The free shuttle to Cisco Brewers has stopped. The brewery's Nantucket page now says the service is "suspended for the Fall and Winter seasons" and suggests The Wave, a taxi, Uber or Lyft instead. Under the hours, the same page adds a note: "The hours are subject to change in the winter due to weather or spur of the moment tropical vacations."
The late-fall calendar at 5 Bartlett Farm Road is mostly local bands and fundraisers for island causes. Across the road, the Bartlett's Farm kitchen is still serving takeout every day.
A Taproom That Stays Open on Purpose
In its June 1, 2026 feature on the brewery, The Inquirer and Mirror reported that the Nantucket location "stays open the bulk of the winter even at a loss, because it matters to the local community." The paper called it "a rare constant" for year-round residents, "a place where kids and dogs can run, musicians can play and neighbors can gather when much of the island has gone quiet."
The owners can make that call because of how the company is structured. Cisco Brewers was sold to Craft Brew Alliance in 2018, and Anheuser-Busch later acquired that company. But the sale covered only the wholesale side. According to the same feature, the original owners kept the retail side, including the Nantucket brewery, and Triple Eight Distillery and Nantucket Vineyard were left out of the deal entirely. So whether the taproom opens in February is decided by people who live here.
The food on site has local roots too. Co-founder Randy Hudson told the paper the property has helped people start businesses, and he named "the catering stuff that goes on here at Cisco, the Raw Bar folks, the Lobster Trap." The brewery's page lists Lobster Trap and Eat Fire Pizza daily, with Millie's Thursday through Sunday. Some of what's in your glass also grows next door. Cisco's small farm, Cisco Secret Farm, supplies ingredients for the cocktail menu.
The feature also raised an open question about the future. Co-founder Wendy Hudson said the owners haven't yet found the right succession plan "to keep the brewery's roots and feel going forward." For now, the place runs as the founders built it.
The Shorter Week, Date by Date
Through the end of October, the taproom keeps its full week: noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. In November it switches to four days, closed Monday through Wednesday, open noon to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
There's one week to plan around. The events feed marks Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 5 to 7, as closed. Monday through Wednesday are already closed under the November schedule, so the brewery is shut from Monday, Nov. 2, through Saturday, Nov. 7.
Here's the posted schedule from Oct. 30 through mid-November:
| Date | What's on at Cisco | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 30 | The Slips | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Different Strokez | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 2, to Saturday, Nov. 7 | Closed | |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | Sweater Weather | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | NSA Clam Jam, Madaket Mountain | noon to 3 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | Mighty Mystic | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 15 | Sweater Weather | 3 to 6 p.m. |
The late-October calendar also listed No More Empty Bowls on Sunday, Oct. 25, a hunger-relief fundraiser organized by Nantucket Food Fuel Rental Assistance. Mid-November brings the biggest event on the late-fall calendar.
Clam Jam Is the Weekend Everything Builds Toward
On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Nantucket Shellfish Association hosts its third annual Clam Jam with Cisco Brewers. It's a chowder competition: you taste every competing chef's chowder, vote for your top two, and stay for live judging that names the island's best clam chowder of 2026. Chowder is served from noon to 2 p.m., judging runs from 2 to 2:30, and the event continues until 3 p.m. with live music and children's activities.
On the association's Clam Jam ticket page, adult tickets are $55 and include one Cisco beer, cocktail or wine. Tickets are $20 for ages under 21 and free for kids under 10. Last year, The Inquirer and Mirror listed adult admission at $40, with proceeds going to the Shellfish Association. The adult ticket is up $15 this year, while the under-21 and under-10 prices are the same as 2025.
The association explains the pairing in its own words: the two groups "feel strongly about supporting the sustainability of our island's prized shellfish, and work to protect the overall health of Nantucket's harbors." The event has run three Novembers in a row, a few weeks after the summer crowds leave.
Across the Road, Bartlett's Kitchen Cooks Every Day
The brewery drops to four days in November. The farm's homepage is already promoting Thanksgiving orders for turkey and sides.
The Farm Kitchen page describes daily takeout breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m., or until 2 p.m. on weekends, lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekday dinners from 4 p.m. to close. On the menu page, weekday dinner specials are marked year-round, and weekday lunch specials are marked off-season only. That off-season lunch menu is something summer visitors never see.
The person running the kitchen is fairly new. The Inquirer and Mirror reported in January that Patrick Popores joined Bartlett's as executive chef the previous November, with a focus on farm-to-kitchen cooking and accessible prices. This is his second holiday season there.
The Garden Center moves into holiday stock now. Its page lists farm-grown mums, autumn ornamentals, gourds and pumpkins for fall. Evergreen wreaths, garlands and decorations arrive in late October, and the farm assembles and ships wreaths through the holidays. If you're sending wreaths to family off-island, the window opens about the time this post goes up.
The two businesses go back a long way. Wendy Hudson told the Inquirer and Mirror that she was working at Bartlett's Farm when she met Randy, who was baking bread at Something Natural at the time. Randy described a chain of opportunity running from the Bartletts to Dean and Melissa Long to the brewery's founders.
Getting There Without the Shuttle
With the brewery shuttle off until spring, here are the options:
- The Wave. The Nantucket Regional Transit Authority lists Route 01, Bartlett Farm, as a year-round route. It runs from Greenhound/10 Washington via Vesper Lane/Pharmacy and Hummock Pond/Millbrook to Bartlett Farm, every 60 minutes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. But the NRTA routes page currently marks the same route "Not In Service." Check the route's status that day before you rely on it. The NRTA fares page currently says rides are free through 2027.
- Taxi, Uber or Lyft. These are the other options Cisco names on its own page.
- Bike. The Hummock Pond Road bike path runs out to the Cisco area.
Clam Jam ends at 3 p.m., and Mighty Mystic plays from 4 to 7 p.m. If you're getting a ride, set your pickup time with that gap in mind.
December on Bartlett Farm Road and in Town
Cisco's events feed currently has nothing listed after Sunday, Nov. 15, and its hours page doesn't give December hours. Given the note about weather and vacations, check the page before any December visit.
For the rest of the season, the focus moves into town. The Nantucket Chamber's Nantucket Noel runs Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, and the community tree lighting is Friday, Nov. 27, at 4 p.m. Main Street closes from noon to 6 p.m. that day. The Christmas Stroll follows Dec. 4 to 6, with Santa arriving at noon on Saturday and the Stroll Marketplace running Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Between Clam Jam and the Stroll, the Bartlett's Garden Center will be assembling and shipping evergreen wreaths through the holidays.
Amy and Henry spend the off-season on the island too, and our calendar includes these same November dates. If you'd like to talk over what a year-round life near Bartlett Farm Road looks like, or how a summer rental out here stays in good shape through winter, Sanford & Sanford would love to hear from you. Buy, Sell, or Rent with Sanford & Sanford.
