David Howland

David Howland stands with his bike in the space that will become 3cross Brewing Company.

(Sam Bonacci, MassLive.com)

WORCESTER — Worcester is poised to become a two-brewery city when David Howland opens the doors to the 3cross Brewing Company in April.

The brewery, named after the arrangement of spokes on a bicycle wheel, is set to open in April at 26 Cambridge St. if permitting goes as scheduled. When the brewery hits its peak, it will have 12 beers on tap, producing 3,000 to 6,000 gallons a year.

“My idea is to be an ever-changing brewery. I certainly will have beers that I brew year-round but I want the market to pick that for me rather than me picking them,” said Howland who has been homebrewing for five years. “Other than that I will have a rotating tap with whatever I want to brew that week. There will always be something for people to try.”

Howland, who grew up in Charlton and graduated from Clark University, was inspired to brew after experiencing the variety of beers at different bars in the city, such as the Dive Bar. He grew to enjoy India pale ales, sours and even easier-drinking beers with lower alcohol content.

At his wedding in 2009, where only his home-brewed beers were on tap, he created something approaching the level of beers that had initially inspired him, he said.

David Howland will be opening 3cross Brewing Company in April.

“One of the beers in particular that stood out was a pretty big IPA. I love IPAs. Not necessarily the super bitter ones, but the ones that have an amazing flavor and aroma,” said Howland. “That was the first beer approaching that level of the commercial IPAs.”

Howland focused intensely on brewing after his wedding, producing a 5-gallon batch at least every few weeks and incorporating experience in information technology into his process. Howland programmed a microprocessor to heat the mash - one of the first steps in brewing - ensuring consistent and repeatable results.

As Howland produced this system, he realized that it lent itself well to a commercial application, albeit on a smaller scale than many breweries. He was still not sure about pursuing brewing commercially until a visit to Hess Brewing in San Diego.

Hess was a small brewery with no wholesale distribution, but it featured a tasting room and growlers to go. It was exactly what Howland had envisioned, and after seeing it in place, he knew he was going to make his brewery happen.

“They had exactly what I am looking to do. They had a tap room where you could go get a beer after work and then they had growlers,” he said. “It was all in this tiny little warehouse space and you could see their production system and it was right there.”

A change in Massachusetts law nine months ago, allowing for tasting bars at breweries, cemented Howland’s move.

When the brewery opens, expect to see an IPA on tap and possibly a “quick sour” Berliner Weiss or a seasonal brew, Howland said. The buildup of beers on tap will take time, he said, but he is in it for the long haul.

More information about the brewery is available on the 3Cross Facebook page and the 3cross Brewery website.