Small Mass breweries...any love?

Ah, western Mass, home of the small breweries:

Element. Coolest attitude of any brewery, but unfortunately their beers are a bit too costly for me to consider with any regularity. Their Extra Special Oak and their Dark Element are both very tasty though.

Lefty's brewery. Nice place, good people and pretty good beers. Can find many of their offering in bombers for under 5 dollars. Make a few good scotch and barrel aged beers as well.

Abandoned Building Brewery. Small, just opened. Only 4 beers as of yet (2 saisons, an apa and an ipa I believe). Growlers only, but not a terrible price (10 bucks).

Paper City. Not sure that they brew a lot of their own stuff anymore, but it is where several other contract brewers use for a brewery:
Backlash
High And Mighty
Brewmaster Jack
3beards brewing

 

Further in Western MA, I liked Westfield River's 413 IPA OK, but it's pretty sweet and some may not agree. I actually had a small pour of dark Element on draft once and it was just fine, but I can't afford to buy it in bottles. The Howler Brewery in Hatfield has various bottles in local stores, I tried one and it tasted like homebrew - I wish him luck but I don't need to buy it. Amherst Brewing is a solid, experienced and unexciting outfit - nothing wrong with their product but if you're at their place there's usually a better guest choice on draft.

 

Yeah, northampton brewery, opa-opa and amherst brewery all have pretty decent beers, but none can really compete with guest brews on tap.

I've tried one from Howler and thought the same as you: it tasted like it was made from a kit with no real thought put in to it.

I haven't tried any from westfield yet, but i'll soon give them a shot.

 

Big Elm was rough when I had it last year. IPA was English style malty and very bitter. Farmhouse was not memorable.

Do Can was good, Impy Destroyer was a classic big DIPA. Malty, hop bitterness, and boozey but definatley drinkable. Pineapple Express was a good medium body pale with fruity notes.

I have been wanting to try Old Colony in Whitman, Indie Ferm in Plymouth, and 3 Cross in Worcester when it opens

I know Backlash dates its DIPAs with a month and year on label near deposit info

 

I've never had a Backlash that was anything above mediocre. Their brass knuckles label is A+ douchebag material though so I am already looking to hate their beers. I had a taste of a High Horse IPA out of I think Amherst that was pretty good. Do they actually bottle or is that a draft only brewery?

 

I really want to like NPBT Brewing beers. I like the guys who run it and the head brewer there, Mike, is a great guy. But I don't really like the pale ale. Their IPA is solid, but there are so many IPA options around here that are accessible and better. The White is their best beer, but it's a style I'm not totally into and, if I do get a hankering for a white ale, Allagash is a world-class white.

If we're talking Newburyport, I guess I'm on Team Riverwalk. I just like their beer. IPA is better than the people across the street and I really like Gnomad, but their best beer is Uncle Bob's Bitter. Under-represented style.

 

Uncle Bobs Bitter is great. I think my favorites are Idle Hands (especially their Lagers), and Mystic.

 

every time I go to Treehouse I want to hit up Bently brewing. don't know if it's any good but they were invited to the last BA event in Boston and are about 20-30 mins down Rt. 20 east from TH.

 

I agree about Uncle Bob's. I have a hard time finding Riverwalk around Boston, but when I come across Uncle Bob's, I make sure to get--it's a great example of a style I love.

 

I have really been wanting to try some of People's Pint beers. Sometimes CBC belmont get's them in there but not often. I have been digging Enlightment Ales a lot lately too.

 

the imperial stout is underrated in my opinion. i like people's pint.

 

They have draft accounts at half a dozen or so places but other than that it's all at the brewery/taproom. It's a cozy little space. Worth a stop if you've got the time. The IPAs are all good in my opinion. The previously mentioned mild is a gem. Really nice example of a style that's hard to find but it's not currently pouring last I checked. The rye saison is interesting. Had a pint at the brewery and wished it had some more yeast/spice to it. A few days later at home I drank the bottle that was filled same time as the pint and it had a livelier character. Not necessarily further towards what I was expecting of a saison but more interesting nonetheless. Glassware & temperature may have played a part.

 

Is Jacks Abby not considered small? I like the Newburyport greenhead ipa. Notch has some good stuff as well. Pretty things double ipa is awesome. As well as Ipswich 101.

 

Cape Ann started their own canning line and will soon be distributing 3 different beers. I'm a big fan of their Dead Eye IPA and on a recent trip had a fantastic Scottish ale at the pub.

Cody Brewing went out of business about a year ago. Any bottles you see in stores now are very old.

 

High Horse beers are currently only available at our Tap House in downtown Amherst and very limited amounts at various draft accounts. Armsby Abbey, Dive Bar, Seymour, Dirty Truth, Moan and Dove, and some coming to Boston soon.

 

I had Buzzards Bay IPA last month and was very pleasantly surprised - I'd definitely check out more of their offerings if they were closer to me, but I'll look for them when I'm in their area.

 

Gotta plus 1 on Bog Iron in Norton. How many people are brewing an English Mild? Wish they'd put it on cask somewhere.

 

Wormtown, Trillium, Tree House.