OK, full disclosure (in case you haven’t read our story): The Two Palaverers was the name of a tavern in colonial Boston. Though The Two Palaverers is no longer with us, more than a few colonial taverns still dot the New England landscape. Many of the remaining ones are tastefully preserved, but their taps have run dry.
Fortunately, the contemporary New England brew scene is far from running dry. Recently, we had a chance to visit the American Craft Beer Fest at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Our intent was to taste every New England brew we could find. Though we’ve been hunting down craft beers for years, we had the pleasure of being chaperoned by our brother-in-law from Vermont, one of the most passionate craft beer guys we know. We used to think he came down to visit us because he enjoyed Massachusetts, but soon realized it was all a front as he was really just looking for an excuse to get to Andover Liquors, one of the better craft beer retailers in New England.
Here’s the summary: all six New England states are brewing – and brewing well. There is, fortunately, no uniform style. We found IPAs, porters, stouts, lagers, wheat beers, summer ales, etc. If you like your hops beyond the level of an IPA, you’ll have choices there, too. New England beer is like New England herself: historic, diverse, and never boring.
We’d also like to call-out and thank fellow New Englanders Jason and Todd Alström, founders of BeerAdvocate. These brothers, in our opinion, are doing great things not just for New England brewing but for beer in general. In addition to running an informative web site, BeerAdvocate hosted the American Craft Brew Fest. They also wrote one of the best pieces on New England beer that we’ve read. Thanks guys.
-The Two Palaverers
Here is a sampling of New England brewers at the Craft American Brew Fest:
Connecticut
New England Brewing Company (Woodbridge)
Olde Burnside Brewing Company (East Hartford)
Thomas Hooker Brewing Company (Bloomfield)
Maine
Allagash Brewing Company (Portland)
Geary Brewing Company (Portland)
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company (Portland)
Kennebec River Brewery (The Forks)
Peak Organic Brewing Company (Portland)
Sebago Brewing Company (Gorham)
Shipyard Brewing Company (Portland)
Massachusetts
Berkshire Brewing Company (South Deerfield)
Blue Hills Brewery (Canton)
Boston Beer Company (Boston)
Cambridge Brewing Company (Cambridge)
Cape Ann Brewing Company (Gloucester)
Cape Cod Beer (Hyannis)
Cisco Brewers (Nantucket)
Clown Shoes Beer (Ipswich)
Cody Brewing Company (Amesbury)
Element Brewing Company (Millers Falls)
Gardner Ale House (Gardner)
Harpoon Brewery (Boston)
Haverhill Brewery (Haverhill)
High & Mighty Beer Company (Holyoke)
John Harvard’s Brew House (Cambridge & Framingham)
Just Beer Brewing Company (Westport)
Mayflower Brewing Company (Plymouth)
New Century Brewing Company (Boston)
Offshore Ale Company (Oak Bluffs)
Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery (Southampton)
Paper City Brewing Company (Holyoke)
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (Cambridge)
Rapscallion Brewery (Bedford)
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (Boston)
Wachusett Brewing Company (Westminster)
Wormtown Brewing Company (Worcester)
New Hampshire
Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille (New London)
Martha’s Exchange (Nashua)
Redhook Ale Brewery (Portsmouth)
Smuttynose Brewing Company (Portsmouth)
Tuckerman Brewing Company (Conway)
White Birch Brewing (Hooksett)
Woostock Inn Brewery (North Woodstock)
Rhode Island
Coastal Extreme Brewing Company (Newport)
Narragansett Brewing Company (Providence)
Trinity Beer Company (Providence)
Vermont
Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro Bend)
Long Trail Brewing Company (Bridgewater Corners)
Magic Hat Brewing Company (South Burlington)
McNeill’s Brewery (Brattleboro)
Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver’s (Middlebury)
Please note that some local brewers were not there, but many other excellent non-New England brewers were.
Photos credit: The Two Palaverers
