Massachusetts

The Bay State

Massachusetts is where most would agree beer began in America. It was here that the Mayflower dropped the Pilgrims off to guarantee they had enough beer for the return trip in the early 1600s. In 1634 the first American Public house was licensed, and shortly after, the first brewing license in America was given to Robert Sedgewick.

West Boston Brewery was the first Boston brewery started in 1796, but closed in 1814. Soon after, in 1852, Massachusetts passed their own Prohibition law, which was then repealed in 1868. The brewing scene in Boston boomed in the late 1800s, but sadly this progress was interrupted by the nationwide Prohibition from 1920 to 1933.

After the Prohibition ended, Haffenreffer & Co. led the beer industry until the craft beer revival in the 1980s. Jim Koch was the 1984 pioneer of the Boston Beer Company, better known today as Samuel Adams, the second largest craft brewer in the country. From here, the craft beer industry just continued to flourish.

With almost 200 breweries in Massachusetts and over 130 of those being craft, it seems there is constantly new breweries in Massachusetts opening up. Without listing all 200, some of the top breweries in Massachusetts are:

• Boston Beer Works which has seven locations
• Clown Shoes Beer in Ipswich
• Idle Hands Craft Ales in Malden
• Jack’s Abby in Framingham
• Mayflower Brewing in Plymouth
• Mystic Brewing in Chelsea
• Night Shift Brewing in Everett
• Notch Brewing in Salem
• Somerville Brewing/Slumbrew in Somerville
• Spencer Brewery in Spencer
• Tree House Brewing in Monson
• Trillium Brewing in Boston and Canton

Our monthly Craft Beer Club has had the pleasure of featuring some of the best beers in Massachusetts from some of the best craft breweries in Massachusetts, including:

• White Lion Brewing Company
• Ipswich Ale Brewery
• Newburyport Brewing Company
• Cisco Brewers
• Jack’s Abby Brewing
• Cape Ann Brewing Company

We love finding and trying new Massachusetts beers from Massachusetts breweries, and look forward to all the ones we get to share with you in the future!

Each and every state has their own unique beer history with a notable story of revival and inspiring gusto since Prohibition. By selecting a wide range of small-production, high-quality craft beers from across the country, our Craft Beer Club members have the unique opportunity to get the inside scoop and become an honorary local in every state we feature! Monthly craft beer shipments include 2 breweries from 2 different regions of the US, giving our members the opportunity to taste what our 50 states have to offer.