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.

Brewing Bonds: Ohanafy’s Support for the MBG and Local Brewery Scene

The local brewery scene in Boston and its surrounding areas is one of the most well-known in the country. This makes it more important than ever for supporting businesses to get involved and help protect that reputation. There's a ton of potential when we bring folks together from different backgrounds, all sharing the same goal of pushing the brewing community forward. By sharing our ideas and perspectives, we're working together to ensure that Massachusetts' brewing industry thrives. That's where companies like Ohanafy come into the picture.

Ohanafy is a relatively new cloud-based management platform for beverage producers and distributors, built on Salesforce. The founders of Ohanafy believed it was time to leverage the capabilities of tech giant Salesforce for the brewery industry, tailored to the specific requirements of small businesses, all while keeping costs in check. They're fully committed to helping these companies make smarter data-driven decisions. The result? Smoother processes, increased profits, and reduced expenses. Breweries of all sizes across the U.S. are using their system, a clear sign that they're dedicated to supporting the industry wholeheartedly.

One of Ohanafy's customers is none other than a member of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers. Jack’s Abby chose to partner with Ohanafy because they offer top-notch customer support, customized workflows to align with the brewery processes, advanced reporting, and scalability to grow along with them. Jack’s Abby has been instrumental in guiding Ohanafy toward product enhancements, such as connected lot tracking, contract brewing and packaging, dynamic pricing models, optimized batch packaging, advanced brew log and fermentation monitoring. Ohanafy listens to its customers and taps into its industry know-how to create the product they truly need. Everyone at Ohanafy is excited about what's coming down the pipeline and can't wait to see how Jack’s Abby continues to thrive with their help.

Together, Jack’s Abby and Ohanafy are fully committed to maintaining the growth and success of Massachusetts' craft beverage scene. We're thrilled about the journey ahead. For more details about our partnership, check out the press release here. To learn more about Ohanafy, visit their website when you're ready. Cheers to what's brewing! 🍻 

Drink it all in! The Massachusetts Brewers Guild's Fall Fun Guide

🎶It’s the most wonderful time for Festbier, and the malt-maltiest season of all 🎶(Cheers to Craft Beer Concierge, aka Allo Gilinsky of Boston, for getting that catchy song stuck in our heads for the rest of eternity!) Here’s hoping your trachten and steinkrugs are getting some love at all the Oktoberfest events happening in Massachusetts. Beyond the German-inspired parties, New England offers plenty of homegrown entertainment for beer lovers in all seasons — and autumn is the ultimate. 

Now that we’re finally enjoying some dry, crisp weather, it’s the perfect time for fall fun with a pint or a few. Tapping into offerings from members of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild all across the state, here’s how to make the most out of brewery visits in the Bay State this fall.

Fairs and Fests

The Northeast’s biggest agricultural fair, The Big E continues through October 1 with a Local Brewer Showcase hosted by Valley Malt in the Massachusetts Building on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Featuring 20 taps of local beer including MBG members Castle Island Brewing Company and Leadfoot Brewing, owners and brewmasters are pouring — so fest attendees can buy a drink, stroll around, and learn more about how the beverages were made. Beyond the Local Brewer Showcase, The Big E also has a kid-friendly beer garden pouring Samuel Adams, open Friday and Saturday night with live music going from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the gate for adults and $12 for kids. Make a weekend of it in West Springfield, where the Eastern States Exposition is annually held, and visit nearby breweries Two Weeks Notice, White Lion Brewing, and Loophole Brewing Co. 

Fall River brewery Canned Heat made a special brew for King Richard's Faire, which continues on weekends through October 23. Festgoers will find The King's Brew IPA at Dragon's Tavern and Queen's Tavern within the Carver fairgrounds. Outside of the event, the area is home to many MBG members, including Brewery 44 in Carver; and Plymouth breweries Second Wind, Mayflower, and Independent Fermentations.

The Topsfield Fair returns September 29 through October 9th and for the 2nd year running, True North Ales is the exclusive craft beer provider to the Topsfield Fair. You can wrap your hands around Northern Haze IP, Season of the Witch IPA and a beer brewed exclusive to the Fair, Topsfield Fair Giant Pumpkin Ale. On the way home visit breweries like Twisted Fate Brewing in nearby Danvers, Oak & Iron Brewing in Andover, The Tap in Haverhill, Coastal Mass. Brewing Co. in Beverly, or True North Ale Company in Ipswich.

Boston Beer Company’s Sam Adams is the beer tent sponsor at Wellfleet OysterFest, which returns October 14 and 15. If you’re heading down the Cape, why not stop by Cape Cod breweries Aquatic Brewing (Falmouth), Bad Martha (Falmouth), Naukabout Beer (Mashpee), and Cape Cod Beer (Hyannis).

Tailgating

Heading to a pro football game this season? Keep an eye out for craft beer! New England’s stadium in Foxborough has been known to get the good stuff (we’ve seen cans of Tree House and Trillium in the stands, just to name a couple). Elsewhere at Patriot Place, there’s a Wormtown Brewery taproom as well.

On the way to the game, don’t forget to stop in at a craft brewery to get provisions for a parking-lot pregame. MBG members located on the way to Gillette Stadium include Shovel Town Brewery in North Easton, Crue Brew Brewery in Raynham, CraftRoots Brewing in Milford, Castle Island in Norwood, and Trillium in Canton.

Apple Picking 

Is it really fall in New England until you’ve picked your own apples? The activity is bound to make you thirsty. A solar-powered brewery resides at Lookout Farm in South Natick, which also offers fall festivities such as PYO apples, pumpkins and a corn maze. Bolton Beer Works is based at Nashoba Valley Winery and Distillery, which crafts all kinds of beverages and also offers apple picking and cheese plates. Phillipston’s Red Apple Farm hosts Moon Hill Brewery, the outfit out of Gardner Ale House, at a year-round Brew Barn at the orchard. 

Beer lovers will find destination-worthy diversions nearby popular picking spots like Carlson Orchards: Loyal Foe Brewing Co. is next door to the Harvard farm. True West Brewing Co. in Acton is a great lunch option nearby, or head just north to visit Dirigible Brewing Company in Littleton. 

The Pioneer Valley is home to Clarkdale Fruit Farms, Apex Orchards, and Pine Hill Orchard, all in close proximity to a plethora of breweries like the titular Pioneer Valley Brewery, Four Phantoms Brewing Co., Brick & Feather Brewery, The People's Pint brewpub, Hitchcock Brewing, and The Back Room Brewery. More agritainment in the area: Visit the nearby  Brewery at Four Star Farms to taste brews made with hops and grains grown on-site. 

Lakeview Orchard in far-west Pittsfield offers easy access to Berkshire breweries Hot Plate Brewing Co. and Shire Beer Co.

Foliage Rides

The Bay State’s hills and valleys are quite the canvas come peak-foliage season, which should start around October 1. North-central Massachusetts is a great area to head for beer and natural beauty, from farm breweries like Rutland’s Milk Room Brewing Co. and Stone Cow Brewery in Barre, to the riverside River Styx in Fitchburg.

The Berkshires’ annual Fall Foliage Parade in downtown North Adams is happening Sunday, October 1. Combine it with a stop in at the town’s Bright Ideas Brewing.

Eastern Mass. has a lot to offer, too; from Greater Boston’s Blue Hills (at the base of which you’ll find Trillium HQ) to Cape Ann on the North Shore (stop by Pigeon Cove Ferments in Gloucester, or Riverwalk Brewing in Newburyport) and the cranberry-bogged South Shore. Check out the MBG’s full map of member breweries and plot your route.

Corn Mazes

If getting lost in the foliage sounds fun to you, there are many corn mazes just waiting for you to find your way this fall. Buzzards Bay Brewing in the coastal farm town of Westport has created its own this year, open through October 28. Tickets sold at the brewery are $10 per person ($8 for supervised kids). Natick’s Lookout Farm and brewery also boasts its own two-acre puzzle. 

Mike’s Maze at Warner Farm, located just off I-91 in Western Mass., hosts a series of Beer Mazes every Friday in October (and one on September 29), featuring various lineups of all-local beer. MBG members Progression Brewing Co., Amherst Brewing, Iron Duke, Building 8, Altruist Brewing, Exhibit 'A' and more are represented. The dusk-hour events challenge visitors to play games and track down local brews at tasting stations hidden throughout the maze. Each event features six different breweries. Tickets for each Friday Beer Maze are $40.

Salem in October

If you’re flying up to Salem to celebrate spooky season, visiting the historic city’s beer makers — including East Regiment Brewing Co. and Notch Brewing — are a must. The cauldrons are bubbling, but no witches’ brews here: only Mass. craft beer.

Get out there and drink in fall!

Six Pack Questionnaire Series: Aeronaut Brewing Co.

Meet Mark Bowers - Brewmaster at Aeronaut Brewing Co.

Full Name?

Mark Bowers

Your title? 

Brewmaster

Brewery Name? 

Aeronaut Brewing Company

Brewery Location? 

14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA 02143

#1) What made you decide to get into the craft brewing industry?

Since an early age (16 or so!) I've been fascinated by beer and brewing it. Although I did not start my career in professional brewing, after a long stint in R&D in chemistry & medical devices, I changed careers and went into craft brewing, a great love of mine.

#2) Which of your beers do your customers enjoy the most and why?

Hop Hop & Away. Labeled as a session IPA, this beer that has a wonderful hoppy flavor but lower bitterness. It also fits nicely between a traditional American pale ale and the newer NEIPAs (New England IPAs). It's very approachable by beer neophytes but also appeals to typical beer consumers.

#3) What's your favorite thing about your brewery?

I really like the way our brewery (in Somerville) is almost part of the taproom. Most breweries rarely, if ever, have the actual brewery area where beer is made in the same room as the taproom. 

Having the brewhouse and fermenters right up front and close appeals to the beer nerd and gear head in me. I also like to think that this fosters the feeling that we at Aeronaut want to be up front in showing, explaining, and telling people about our beers.

#4) Besides your own, what Massachusetts craft beers or breweries impress you the most and why? 

Jack's Abby make wonderful lagers and show the US that craft brewers can specialize in lagers and make a go of it. Also, Notch Brewing; not only do they also make wonderful lagers but most of their beers are lower in alcohol and still full of flavor.

#5) What’s a little known fact about you or your brewery that you think customers would get a kick out of? Something unique, funny or unusual? 

Although we've occasionally explained the origin of the name of one of our flagship or core beers, A Year with Dr. Nandu, it likely remains unknown to the majority of our customers. Here is what one of our founders, Ronn Friedlander has to say about it:

“Dr. Hari Nandu, is a radiologist that makes vulgar jokes. [Our first beer] was named after we sat around with Dr. Nandu for a few hours trying to come up with a name for the brewery. He kept coming up with really funny, but inappropriate names. So we came up with the name A Session with Dr. Nandu to commemorate those naming sessions with a session IPA. On our first year anniversary we brewed A Year with Dr. Nandu, a retrospective on our first year as a brewery to reflect the things we’ve learned over the past year as a re-imagining of the Session.” 

#6) If you could only drink one beer for the rest of your life what would it be? (Doesn’t have to be your own!)

That would be Schönramer Pils. The first beer I fell in love with was a German pale lager beer, Lowenbrau Export, that my great uncle introduced me to. And although I've enjoyed and still enjoy a lot of different kinds of beers, I always greatly prefer a well-made lager, and the pilsner from Private Landbrauerei Schönram is simply superb. This beer is being brewed by a transplanted American brewer, Eric Toft, who is considered by many well-known, accomplished brewers to be on the short list of best brewers in the world. His pils is not only great tasting, but it's so easy to keep drinking it...and ordering another and another!

Six Pack Questionnaire Series: The Brewery at Four Star Farms

Meet Chris Sellers - the co-owner and brewer at Four Star Farms

Full Name:

Chris Sellers

Brewery Name: 

The Brewery at Four Star Farms

What’s your role at The Brewery at Four Star Farms? 

Co-Owner/ Brewer

Where can we find the brewery? 

508 Pine Meadow Rd., Northfield, MA 01360 

#1) What made you decide to get into the craft brewing industry?

After graduating from college I found a love of creating something tangible, all the industry people I met were part artist, part engineer, and a little crazy.  The creativity in making something like beer was fascinating to me!  At 39, I have been in the MA beer  industry for over 15 years.

#2) Which of your beers do your customers enjoy the most and why?

 That is an even tie between our Binecutter IPA and our Northfielder Pils.  Both showcase opposite ends of the brewing spectrum but really appeal to craft beer lovers.

#3) What's your favorite thing about your brewery?

 We use exclusively hops grown right outside our brewery and most of our beers feature grain grown here as well.

#4) Besides your own, what Massachusetts craft beers or breweries impress you the most and why? 

Honest Weight's Rabbit Run Italian Pils, that beer is the embodiment of refreshing.  I would also say I'm drinking a lot of Kismet Brewing's Pilsners.  They are known for hazy beers and sours but I really enjoy both the Pilsners I have had from them.

#5) What’s a little known fact about you or your brewery that you think customers would get a kick out of? Something unique, funny or unusual? 

We are quietly working on a yeast harvesting project that will create a beer in the future where all the ingredients were either grown or harvested within 150 yards of the brewery building, malt, hops water and yeast!

#6) Do you remember your first gateway craft beer? What did you love about it and why?  

I have three.  Probably circa 2004/5 Hoegaarden Wit, Lancaster Brewing Milk Stout, and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine.  All three blew away my understanding of what beer was and introduced me to the endless possibilities of what was possible in the world of beer.   

Mass Brewers Guild Hosts First New Brewery Bootcamp

60 attendees sell out Conference to Learn from Experts 

Yesterday, at the Springdale Barrel Room in Framingham, MA, a crowd of 60 new breweries and breweries in-planning gathered at the "New Brewery Bootcamp," a full day seminar offered through the Mass Brewers Guild. 

The afternoon covered topics such as employee law, insurance risks, taxes, distribution, real estate leases, waste water management and more. Experts from Bowditch and Dewey Attorneys, Bernstein Shur Law Firm, Edelstein & Company CPAs, GHM Insurance, and Weston & Sampson shared their best practices and advice for navigating the industry. 

Co-founder of Jack's Abby Craft Lagers and Mass Brewers Guild treasurer, Sam Hendler, presented on the challenges of getting beer to market, and president of the Mass Brewers Guild and co-founder of Night Shift Brewing, Rob Burns, spoke candidly about his growing pains as an experienced brewer and entrepreneur. 

"This conference was born out of popular demand and a need in the Massachusetts craft beer industry," says Rob Burns, co-founder of Night Shift Brewing and president of the Mass Brewers Guild. "There are 30 breweries in-planning slated to open this year and we want to provide these budding entrepreneurs with the resources they need to remain successful, independent businesses. Opening a brewery is about more than brewing great beer." 

The sold out, ticketed event helped to raise $1,000 for the Mass Brewers Guild, a nonprofit organization that works to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the Commonwealth. Due to its success organizers say it will become a yearly program. 

To date, more than 122 breweries exist across the state and employ more than 3,000 locals. MA craft breweries drive traffic and tourism to the Commonwealth and pour world-class craft beer to thirsty locals and travelers. Massachusetts’ breweries are ranked among the best in the world, country and region, with accolades and awards being announced weekly.

For more information about the Mass Brewers Guild, or its upcoming events, visit MassBrewersGuild.org.