Western Massachusetts

We’ve said this before, but the craft beer scene in western Massachusetts has truly been exploding over the last few years. From new breweries and expanded tasting room hours to beer festivals and scavenger hunts, there’s plenty going on in the craft beer world to keep you thirsty this summer.

1. Visit new breweries.
Three new breweries in western Massachusetts will open their tasting rooms this summer alone! New City Brewery in Easthampton, whose signature ginger beer has already hit the market, BLDG8 in Florence, and Brew Practitioners in Florence should all be open by the end of summer. BONUS: Brew Practitioners will also be running a Brew Bus that will tour participants to five local breweries and is accepting reservations for August tours now.

2. Taste with an expert.
Provisions in Northampton is known for its regular beer and wine tastings but they’ve recently started offering more in-depth, private tasting seminars such as this Thursday’s on “The Sour Beer Spectrum” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Provisions’ professionally trained beer expert and homebrewer, Michael Schilling, will guide participants through the historical brewing practices that introduced sour beer in the first place, the importance of Brettanomyces yeast and other microflora that make beer sour, and the practice of adding fruit to beer, while sampling 15 different sour beers. The next tasting seminar is “All About Hops” on Thursday, July 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Connect with Provisions on Facebook for more information about these seminars.

3. Hang out at the brewery longer.
New hours at Abandoned Building Brewery means more opportunities to enjoy hanging out at the brewery! The tasting room is now open Thursdays and Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays 12 to 9 p.m. and Sundays 2 to 6 p.m. You can now order full pints or tasting flights of Abandoned Building beer, too while you're there! With its new hours comes some new surprises too such as Mission Cantina’s food truck, Taco Tina, which was just at the brewery this past weekend. And did you know, there's also a monthly Yoga & Beer event at Abanonded Building Brewery the first Wednesday of every month. Follow Abandoned Building on social media for more special event announcements this summer.

4. Rock out with a beer.
Beer and music go hand in hand—except if you’re a musician on stage and need both hands to rock out! Every Saturday Fort Hill Brewery invites a local musician or band to play at its tasting room which is open 2 to 6 p.m. Additional tasting room hours are 4-7 every Thursday and Friday. Did you know they also have a pool table?

5. Go on a scavenger hunt.
With its tap list that celebrates local beer and several collaboration brews under its belt, it’s clear that The Foundry in Northampton loves exploring and supporting the local beer scene. To celebrate the local scene this summer The Foundry presents its first Valley Craft Beer Scavenger Hunt, a team game that incorporates the region's enthusiasm for craft beer and our bountiful local beer & brewing landscape. Teams will have three weeks to visit local beer halls, breweries, liquor stores and other venues in order to secure the items on the list. Teams must register by June 27, using a form that can be picked up at The Foundry (24 Main St.) or printed out at the shop's website www.thefoundrynoho.com. The hunt concludes with a closing party on Saturday, July 18 when the points will be tallied and winners rewarded!

6. Get out in the field.
While the beer world is crowded with so-called “hopheads,” the maltsters at Valley Malt in Hadley ask us to think more about the malts with Barley Field Day, Wednesday June 24. Not only can a barley variety effect the flavor of a beer but one variety that may grow really well in Idaho may not grow as well in Massachusetts. Participants can enjoy lunch and a guided tour through UMass Amherst’s barley field from 12 to 4 p.m. followed by a celebration of all things barley at the malthouse in Hadley featuring the new Wheelhouse Farm Truck, local breweries and the music of Acoustic Brew.

7. Go to a local beer festival.
While happening down the road from us in Springfield, The Worthy Craft Beer Showcase this Saturday, June 20 hosted by Smith’s Billiards and Theodores’ Booze, Blues & BBQ features some of Hampshire County’s finest—Abandoned Building Brewery, Brewmaster Jack, Amherst Brewing Company, High Horse Brewing, and New City Brewery. Other western Massachusetts breweries include Glass Bottom, White Lion, Iron Duke and Tree House, as well as the Artifact Cider Project. With nearly half of the 24 breweries from western Massachusetts, this is about as local as a beer festival can be!  The Worthy also hosts a people’s choice home brewing competition and the winner gets to brew the winning batch with Amherst Brewing Company’s brewer John Geraci and system. Save the date later this summer for White Lion’s Valley Brew Fest, August 29 in Springfield, too.

8. Bike to the beer!
There’s over 20 miles of paved bike trails in Hampshire County and many of our breweries are located a stone’s throw from the paths. Here’s a sample route:

Start on the Manhan Rail Trail in Easthampton where you can stop at Abandoned Building, New City and Fort Hill and continue into Northampton for a pint at the Northampton Brewery. From there continue onto the Nortwottuck Rail Trail that will take you through Hadley into Amherst. Stop at The Quarters on your way—we know, it’s not a brewery, but need we say more than they have vintage arcade games and a stellar draft list? End your bike ride at the High Horse in Amherst and try its new English style bitter, “Ordinary.” And as always, please drink and bike responsibly!

For other beer destinations and events in western Massachusetts to explore this summer, check out the Valley Beer Trail or MassVacation.com.