Massachusetts’ Best Breweries: Boston’s Brewery Battle Recap
We should clarify: Massachusetts’ Best Breweries…as chosen by YOU. Here’s a recap of Boston’s Brewery Battle 2023. First things first, we congratulate Berkley Beer Company, who won the whole damn…
(Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
We should clarify: Massachusetts' Best Breweries...as chosen by YOU. Here's a recap of Boston's Brewery Battle 2023.
First things first, we congratulate Berkley Beer Company, who won the whole damn thing. They beat Tree House Brewing Co. in the Finals, after besting Widowmaker Brewing in the Final Four. They also beat Night Shift, Lord Hobo, Democracy, and Skyroc in their award-winning run. Pay their Taunton taproom a visit and raise a pint to their big victory. You can visit them here, too.
We started in the month of June with a field of 64 local breweries and taprooms, spread across the far reaches of the Commonwealth. North Shore, South Shore, Metro Boston, Metro West, Central Mass., the Cape and Islands...chances are, you had a local brewery (or at least one you'd had a beer from) in the bracket. If you'd like a rundown of the whole field, you can get that here.
Just like with any bracket, however, a week goes by and the field is cut in half. And then, it's cut in half again. By the time we got to the Sweet 16 (or Sudsy 16, if you prefer), there was a nice mix of big-name local breweries and some smaller, up-and-coming taprooms that maybe weren't that well known outside of their city, town, or immediate region.
Massachusetts' Best Breweries: Boston's Brewery Battle Recap
Still, you voted and voted and voted some more, and at the end, Berkley Beer Company reigned supreme. Brackets like this are fun because you get to vote for your faves and cheer them on. And they're fun for me because I can see how many votes each brewery received. So I'm going to give you the Top 12 (because I'm Adam 12) vote-getters. Check them out below, and consider paying a visit to or picking up some beer from one you haven't tried yet.
1) Berkley Beer Company
"Waste Not. Want Another." Congrats again to your 2023 Champion!
2) Tree House Brewing Co.
Your 2023 runner-up. You know them, you love them, and you can now visit Tree House in five different locations.
3) Widowmaker Brewing
The third-highest total vote-getter in the 2023 contest. We've been to their taproom in Braintree, we love the vibe, and we love the beer.
4) Mighty Squirrel Brewing Company
Pretty much right down the street from the ROCK 92.9. studios in Waltham. We're going to have to pay them a visit soon.
5) Trillium Brewing
A perennial favorite. I was just last month at their beer garden on Boston Common enjoying a few pints with an old friend.
6) Night Shift Brewing
"The owls are not what they seem." Maybe they are, maybe they're not. But these owls made some pretty popular bevvys.
7) Cisco Brewers
The Grey Lady might not have made it all the way, but she certainly let her presence be known this year, all the way from Nantucket.
8) Devil's Purse Brewing Company
This "small craft brewery located on Cape Cod in South Dennis" made a big impact in this year's battle. You've not heard the last from them.
9) Medusa Brewing Company
Straight outta Hudson, baby. The downtown area is growing, and Medusa is acting as the anchor.
10) Shovel Town Brewery
Their first appearance in Boston's Brewery Battle was a memorable, as the Easton brewery cracked the Top 10.
11) Vitamin Sea Brewing
Nice to see the winner of the 2020 edition of Boston's Brewery Battle making such a strong showing 3 years later. We love Vitamin Sea and we "sea" you do, too.
12) Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Company
Craft beer, coffee, and a taproom patrons love, right there in downtown Marlborough, MA.
