Massachusetts Craft Beer Blog
The Better Half of the Bay State’s Craft Beer Scene
Brewster, Patriot Women have played a pivotal role in the Massachusetts craft beer scene since its inception in the early 1980s, when Jim Koch and his partner Rhonda Kallman were schlepping cases of Sam Adams Boston Lager to bars all over the city. Kallman, who Koch...
Paper City Brewery Has Closed its Doors
Two Breweries Have Suspended Production, Two More Under Threat One of the Bay State's oldest breweries, Holyoke's Paper City Brewing, has ceased production and closed its doors, possibly for good. No word yet on when, or even if the longtime brewer, which debuted back...
Bay State Still at Forefront of Barrel Aging Movement
"Don't Call it A Comeback, They've Been Here For Years" For those of you old enough to remember LL Cool J before he became a TV star on NCIS, you may recall the above song lyric from his hit, Mama Said Knock You Out. That was back in the early 1990s, around the same...
Our Blind Taste Test of 9 Massachusetts Stouts
"You Know You Make Me Want to Stout" We love stouts! So imagine the scene last Saturday when we gathered at Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont with some of our favorite beer-loving friends for a blind taste test of Massachusetts stouts. It was a lot like the toga party...
Bay State Craft Beer Lover’s Guide to 2017 – 2nd Quarter
As promised in our first installment of The Bay State Craft Beer Drinker's Guide to 2017, this year is off to a fast and furious start. A bevy of legislative bills have been proposed (including one that would restore distribution rights to craft brewers), three new...
Visitable Brewery Count Reaches 100 in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Reaches Milestone in What Promises to Be a Record-Breaking Year For Craft Beer With three more openings in the month of March, the number of visitable breweries in the Bay State has reached the century mark. The most recent, and 100th, was New Bedford's...
The Problem With Beer Ratings
"Your Hops Are Wrong" Matthew Steinberg's Sunday morning started with a plea to a colleague, renowned Trillium brewer Jc Tetreault. On Facebook he posted: "Please help me Jc Tetreault. I was on Untappd again this morning. I know, I know, you tell me to stay away from...
Boston May Soon Contend for New England’s Top Craft Beer Destination
Long Home to Just a Few, A Year From Now There Could be Ten Breweries in Boston It wasn't long ago that Boston's craft beer scene was known for Sam Adams and Harpoon, and not much else. Pioneers in the East Coast craft beer resurgence that started in the late 1980s,...
Massachusetts May Approach 150 Breweries by Year’s End, How Many is Too Many?
Can the Rapid Growth of Craft Beer Continue in the Bay State? In its recent review of 2016 the Brewer's Association reported that craft beer sales rose by an impressive 8%, though it was the first time in several years that growth wasn't in double digits. They also...
Craft Brewing in the Bay State: Brewing Pioneers – Part 3 in a 3-Part Series
10 Massachusetts Craft Brewing Pioneers The Bay State has been at the forefront of the East Coast craft brewing movement since its beginning in the early 1980s. Since then, countless influential brewers have contributed to both the national scene and the amazing beer...
