPA carrying grapefruit zest; Half Pipe leans on real lemon puree; and Moo with Coffee is a milk stout brewed with whole roasted coffee beans. The food is short and pointed squarely at the beer. There are Earlidale pepperettes and Spud's Finest kettle chips made from Ontario potatoes, a build-your-own flight of sweet and salty nibbles, Twigz craft pretzel sticks, tortilla chips with salsa and warm queso, and the house signature: a salted, German-style Baked Pretzel served with a tangy mustard dip made from the brewery's own Oath stout.