When Dave and Terry Corr’s children left the nest years ago, Dave found himself feeling a bit lost. “I was following Terry around on weekends, and she said, ‘You have to get a hobby,’” Dave recalls. Remembering the home brewing kit Terry had gifted him 10 years earlier, he pulled it out, willing to give it another try—the first attempt when he received the gift had turned out terribly. But the second time was a charm.

The brewing kit was perfect for a simple stovetop process, and Dave was hooked. “I liked understanding the chemistry, the creative process, and how grain can turn into alcohol,” he explains. Because the process left an undesirable odor in the house, Dave upgraded his equipment and began brewing in his garage. “That’s when things really took off,” he shares.

Dave started experimenting with different beers, and when the pandemic arrived, he spent more time perfecting his craft. He loved brewing so much that he wanted to pour even more effort into it. “Brewing outside is fun but hard to do in winter,” he says. “I wanted to do it year-round and brew better beer.” Renovating the space in his basement that his kids once used for playing ping-pong, Dave built his indoor brewery, installing proper plumbing, a floor drain, and hanging a custom “Wood River Brewery” sign—a nod to his roots in Wood River Junction, RI.

Dave brews more than he and Terry could ever drink, happily sharing his yields with friends and neighbors. He compares brewing to baking a cake—he buys ingredients like grains, yeast, and hops, and uses them in recipes. A forever fan of craft beer, Dave’s favorite to brew is a hazy Belgian-style wheat beer.

An average brew day can last six hours, with Dave prepping the recipe, buying ingredients, making the brew, fermenting, and bottling or kegging the beer. “Depending on the type of beer, the process can take four to six weeks,” says Dave, whose two fermenters usually operate simultaneously. Then comes the taste test. “I will only share the beer if it passes my test,” Dave smiles, adding that Terry names the beers. “My wife is much more creative than I am.” She named an Irish red “Red Was Here,” and every October, Dave brews “Princess Theresa’s Oktoberfest” in honor of Terry, whose full name is Theresa.

Dave does not plan to monetize his endeavor. “I don’t want it to be work,” he explains. “I like it as a hobby.” The hobby has earned Dave medals in local competitions and a familiar question from neighbors: “Neighbor Dave, what are you brewing?”

Dave and Terry moved to Cobblewood Court about six years ago with their two sons, Hayden and Ben, both Centerville High School graduates who are now grown with their own families. Dave’s job with NCR brought the family to town, and he’s now the senior director of corporate marketing at Contech Engineered Solutions. Terry drives a school bus for Centerville.

Dave no longer follows Terry around on the weekends. Instead, he shares space with her in the basement. “I’ve got a corner of the basement for brewing, and she does crafts and refinishes furniture,” he reports.