Somewhat inexplicably, April 29 was a very significant day for beer lovers in New England:
- The Massachusetts Brewers Guild held their “Power Beer Fest” at the SoWa Power Station to kick off Massachusetts Beer Week
- Portland, ME-based Bissell Brothers held a tap takeover at Row 34
- The Newport Craft Beer Festival took place in Newport, Rhode Island
- The Maine Beer Company held a limited release for their “Dinner” double IPA, a beer so popular that you have to buy a ticket through Xorbia just for the privilege to stand in line to buy it
I, however, found myself in Worcester, Massachusetts, enjoying a beautiful 80 degree day and taking part in Craft Brew Races‘ first 5k event of the season. The concept of the Craft Beer Race is brilliant in its simplicity: a 5k race where the finish line immediately gives way to a beer festival. The race attracted its fair share of ‘serious’ runners, including several sub-20 minute finishers, but the majority of participants seemed more interested in the beer than the race. Several local businesses (including Worcester’s Wormtown Brewery, which was also pouring at the beer fest) sponsored teams, and there were groups of friends, families, and married couples decked out in custom gear as well.
Above – The “Brew Bros” Anthony and Daniel want you to beer them;
Below – Greg echos a surprisingly popular sentiment among the crowd
Two of the Massachusetts-based breweries pouring at the festival were tailor-made for this event: Mighty Squirrel, who offer additional protein in their beer, and Zelus, who use brewing salts to add and balance the electrolytes within the beer. While both breweries acknowledged that their target audience was a niche within a niche, they also told similar stories of their beer evolving out of a genuine intersection between two hobbies. Bill Frabizio, COO of Zelus, is a runner & martial artist that always enjoyed having a beer after his workouts – but while he saw an opportunity to improve that experience from a nutritional standpoint, he knew that he couldn’t rely on gimmicks to sell his beer. “It has to be good enough to stand on its own. You have to have good beer.” And indeed, their Apricot Pale Ale, reminiscent of Magic Hat’s #9, is certainly worth drinking on its own merits.
On the surface, it might be hard to imagine that there’s much overlap between beer enthusiasts and fitness enthusiasts. But one thing that craft beer and running do have in common is that you can enjoy them at any level of commitment, from leisure to fanaticism. Some of the participants I spoke to had never run an organized 5k before; others were former college athletes who still ran upwards of 25 miles each week as a hobby. But regardless, the lesson of the day was clear: good beer is good, but it’s even better when you’ve earned it.
