Massachusetts Craft Breweries Celebrate Landmark Achievement

Farmers Market Sales Now Legal

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — After six years and three legislative sessions, the Massachusetts craft beer industry is celebrating a major milestone: breweries across the Commonwealth can now sell their products at farmers markets, joining cider and wine producers. This change is made possible by Governor Healey’s signing of the sweeping Economic Development bill yesterday.

The legislation provides craft breweries equal access to local markets, allowing direct sales to consumers for off-site consumption. Previously, breweries could only offer samples at agricultural events or obtain permits for beer gardens where pints were consumed on-site. The inability to sell to-go products at farmers markets limited opportunities for breweries to showcase their beers and connect with their communities.

“This is a monumental step forward for more than 230 breweries across Massachusetts,” said Adam Romanow, president of the Mass Brewers Guild and founder and CEO of Castle Island Brewing Co. “Farmers markets offer an invaluable platform to connect with customers, support local agriculture, and promote taproom visits. We’re thrilled for our craft beer community to have this new avenue for sales and visibility.”

Beyond driving brewery growth, the measure is expected to create jobs across the state and strengthen ties between breweries and local farms. Many breweries source ingredients such as malt and hops from Massachusetts farms, and this expanded access will enable them to deepen these partnerships, fostering a more interconnected, resilient economy.

“When breweries succeed, the ripple effect benefits farmers, suppliers, and everyone involved in bringing local craft beer to life,” Romanow added. “This law supports small businesses, stimulates job creation, and enhances community connections. We extend our heartfelt thanks and raise our glasses to the Healey/Driscoll administration, House Speaker Ron Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, House Majority Leader Michael Moran, and Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem. We also applaud the hard work of the Economic Development conference committee led by Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and Chairman Barry Finegold. Advancement of this measure would not be possible without our passionate original bill sponsors Senator Jaime Eldridge and Representative Adam Scanlon as well as our numerous co-sponsors and various committees who championed this legislation.”

About the Mass Brewers Guild
The Mass Brewers Guild is the state’s non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Massachusetts craft brewers. Through advocacy, education, and community-building efforts, the Guild supports its members and ensures a thriving beer culture in the Commonwealth. For more information, visit massbrewersguild.org.

Thriving in a Changing Craft Beer Landscape

Leveraging Taproom Trends and Data for Success

More than ever before, taprooms have become the most important source of revenue for the majority of America’s breweries. In the wake of a global pandemic, and with the industry’s overall volume experiencing declines, it is more critical than ever to understand the competitive landscape against which breweries find themselves.

Arryved has been fortunate enough to partner with Bart Watson of the Brewers Association to explore some of the major trends and benchmarks that have been developing in and around the industry over these last few years.

As the sole Point of Sale focused purely on the craft beverage industry, we have access to the only data set that truly captures what is happening in taprooms and tasting rooms across the country. This gives us the unique opportunity to help owners to level up their businesses and thrive in a market that is experiencing new challenges, but also new opportunities.

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

The craft beer industry is seeing slowing growth, and there are certainly headwinds that everyone working in it needs to keep in mind. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of ways to make your own business as successful as possible. You have to understand your regional market, though, if you want to find those opportunities, and that’s where data can be your ladder to even greater heights.

SEASONALITY

Across the country, different regions see their taproom traffic shift dramatically, depending on the time of the year. However, those shifts are not always the same depending on where you are located. Winter, after all, means very different things depending on whether you’re in Key West, Florida or Fairbanks, Alaska.

Understanding when you can expect higher or lower average volumes of customers is key to helping you decide on the type of events, engagement, and products that you need in order to be as successful as possible all year long.

●      July is the single biggest month for taproom sales in most areas of the country, with the biggest gains being found in New England, where taprooms perform roughly 34% better than the average across the year

●      The summer in general is “beer season” in most regions, with June through September alone accounting for nearly 40% of total beer sales

●      The Southeast and Gulf Coast are the exception to the rule, where business peaks in March and April, but is relatively flat across much of the rest of the year

Taking the steps to drive business during your slowest months can be essential to putting yourself in the best possible position for when spring is in full swing. And leaning hard into the times of year when beer is already on everyone’s minds can help you to not leave money on the table, or thirsty customers going somewhere else.

PRICING

It’s no secret that craft beer drinkers, like everyone right now, are being more judicious about where and how they spend their money. This means that, more than ever, it’s important to price your beer in a way that lets you cover your increased costs without alienating your customers

Understanding how a price change can impact how your taproom visitors’ behavior is a key component, helping you to use what’s happening in your own region or neighborhood type to make better, smarter pricing decisions. 

Some useful insights from 2023, compared to 2022:

●      Taproom pricing for a pint of beer was up 4.6% on average

●      Nearly 60% of taprooms raised their prices between 2-8%

●      Taprooms located in cities and urban areas saw the smallest price increase, but also the largest volume increase when prices were raised

●      Rural taprooms are, on average, the most expensive on a per-pint basis, but are also relatively tolerant of price increases

●      On average, increasing the price of your beer by 1% caused a drop in the volume sold of it of only .59% 

Increasing your prices is never easy, and you never want to alienate your best customers, even for the sake of a little more margin. However, the data does suggest that, particularly amongst higher income or more rural areas, you can do so with relative safety and make more in additional sales than you will lose on lost volume. It may not be the solution for every taproom, but knowing that it is an option that exists can make a significant difference in how you approach your pricing strategy going forward.

FUTURE FORWARD

While the craft beverage industry may be transforming rapidly, there is still a ton of opportunity to reach new customers, and to better serve existing ones. People are what make craft beer so special, but it takes the right knowledge and information to connect them in the ways that matter the most.

With the right benchmarks, and the key information that you need to understand your own business, you can stay ahead of a market that continues to evolve daily. As much as “data” may seem like it can be impenetrable and difficult to sift through, with the right tools, a few quality reports, and a little creativity, your brewery can continue to deliver the same value that it always has, to more customers than ever before.

10 Breweries New to Massachusetts in 2023-24

Tom Allen (left) and Matt Guernsey launched Arlington Brewing Co. in 2023.

Economic growth in the craft beer market slowed nationwide in 2023, but the bubble isn’t bursting, according to Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson. Today’s educated consumer wants variety and innovation, Watson said in his keynote address at the annual Massachusetts Brewers Guild conference in November 2023, Brewbound reported, adding, “that sounds exactly like the kind of thing that craft can excel at.”

In Massachusetts, entrepreneurs prove this true every year with new breweries, taprooms and ideas — and 2023 was no exception. Despite some closures, more than a dozen taprooms opened across the Commonwealth. The list of new breweries in Massachusetts includes second locations for MBG members Mighty Squirrel, White Lion, Bright Ideas, and Untold brewing companies. Among more than a dozen novel beer businesses that opened in 2023 — and 2024 so far — are 10 new members of the Mass Brewers Guild.

Meet the MBG freshman Class

Hot Plate brewing co.

The lore of this seven-barrel brewery in Pittsfield is that owner and founder Sarah Real dialed in her beer recipes on an electric hot plate. Since February 2023, the taproom and public house she co-owns with husband Mike Dell’Aquila welcomes all with a diverse selection of beer and gluten-free beverages, while giving back to the community by using local ingredients and supporting nonprofits.

Portico Brewing in Somerville has a pop-up kitchen from Taqueria el Barrio.

Portico Brewing

A longtime contract brewery, Portico opened its first taproom in Somerville just in time for Earth Day in April 2023. Founders Alex Rabe and Alex Zielke counter the brewery’s energy and material usage with positive actions to benefit the community and the planet, like brewing Earth Hour Pale Ale with 100% local malt. The Somerville spot also features a pop-up kitchen from Taqueria el Barrio.

Outrider Ber Company 

Beer industry buds Anthony Lauring and Carl McCowen teamed up to open this community-focused brewpub in Amesbury in May 2023. Along with house beers like Joystick IPA and Medium Delight Dubbel, there’s a wide menu of comfort food like steak and cheese eggrolls, falafel-topped salads, sandwiches, burgers and more. 

Antimony Brewing

On Memorial Day, beer fans in the Berkshires welcomed a new brewpub in Lenox. Chemical engineer-turned-restaurateur Rob Trask oversees a seven-barrel brewhouse and kitchen at Antimony, dishing up brewpub fare such as fried cheese curds with IPA honey mustard, sourdough pizzas, grilled steak, and fish tacos.

Long Live Roxbury has a distinctive look.

Live Long beerworks Roxbury 

One of Rhode Island’s biggest names in beer added a Massachusetts outpost in the summer of 2023. Long Live Beerworks gives a colorful makeover to an 1850s piano factory-turned-15-barrel brewery in Roxbury, frequently hosting Boston-exclusive beer drops and events like Thursday night jazz and weekend food pop-ups.

Doctor’s Island Brewing company

Gregory Hoffmeister and his beer-loving family opened this scenic spot last summer on Nantasket Beach. Doctor’s Island returns at the end of April for its second season with small-batch beers and waterfront, sunset views of the Boston skyline from Hull. 

Epigram Brewing Co. 

Epigram Brewing Co. debuted in Tyngsboro in October. The sprawling beer hall has been a hit with Merrimack Valley locals since day one, with an ample beer selection, plenty of seats, and a full food menu, including hard-to-find in the area South Shore-style bar pizza.

Forty Second Brew Co. 

Forty Second Brewing Co. opened a comfortable taproom in Kingston in November 2023, a few years after neighbors Paul Schiele and Matt Ward began brewing together as a hobby. Now, their beers like Three Sheets to the Wind IPA, Down the Hatch Pilsner, and more are self-distributed.

Liz Nicol is the founder and head brewer at Drawdown Brewing Company in Jamaica Plain, Boston.

Drawdown Brewing 

Since opening in December 2023 with a stated mission to be an inclusive spot for viewing sports, Drawdown has drawn crowds to Jamaica Plain, particularly for women’s college basketball. Owner and head brewer Liz Nicol is offering malt-forward brews like a cream ale and porter.

Arlington Brewing Company 

As engineers and Arlington residents Tom Allen and Matt Guernsey look for a permanent home for their hometown brewery, they’re producing cans like Spy-P-A and My New GF, a gluten-free saison. ABCo. has a pop-up taproom Friday nights through April 26 at the Roasted Granola Cafe in Arlington.

BetterBev - A Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program Launches in New England

Introduced by Coalition of New England States with Support from the Environmental Protection Agency

A coalition of New England states announced the BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program, a sustainability initiative funded in part by grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pollution Prevention (P2) Program.

BetterBev was created to help beverage producers throughout New England fully understand their environmental practices, principles, and impact, with the goal of reducing production inefficiencies, improving health and safety, and conserving natural resources. Participating companies drive their continuous improvement by tracking waste generation and measuring the use of energy, water, and material inputs. For beverage producers that invest time and resources in sustainable practices, BetterBev will help them gain efficiencies, reduce costs, and receive recognition as a “green” business.

New England is a craft beverage powerhouse with one of the highest concentrations of craft breweries in the country. According to the Brewers Association, the region is home to over 600 craft breweries, not including other craft beverage producers such as distilleries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies. While these businesses create jobs, boost tourism, and promote economic development, they also use resources intensively. Breweries constantly heat, cool, and clean their operations, presenting excellent opportunities for cost savings. Similarly, side-streaming, reuse, and recycling strategies can minimize the environmental impact of spent grains, wastewater discharge, and packaging. 

“We must constantly assess the impact our actions have on the environment, so we believe a beverage producer’s focus should be on continual improvement,” explained Luke Truman, Sustainability Coordinator for the Craft Beverage Sector Program at the New England Environmental Finance Center, located at the University of Southern Maine. “We’re grading ourselves against a constantly moving target, so we created the BetterBev program with a mindset of consistent effort, striving for improvement over time.”

Since 2022, the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to establish Pollution Prevention (P2) technical assistance initiatives that help craft beverage producers improve their environmental performance. State-based Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) have reached out to hundreds of craft beverage manufacturers to assess their production practices and provided recommendations to improve process efficiencies. Some states built very effective initiatives around these efforts, such as the New Hampshire Sustainable Craft Beverage recognition program (NHSCB) run by its Department of Environmental Services.

In 2023, building on the success of the NHSCB, state P2 programs decided to launch a sustainability recognition program for craft beverage producers throughout all of New England. This regional approach, which grew into BetterBev, has the potential to increase visibility, drive business participation, and disseminate environmental best practices.

“We were all moving in the same direction, working on similar initiatives, so it only made sense to partner and work together,” added Kathy Black, Pollution Prevention Program Manager for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. “The BetterBev Program amplifies the work each state is doing and raises awareness about how businesses can care for the environment and worker’s health and safety while making tasty craft beverages.”

BetterBev recognition can be earned after a beverage producer’s state oversight organization works with them to perform an audit and assessment of their environmental practices and impact. The audit and assessment covers 10 performance criteria:

• Environmentally responsible sourcing

• Water usage

• Wastewater reduction

• Stormwater management

• Energy efficiency and conservation

• CO2 use and emissions

• Cleaning and sanitizing

• Waste reduction

• Packaging format and materials

• Environmental culture
  

Beverage producers reaching specific performance thresholds over the ten areas will earn the BetterBev recognition. Those that don’t reach the required thresholds will be supported by their state oversight organization and receive the technical assistance necessary to improve their performance and receive recognition. The goal of the BetterBev program is to place every business on the path of continuous improvement, even if they are beginners looking for some basic tips or high achievers that want to invest in the latest green technologies.

The oversight organizations responsible for managing the BetterBev program in their respective state are:

• Connecticut: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

• Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Boston

• Maine: New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine

• New Hampshire: Pollution Prevention Program at the Department of Environmental Services

• Rhode Island: Department of Environmental Management

• Vermont: New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine
  

To learn more about the BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program, including how a producer can participate, visit the BetterBev program page at www.betterbev.org.

About BetterBev

The BetterBev program is managed by a group of state and university environmental organizations that provide a free sustainability assessment to craft beverage producers in New England, including but not limited to breweries, wineries, and distilleries. The goal of the program is to help companies improve environmental performance, reduce operational costs, and build recognition from peers and customers. Companies that meet the BetterBev sustainability criteria are eligible for BetterBev recognition, which includes a certificate, window signage, use of the BetterBev logo, and inclusion on a BetterBev map. Learn more at www.betterbev.org.

Meet the Industry Insider Behind This Year's Mass Beer Week Artwork

Mass Beer Week returns March 2-9 with a logo designed by one of the industry’s own. Zach Manza, founder of Manza Media and an employee at Shovel Town Brewery in Easton, is the winner of the second annual fan-voted art contest hosted by the Massachusetts Brewers Guild. Manza’s original artwork will be used on collectible glassware available at participating breweries throughout Mass Beer Week, and across all promotional materials for the statewide celebration of craft beer.

Illustrator and Shovel Town Brewery cook Zach Manza designed the 2024 Mass Beer Week logo.

Manza, a lifelong illustrator, took inspiration from scenes across the Bay State for this year’s Mass Beer Week design. The Mashpee resident explains, “the western part is a can, and then it spills over” into the South Shore and Cape Cod. He credits his wife and muse, Stephanie, with the idea to center the landscape on a spilled can of beer, which relates to his day job and fits in with his playful, whimsical style. 

Manza works in the kitchen at Shovel Town, takes photos for the brewery’s social media, and also collaborates with the marketing team to design label art. He started as a line cook two years ago, and has since reimagined the Easton company’s branding to feature a shovel-shaped template on every can. Consistent imagery is more marketable than the outsourced, can-by-can artwork Shovel Town previously commissioned, and collaborating with their employees fits the vibe of a local craft brewery, Manza says. His bosses, coworkers, and fellow craft beer fans “love that kind of community, where a guy who works here does the cans.”

Shovel Town Brewery’s redesigned cans. / Art and photo by Zach Manza

In January 2023, Manza also painted a full-scale wall mural inside the Easton taproom. The large, hand-drawn piece was a challenge for the self-taught illustrator, who likens his style to mid-century children’s books like Corduroy and Harry the Dirty Dog and typically uses pencil and watercolor (or, their digital equivalents on the illustration app Procreate). 

Manza, who grew up in New Jersey, moved to Massachusetts after high school and has been a freelance illustrator ever since. He has illustrated many children’s books, including the Puffa the Lionhead Bun series, but publishing is a competitive industry with fairly low pay for artists, he shares. “In the brewery space, anybody with a creative thing will end up wearing different hats,” says Manza, who is also a musician. “I’m being compensated, and I love being in it.”

Zach Manza designed and painted an indoor mural at Shovel Town Brewery. / Photo by Zach Manza

Manza’s art will emblazon social media fliers, glassware and T-shirts to highlight Mass Beer Week and help drive traffic and tourism to our state’s breweries. Sales of the collector's glass—this year, 17-ounce Sidra tumblers—are a fundraiser to support the Mass Brewers Guild’s mission to promote craft beer in the Bay State.

Besides bragging rights, the artist received cash and a prize pack from the MBG for submitting the winning design. 

Mass Beer Week runs Saturday to Saturday during the first week of March. Visit breweries throughout the state to get this year’s collectible glassware. To learn more about Mass Beer Week, check out massbeerweek.org

Supporting Massachusetts Breweries While Social Distancing

Keeping our communities safe and protecting our most vulnerable is the most important thing we can do right now. Under current state ordinance, all Massachusetts brewpubs and taprooms will be closed for on-premise consumption until May 18. 

While you won’t be able to sit and have a pint with us these next few weeks, we hope you’ll include locally made Massachusetts beer in your supply runs by purchasing beer to-go at breweries or at package stores. Curbside pick up is available at most locations to ensure social distancing protocols are being met and many breweries are now offering home delivery. Package stores can also deliver your favorite brands through Drizly.

Online stores are always open for merchandise and gift card purchases. See below for a list of breweries that are currently open and operating retail operations and CLICK HERE for a detailed chart with the services and physical addresses of each brewery location.

From all of us at the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, we thank you for supporting our small, family-run businesses during this unprecedented time.

We can’t wait to have a beer with you soon.

Breweries Open For Retail Operations
10th District Brewing
3cross Fermentation Coop
Abandoned Building Brewery
Altruist Brewing Company
Amherst Brewing
Amory’s Tomb
Article Fifteen Brewing
Bad Martha Brewing Co.
Barrel House Z
Bent Water Brewing Co
BearMoose Brewing Co.
Berkley Beer Company
Big Elm Brewing
Bolton Beer Works
Bone Up Brewing Company
Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen
Brick & feather brewery 
Bright Ideas Brewing
Building 8 Brewing 
Bull Spit Brewing Co. 
Burke's Alewerks
Buzzards Bay Brewing
Canned Heat
Cape Cod Beer
Castle Island Brewing Co. 
Channel Marker Brewing
CraftRoots Brewing
Crue Brew Brewery
Democracy Brewing
Devil’s Purse
Distraction Brewing Company
Dorchester Brewing Company
Drunken Rabbit Brewing Co.
East Regiment Beer Co.
Element Brewing & Distilling
Essex County Brewing Co.
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company
Faces Brewing Co.
Fieldcrest Brewing Company
Flying Dreams - Marlborough & Worcester
Gentile Brewing Co.
Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co.
Harpoon Brewery
Hitchcock Brewing Company 
Honest Weight Artisan Beer
Hopster’s Brewing Co.
Idle Hands Craft Ales
Independent Fermentations Brewing (IndieFerm)
Iron Duke Brewing
Jack's Abby Craft Lagers
John Harvard's Brewhouse
Kismet Brewing Company
Lamplighter Brewing Co.
Leadfoot Brewing
Lookout Farm Brewing & Cider Co.
Lord Hobo
Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Company 
Mayflower Brewing Company
Medusa Brewing Company
Merrimack Ales
Mighty Squirrel
Milk Room Brewing 
Moby Dick Brewing Company
Moon Hill Brewing Co.
Naukabout Brewery
Navigation Brewing Company
New City Brewery
Night Shift Brewing - Everett & Lovejoy Wharf
Notch Brewing
Offshore Ale Co.
Old Colony Brewing
Old Planters Brewing Co.
Outlook Farm Brewery
Percival Brewing Company
Purgatory Beer Co.
Rapscallion Brewery
Rapscallion Table and Tap
Redemption Rock Brewing Co
Remnant Brewing Co.
River Styx Brewing
Riverwalk Brewing Co.
Second Wind Brewing Co.
Seven Saws Brewing 
Shovel Town Brewery
Skyroc Brewery 
Somerville Brewing (Slumbrew)
Start Line Brewing
Stellwagen Brewing Co.
Still Life Farm
Stone Cow Brewery
Timberyard Brewing Co.
Trillium - Canton, Fortpoint & Fenway
Troy City
True North Ale Company
Turtle Swamp Brewing
Two Weeks Notice Brewing 
Untold Brewing Co.
Vanished Valley Brewing Co.
Vitamin Sea Brewing
Wachusett Brewing Company
Wandering Star Brewing Company
Widowmaker Brewing Co.
Wormtown Brewery

We’re all in this together!

Brewers team up & face-off on the ice to raise money for the Mass Brewers Guild

WORCESTER, Mass. | Local brewers and brewery staff will faceoff as rivalry teams in the second annual Winter Classic charity hockey game to raise money for the Mass Brewers Guild (MBG).

The family-friendly event is free and open to the public and will be held on Saturday, March 14 at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The MBG is the state’s trade association that works to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the Commonwealth. 

Friends, family and craft beer fans can cheer on their favorite player and brewery, and those ages 21+ can enjoy a pint in the stands. Concession stand proceeds will benefit the MBG. The fundraiser hopes to raise $1,000 for the association. 

Beers available at the event and the players on the ice will be from the following breweries: Bay State Brewing, Castle Island Brewing Co., Greater Good Imperial Brew Co., Harpoon Brewing Co., Iron Duke Brewing, Jack's Abby Craft Lagers, Lamplighter Brewing Company, Navigation Brewing Co., Redemption Rock Brewing Co., Rustic Brewing Company, Tree House Brewing Company, Vanished Valley Brewing Company, Wachusett Brewing Co., and Wormtown Brewery. Limited edition Mass Beer Week glassware will also be available for sale at this event. 

The MBG Winter Classic closes out Mass Beer Week, the statewide celebration of locally made craft beer. This event is produced by Craft’d Co. For more information about Mass Beer Week, or to see the full calendar of events visit, MassBeerWeek.org. To learn more about the Mass Brewers Guild visit MassBrewersGuild.org.