Sponsored by Discover Central MA

Beer is the world’s most popular alcoholic drink, and whether you’re a devotee of German-style Lager or a connoisseur of the subtle differences in pale ales, you won’t go thirsty in Central Massachusetts. The craft beer scene is hopping, and these craft brewers’ emphasis on flavor and brewing technique draws aficionados to their taprooms to sample old favorites and seasonal beers.

The Central Massachusetts Craft Beer Trail links the breweries, each creating different beers and offering different taproom experiences. Most serve some type of food, many have live music on weekends; all are informal gathering places and some are family-friendly. The atmosphere is congenial, everyone drawn together by their shared appreciation for craft beers.

Wormtown Brewery

Several of the breweries on the Central Massachusetts Craft Beer Trail are in the city of Worcester. The oldest is Wormtown Brewery, which put Worcester on the craft beer map by becoming Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Beer Championships. Using as many local ingredients as possible is fundamental to their brewing—witness their slogan, “A Piece of Mass in Every Glass.” Wormtown is best known for its aromatic and hops-laden IPA, Be Hoppy, brewed year-round. Seasonal favorites include Irish Red, Fresh Patch Pumpkin Ale and Citrus & Sunshine. Sample these and others in the large taproom overlooking the brewing area, and for something to eat with your beer, get take-out next door at Volturno Pizza.

With the opening of a new taproom and café in January 2019, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. now has a large, bright space for sampling its brews. Favorites are the crisp blonde Elfe ale, the dry Irish Blackstone Stout, Hardcastle’s Irish Red, and Big Brains—a double-dry-hopped Belgian-farmhouse-style saison brewed with locally grown grain. There are frequent events with music and pop-ups serving beer-friendly foods. The space is designed for socializing, with TV, games, and a café serving hot and nitro cold-brew coffees from local roasters. In the summer the action moves to the adjoining outdoor space.

Flying Dreams Brewery

By contrast, Flying Dreams Brewing Co. has only a very small public space, mostly standing room, where you can sample their beers while waiting for growler fills or picking up a bottle or two to take home. But you’re welcome to tour the brewery, known for its originality and the unique twists it gives to traditional brews. One difference in these robust and full-flavored beers is the time spent brewing them, about one-fourth longer than most. The flagship is Pond Jumper, and also available year-round are Double Mando DIPA and ConSession IPA. Seasonally you’ll find Park Ave Porter, a hefty Eccentrica DIPA double, the lighter Hop Tart #3, and a Berliner Weisse, plus several others in limited batches.

Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company was America’s first brewing company to handcraft entirely Imperial beers, those that range from 8% to 12% alcohol by volume. They produce more than a dozen of these ales and lagers that include a 12% New England IPA named for Mt Greylock, an 11% Chocolate Milk Porter with a creamy mouthfeel, and a smooth 10% Russian Imperial Stout. In 2018 Greater Good launched a lower ABV lineup, Soul Purpose, ranging from 3.5% to 6%. The first of these was the 4.3% CrushGroove. Along with the uber-family-friendly taproom complete with toys, highchairs and root beer floats for kids, the restaurant TOAST: Test Kitchen serves grilled cheeses, premium hot dogs and weekly specials.

Altruist Brewing Company, in Sturbridge, found a home for its taproom in a 150-year-old mill after their home brewing outgrew the owners’ garage. Now an airy beer garden overlooks the river, but the historic features of the old building remain. Listen to live music on Friday and Saturday, as you sample IPAs and Double IPAs, Exit 9 Pale Ale, Fiske Brown Ale, Venus Blonde Ale, Incognito India Black Ale, Norma Jeane Blonde Ale, or Pumpkin π, Altruist’s pumpkin ale.

Also in Sturbridge, Rapscallion Brewery occupies the former cider barn in a 150-acre orchard. Food trucks provision visitors Friday through Sunday or you can bring your own picnic and stay to listen to live music or play disc golf. Kids and pets are welcome, and there’s plenty of room to romp. The flagship Honey is an extra-pale session ale brewed with local wildflower honey; others regularly available are the Belgian-style Blonde ale, a crisp American lager, a classic Irish-style red ale, and several IPAs. In the fall and winter, sample their signature Noble Birch, brewed with honey, malt, and locally foraged birch twigs and sap.

Purgatory Beer Company

Bring your own snacks or visit when local food trucks are at Purgatory Beer Company, in Whitinsville. Housed in a beautifully restored Blackstone Valley mill, Purgatory is a family-friendly, dog-friendly taproom with frequent live music, a big screen for sports, and a diverse selection of beers. Basement Coconut Porter is one of three American porters, and there’s English-style Double Dutch Autumnal Brown Ale, Super Goose DIPA (American Imperial IPA), Murgatroyd Pilz Pale Ale (American pale ale) and several American IPAs.

At Tree House Brewing Company, in Charlton, you can buy cans Tuesday through Friday, and sample pours on Saturday, when there are food trucks and free live entertainment. Tree House brewers are known for their originality, and for blending new ingredients. Among the brews you can often find on tap are IPAs, Blonde Ale, milk stout or Trailbreaker, an unfiltered German-style lager. Good Morning is an 8.4% Imperial coffee stout brewed with local dark late-season maple syrup.

Tree House Brewing Company

Head North to Gardner, MA, to taste the fourteen Moon Hill Brewing Co. beers available at the Gardner Ale House. Enjoy a full menu in the upscale dining room or swing by on Sunday for their Live Jazz Brunch Buffet. The wide range of beers on tap include a hoppy New England IPA, I Love Juicy; a Belgian Triple aged in Sauvignon Blanc Barrels, Scrumtrulescent, and the sweet, chocolatey Snack Pack Stout. Looking for a more rural setting? A fifteen-minute drive to their Brew Barn at the Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, MA, offers family fun and a special Apple Beer collaboration, Rick & Al’s Apple Ale, from June through October.

One of the early players in the craft brew scene, Wachusett Brewing Company, in Westminster, began in 1994 and has grown to be one of the northeast’s largest breweries. The brew yard, open from noon daily, includes a bar in an Airstream trailer. Among the two dozen draft beers are Black Shack Porter, Belgian White Mamba Witbier, Beaver Moon Blonde Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, pale ales and a couple of milk stouts. Tours of the brewery are offered on Saturday, and there’s a shuttle to bring visitors from the MBTA’s Wachusett Station.

If touring these breweries and sampling their work inspires you to create your own beers, Deja Brew in Shrewsbury can get you started. With recipes, expert know-how, ingredients and brewing kettles all provided, anyone of legal age can learn brewing and take home their own craft beer. Who knows—the next craft brewery in Central Massachusetts may be yours!