American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.

Whether you are a dyed-in-the-wool-sweater-wearing fan, or you just saw a few highlights on Sports Night, you have got to admit that the NHL Conference Semifinals were pretty exciting. Five of the original six teams, long-time rivals, and the last five teams to hoist the Stanley Cup all met on the ice to advance to the Conference Finals. Some did it smoothly (see: Pittsburgh and Boston), and some went the distance, scoring exciting goals when they had to (see: Chicago and Los Angeles). And now the Conference Finals are set.

One of my favorite parts about covering the Boston beer scene has been witnessing breweries in all walks of life. You've got your grandfatherly types like Harpoon and Sam Adams that have been around since craft became, well, a craft. And you've got your youngsters like Trillium and Newburyport Brewing Co, who are still learning to crawl. It's fascinating to watch a brewery grow up, and Waltham-based Portico Brewing Co. is well on its way to walking.

Who knew that "micro" wasn't even as small as a brewery could get? Apparently everyone, as "nanobreweries" have taken the craft beer scene by storm over the past couple of years.

It's a pretty typical story, really - 9-to-5 HR consultant decides to pursue his passion for beer, pairs with a work pal and voila, they have a brewery in the 'burbs. Except the consultant keeps his day job, putting the plans together takes two years, and both men are dead-set on keeping the brewery in Southie (South Boston, if you're being formal) even though most of the neighborhood is zoned for condos and the space they've found requires tank modifications that will impact the fermentation process.

So many beers, So little time...With so many craft breweries, releasing so many beers, we thought it might help to provide a weekly update on all the new beers  that are hitting the streets .....So welcome to this week's edition of Newbies - your guide to great new craft beer releases!  

What a difference two months make. When I wrote my first article, Girl Meets Beer, for American Craft Beer.com, I was only peripherally aware of the Boston craft beer community. Sam Adams and Harpoon are nationally recognized names, but there are so many similarly talented brewers doing amazing, creative, back-breaking work with a tiny staff and even tinier space. Small batch brewers aren't in it for the money; it's a pure love of the job, and it shows.

Since opening two years ago, Somerville Brewing Company--its beers are marketed under the brand name "Slumbrew"--has become one of the most popular craft breweries in Massachusetts. So when I got the chance to interview Caitlin Jewell, Somerville's co-founder and marketing manager, I didn't hesitate. It's a family-owned small business--her husband, Jeff Leiter, is also a co-founder and brewer, and her brother, Chris Jewell, is their road warrior sales manager and distributor liaison. Among other things, I learned they are faring far better than their brand name connotes.

Night Shift Brewing is one of Boston's newest and most respected breweries. It's located just outside of Boston in Everett and was founded by Rob Burn, Mike O'Mara, and Michael Oxton. In the year that's passed since Night Shift has opened, their popularity has grown tremendously. Clearly they are doing some really interesting things in the Boston area, so I was excited to be invited up to tour the brewery and to hang out with Michael Oxton.

There are a lot of sneaky industries in this world. I drive a Pontiac Vibe and I love it, but really, it's just a Toyota Matrix. A friend of mine once said he'd never buy a Ford, then went and bought a Mazda, and literally just about everything is owned by Disney. So in this world of tactics and trickery, it's nice to know that at the end of the day, I can go home, crack open a beer, and know exactly what I'm getting. Except that that's not always the case.