It has been a crazy year for Smuttynose Brewing Company. After issues with debt the brewery was put up for auction by a bank and eventually they found new ownership that was fortunately committed to keeping and growing the brand. Smuttynose is stuck in a tough spot along with many other regional brewers. These mid […]
My “real” job is as a research scientist in biotech, working on finding new treatments for cancer. The entire biotech industry seems to be centered in the Boston area these days, especially in Cambridge, so it was little surprise that this has been the location of my first two jobs after finishing my post-doc. There […]
I get asked regularly by friends and readers if I used the popular beer app Untappd. My response is typically that I have an account but I rarely use it. Occasionally someone will connect with me on Untappd, I’ll make an effort to check in a few beers and then fall out of the habit […]
The advantages of selling beer directly to the consumer have been well documented, but most breweries quickly realize that there is a limit to the amount of beer they can move on premise without distribution. The Mass Brew Brothers recently wrote an article on the top 25 breweries in Massachusetts by volume, and the vast […]
Mighty Squirrel originally launched as a contract brewery focused on high protein beers for people with active lifestyles. Lots of breweries try to market to the “go on a long run and then have a couple beers” customers, either with branding or with claims about the beer itself. I’ve never really understood it, I’ve run […]
With all of the breweries that have opened in the last few years, and all of the new ones opening or in various stages of planning, the local beer market is very competitive. Some argue that we are reaching saturation, I’m not sure if that is true, but a brewery needs to make stellar beer […]
I wrote a series of articles this month on the New England Craft Beer Hall of Fame, the beers that had the biggest impact on the massive growth of craft beer in the region. The first part has the guidelines and my picks, the second has the selections of some of my readers and part […]
For many years craft beer set itself up as the alternative to light lagers, deriding the style as yellow fizzy water. The pendulum has started to shift, the fastest growing segments of craft beer are now dominated by lighter lager styles like pilsner and Helles lager. These beers are inspired by the easy drinking but […]
With the incredible number of new breweries that have opened in the last five years it is interesting to see how each brewery tries to stand out and establish their unique place in the local market. This is especially true for new contract breweries. Contract brewing has some advantages, especially the lower overhead that comes […]
Last week I picked 10 beers for the inaugural class of the New England Craft Beer Hall of Fame, the beers that were most important in building the amazing craft beer scene in the region. I knew that the article would be of interest, but I was blown away with how much, in one week […]
Hoppy Boston 