Bean & Cone
A craft coffee and beer taproom offering a variety of rotating drink options and fresh baked goods, Bean & Cone (39-41 Main St., Amesbury, Mass., beanandcone.com, and on Facebook and Instagram) is owned by Amesbury couple Mike and Kim Howell, who opened the downtown space earlier this year. Geologists by trade, the Howells had both previously worked in the oil and gas industry for several years, which was how they got the idea to deck out the taproom’s interior in all kinds of vintage gas station paraphernalia. Bean & Cone features a total of 18 taplines for its craft beers, which regularly get switched out. “My husband likes to keep three to four, sometimes five, IPAs,” Kim Howell said. “We always have a couple of sours or ciders, and also Pilsners and lagers … and now that we’re getting into the fall, we’re going to have more porters and stouts.” Coffees from Atomic Coffee Roasters of Beverly, Mass., are also served all day long. Wines and cordials, as well as bar snacks like pretzels and potato chips and baked goods like muffins and coffee cakes, round out the bar’s menu. Live music takes place at Bean & Cone every Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m., while other featured events include “Tap Takeovers,” in which a local brewer is invited to come to the bar and pour their offerings from up to five or six taps. Plans are in the works for the couple to open a homebrewing supply shop in the adjoining space next door. The Scene recently caught up with Kim Howell to talk about Bean & Cone and some of the best parts of running a craft beer bar.
How long has Bean & Cone been around?
We opened Feb. 5. … My husband has talked about opening a bar since I’ve known him, which is 20 years, and so things just kind of came together.
What makes Bean & Cone unique?
We have a beer mug club, which is an annual membership. You get your own mug that stays here and it’s numbered. … With that, you get reduced prices on beer and every 10th beer is free. … The other unique part is going to be our homebrew supply. My husband loves talking about beer and homebrewing, and he’s going to be putting together homebrewing kits.
What is your favorite of the beer styles or baked goods available at the bar?
Well, everything that our baker makes is absolutely delicious … but she has made these gingerbread cakes that also pay homage to my husband. He worked in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia when he was younger, and they’re known for their ginger cakes there. So we’ve kind of brought Virginia up here. … My favorite brewer is definitely Widowmaker [Brewing] and my favorite beer that they put out is a hazy IPA called Blue Comet.
What is something everyone should try?
Try something you’ve never tried before, whether it’s a sour, a cider, an IPA or a stout. … We have so many choices. We’ve had probably 20 to 30 different sours in here, and I’m not a sour person, but there are a couple that I have actually liked.
What celebrity would you like to see visiting Bean & Cone?
I would love it if any famous director came in here and wanted to use our space for their movie. The actor that I would love to have in here is Keanu Reeves. That would be fun.
What is an essential skill to running a craft beer bar?
Everything that we have in this bar is personal to us, and we love it when people come in and we can share our story with them. … It’s not a place where you come in, you get served food, you get served a drink and then you leave. You come in and you have an experience, and you have a personal experience with Mike or me or any of our bartenders that we have here. It’s like coming home and seeing a relative you hadn’t seen in a long time, and you just sit and you enjoy a beer.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
We love this area. We’ve lived here for eight years. One of the things I really enjoy is sitting by the window, seeing people walk by and we wave and say hello to them. … Especially after Covid, I’ve been getting to know everybody again. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo courtesy of Bean & Cone.
