The South Shore has become a haven for craft beer lovers, with many breweries and taprooms dotting the map from Plymouth to Hingham. Representatives from nine local breweries recently teamed up to form an organization called South Shore Beer and began brainstorming ways they could cross-promote their businesses. On New Year’s Eve, after almost a year of meetings, the group launched the South Shore Beer Trail, complete with a “passport” designed to challenge beer lovers to visit all of the locations. Participants can pick up a passport at any of the nine breweries and receive a stamp when they visit each one. Once their passport is filled with stamps, the individual receives a special South Shore Beer glass. 

“The whole point is to amplify the noise everyone is making to help drive [local beer],” says Jeff Nardone, vice president of sales and marketing at Plymouth’s Mayflower Brewing. “Beer tourism is a big industry now.” 

Each of the nine breweries has its own loyal followers, who often have a deep sense of pride in their favorite brews. By working collaboratively, South Shore Beer members aim to spread awareness for all of their brands and inspire the legions of beer drinkers from the South Shore (and further afield) to experience more of the region’s impressive beer scene.  “There’s certainly a lot of people who still don’t know we exist,” says Paul Nixon, owner of Independent Fermentations Brewing (IndieFerm) in Plymouth. “This is about letting people know that we’re here.” 
 

Photo: Derrick Zellmann