A New England Craft Beer Pub Crawl

I recently moved to Boston after living in Colorado for the better part of a decade, and I have to admit: I was a little nervous. Not about the insane drivers or the brutal winters, but about finding good craft beer. Colorado, after all, has become the “Napa Valley of Beer,” loaded with some of the best craft beer in the country, if not the world. What would await me at the pubs in New England?

Let me tell you: Damn, have I been pleasantly surprised. I’ve been bouncing around from breweries to bars with great beer lists and back again, drinking IPAs, porters, and seasonal beers that I’d put up against any Colorado brew — or, for that matter, any international one. In just a short while, I’ve become a huge fan of New Hampshire’s Smuttynose, Canton’s Blue Hillsand the gypsy brewers at Somerville’s Pretty Things. I’ve found my way to Cambridge Brewing across the river, Cape Ann Brewing in Gloucester, and even up to Novare Res Bier Cafe in Portland. All delightful places to enjoy a pint.

My question for you, dear reader, is where should I go next? What beers and breweries do I need to try? What bars and restaurants have the best craft beer lists? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter (@patrickcdoyle) — and I’ll do my best to sample my way through New England.

Updated: Blue Hills is in Canton, Massachusetts, not Maine. My apologies. Cheers to Adam for commenting and setting me straight.