Experience a Growing Beer Scene in Western Massachusetts
Every day it seems like the scene for craft beer in western Massachusetts grows a little bit more—from new breweries and bars opening to a growing number of special events focused on beer tasting and pairing. Our region is essentially a one-stop beer shop, too. Not only are we home to a handful of breweries, but we’re also home to the state’s only malthouse, Valley Malt in Hadley, whose malts are used by the local breweries as well as those around New England like Boston’s Trillium. Also just north of us in Northfield is a farm focused on growing grains and hops, two of the four essential ingredients in beer. So if you’re a beer connoisseur or aspiring brewer, here are three ways to make the most of our burgeoning beer scene in western Massachusetts.
You Can Taste It
First thing’s first, you've got to taste our beer in western Massachusetts. Some of these local breweries are making some of the best craft beer only accessible here, like High Horse Brewing in Amherst (a recipient of Boston-based Drink Craft Beer’s Champion of Hops belt) whose beer is primarily found on tap at the brewpub. You can also taste what the oldest brewpub in New England is making, the Northampton Brewery, whose history has a close relationship with the development of regional brewery Smuttynose. Tasting rooms are arguably where it’s at though—you get to sip on beers brewed just steps away from the tanks and it's often poured by the brewers themselves, like Abandoned Building and Fort Hill breweries in Easthampton. In 2015 you can look forward to visiting the tasting rooms of New City Brewery in Easthampton, whose signature offering will be an alcoholic ginger beer, and Building 8 Brewing in Florence, a project by Meghan and O'Brian Tomalin of the Sierra Grille in Northampton.
You Can Buy Your Brewing Supplies Here
From tasting our beer and meeting our brewers who started with a home brew kit themselves, you might be inspired to go out and buy your own home brewing supplies. When President Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1979, the local winemaking supply shop on King Street in Northampton became Beer and Winemaking Supplies. Ever since, it has been a must-stop shop for aspiring home brewers—according to the owners, this is the shop where Chris Lalli and Gary Bogoff of Berkshire Brewing Company got their start after all. Valley Malt also offers a unique Malt of the Month Club for home brewers. If you’re just looking for a place to score some local brews to take home, check out Trubeer in Easthampton or Provisions in Northampton.
You Can Learn From the Experts
Say you’re really looking to get serious about beer after using your home brew kit a dozen or hundred times. For the past few years, ValleyMalt has hosted FarmerBrewer Winter Weekend, a unique gathering of the beer minds that really puts western Massachusetts on the map for brewing education. This limited registration weekend offers an immersive experience for established and aspiring farmers, brewers, and maltsters to glean crucial lessons from industry experts as well as each other. They’ll host PHDs in barley breeding and malting to well-known brewers like John Mallet of Bells Brewery in Michigan.
So whether your interest in craft beer is just peaking or you’ve been sampling and experimenting for years, our scene has something for you. Cheers!