By now you know that I took last Friday off for some serious research in Boston. The final event of the day was a visit to the Mass Brewers Fest at the convention center in Fort Point. 

We certainly had a great crowd! Many people had a lot of fun, with no disruptions, nobody arrested, no barfing frat-boys... Just a lot of Bay-State Beerhounds discovering the latest and greatest in locaal brewing.

Have you tried anything from Jack's Abby Brewing? Rapscallion? High and Mighty? Cody's? Mayflower? They were all there. I have bought four of those five at my local packie in Plymouth, MA. Local beer is here!  

 A beerfest calls for proper attire. It's not really the black-tie kind of night, but some fashions are de rigueur, like the pretzel necklace. With all due respect to the fine gentlemen who agreed to pose as models of this latest trend in haberdashery, there were some equally fine specimens on young ladies with plunging necklines, but your humble pilgrim felt it inappropriate to approach them for purposes of thoracic photography.

So there are some 44 or more Craft Brewers in Massachusetts alone, and over 100 in New England. Wherever you live, there is a local alternative to Budweiser, Coors, and Miller. Remember when your alternative to Bud was Sam Adams? Well look around you! Past the offerings from CA, CO, DE (?!) and other states are some world-class offerings from Massachusetts and the rest of New England. There are legendary brewers from NH (Lawson's Finest Liquids, He Alchemist, Hill Farmstead) and ME (Oak Pond, Marshall Wharf) who don't get into your local beer supplier because they can't keep up with demand and won't compromise on quality. Search this site for those names; some are here, all will be one day - God willing!

So here we are. You have before you at least one regional brewer that not only provides a fresher product, but doesn't have to ship it from St. Louis or Milwaukee or Golden, CO by rail and truck. Beyond the regional brewers (the backbone of local beer production) who frequently, occasionally, or rarely dip their toes into the artisan beer pool, there are othe brewers who live there. You may find some excellent craft beers from California, Colorado, Michigan, and Delaware, but think for a minute: how is it that you heard about some genius husband-and-wife brew-team from ? That's their Marketing Department. 

You can do better than that. There is authentic, world-class craft beer being brewed tonight in New England. Do yourself a favor, do us all a favor and try your local brews. You'll be amazed at the difference freshness makes, but even moreso you'll be amazed at what happens when you become a patron of the brewer's art. Local pride is an essential nutrient for your soul. Without it you become a corporate zombie.