MMHO: SBN Local Craft Brewfest

Posted on November 23, 2015

This past Friday, we attended the 6^th SBN Local Craft Brewfest. The SBN (Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts) has a focus on local and sustainable businesses, so this is a festival you can feel good about attending.  All the vendors are local to New England, and you can taste beers and ciders, as well as locally distilled spirits.  They also have local musicians and food trucks, so it’s a great night out.  We’ve attended this event in the past, and they made a few changes this time around.  They moved the location from the relative splendor of the Moakley Courthouse to the slightly less aesthetically pleasing Cruiseport Boston, tucked further into the Seaport.  However, it was easy to get to by the Silver Line, made even more so by an especially helpful driver (who knew?) who realized a majority of the people on the bus were headed to the festival, and dropped us off directly in front of the building.  The space itself wasn’t bad, just not as nice a view as the courthouse has.  The set up was still nicely laid out, not too crowded and plenty of room. We splurged and went for the VIP tickets, which allowed for early access, vouchers for the food trucks, and a gift bag on the way out, which was filled with tchotchkes from various vendors, including Sam Adams pint glasses, bottle openers, and a ton of Kind Bars.   The event itself was amazing.  It was busy but not so crowded you had to wait in huge lines, and it was possible to actually chat with the vendors and learn about their products.  A word of warning, there are a lot of distilleries with liquor tastings, so we recommend eating something before you get there—you get small tastings, but they can add up!  Due to the relaxed nature, and getting to spend time with the vendors, we got a lot of ideas for some Thanksgiving and holiday cocktails.  For instance, we chatted with Lonnie from GrandTen Distillery about making a Cranberry Manhattan, which uses their Craneberry liquor as a float on the classic drink.  There were also samples of local food, and a few food trucks with food for purchase.  Overall, we would recommend checking out SBN’s next Local Craft Brewfest, and check out their website for their other upcoming events

Regular tickets now sold out for 12 Bars of X-Mas. We’re down to our Last Call batch. 12 Bars of X-Mas. Ticket includes $3 or less drink at each bar, Beverage Mitt, Winter Pom Hat, Santa Socks, Koozie, Drawstring Backpack, Candy Cane, Temporary Tattoos, Photo Booth and No Covers at Scheduled Bars.