Hyper-Local Brews

Photo: Anna Pinkert

Anna Pinkert, ever-adventuresome, of WBUR’s “Radio Boston” attended the American Craft Beer Festival last weekend at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. The beer was excellent. No surprise! But what did surprise Anna is that she might not drink those beers again on the East Coast. At least not til next year. Why? Some out-of-region craft brewers such as Todd Haug of Surly Brewing Co., MN, are adhering to a hyper-local philosophy — for what they see as the best of reasons.

At the American Craft Beer Fest regional Smackdown, you might expect a lot of smack talk. Instead, I found a group of brewers more likely to hug it out than throw it down.

The big winners of the evening were three breweries from the middle of the country: Colorado’s Odell Brewing, Minnesota’s Surly Brewing Co. and Jackie O’s brew pub out of Athens, Ohio. Even though these beers were popular on the exhibition floor, the brewers don’t want to sell their beer in Boston. These regional companies plan to grow slowly, and keep their beer close to home. Listen in, here’s why.

Todd Haug of Surly Brewing Co. (photo: Anna Pinkert)