The Mass Brewers Guild packed Castle Island Brewing Co. in Norwood, Mass., on Saturday, March 4 during its sold out, “Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class” event, where seventy patrons participated in an afternoon of speed-dating for beer.

Groups of ten were given ten-minutes with each brewery to hear their story, taste their beer, and ask questions before rotating to the next brewer.

The roundtable style event was the first of its kind hosted by the Mass Brewers Guild, with the goal to foster learning and education of the brewing process, and inspire deeper connections between brewers and craft beer lovers.

The line-up of freshman brewers included; Barrel House Z, Bone Up Brewing Co., Castle Island Brewing Co., Craft Roots Brewing Co., Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing, Lamplighter Brewing and Start Line Brewing.

“The afternoon was a huge success, and just as much fun for the brewers as it was for the guests,” says Rob Burns, co-founder of Night Shift and President of the Mass Brewers Guild. “We hope to launch several "Meet the Brewer" style events in the future and turn it into a series that our friends and fans can follow and attend.”

Thanks to the generosity of the brewers donating their time and beer, and the craft beer loving community for purchasing tickets, the event raised $2,500 for the Mass Brewers Guild.

The Mass Brewers Guild is a nonprofit organization that works to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the Commonwealth. From lobbying on Beacon Hill to creating marketing and educational programs for brewers, the Mass Brewers Guild works to ensure that breweries across the state remain successful and independent businesses.