Best of Boston

Much to the delight of local hopheads, this shop—opened in Belmont four years ago by Cambridge Common alums Suzanne Schalow and Kate Baker—is now spreading its sudsy gospel to new locations in Newton, Winchester, Braintree, and Westford. In addition to offering tastings and classes, staffers take their inventory of ales and lagers quite seriously, regularly updating the varieties available at each store online (the newly opened Newton Centre outpost alone carries more than 1,000 beers) and cataloging them by brewery, provenance, and style.