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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
At the beginning of my last article on the New England Craft Beer Hall of Fame I mentioned my mixed feelings about Twitter, the social media site that features a ton of hate and trolling but also awesome people coming together over their shared passion for a common interest. Beer Twitter has some trolls, accounts […]
The owners and high level employees in the craft beer industry are overwhelmingly male, which has resulted in more than a few breweries operating more like a frat house than a business. There have been reported problems ranging from from inappropriate beer names and labels, questionable activity on social media and even sexual harassment and […]
There is a small but vocal subset of beer nerds and brewers who hate the New England IPA style and constantly disparage it on social media. They are clearly in the minority, the popularity of the style has exploded as more and more breweries are making delicious and creative NEIPAs. One of the most ridiculous […]
Hoppy Boston 