14 New England Breweries to Follow on Instagram If You Love Cats and Dogs
Because social media definitely needs more local beer, cider, and friendly animals.
Clockwise from top left: @buzzardsbaybrewing, @nightshiftbeer, @hookerbeerevan, @lamplighterbrew
Love visiting New England breweries, and meeting friendly animals? You are not alone. From Westport to Easthampton, many local beverage producers have resident cats and dogs, and these critters often pop up on their brand’s Instagram accounts. Some have even created social media profiles devoted to their furry friends.
Whether for the practical skill of keeping the brewhouse free of pests, or for the incomparable companionship they provide, there are lots of reasons why. But one of the best reasons is the joy these animals bring to visitors. Just take it from the New York Times: In a recent article about waiting in line for beer, the accompanying slideshow features a photo of fans passing the time by petting Other Half Brewing’s Gangsta Cat.
Below, we rounded up a dozen New England breweries and cider houses that occasionally (or often) feature their own fluffy employees on Instagram—and even a few that have their own accounts. Meet any other good pups or kitties while you’re beverage touring around the region? Let us know on Instagram with the hashtag #bosfeed. For more four-legged fun, follow Instagram accounts like @CatsonTap, @DogsonTap, and @DistilleryCats for reposts from such animal-loving entrepreneurs around the country.
The fluffy friend of Lamplighter Brewing Co. is also very active on his own Instagram account, @Barley_the_Samoyed.
Trying to be a lap dog. Not working.
A post shared by Barley Smalls (@barley_the_samoyed) on
Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-945-0450, lamplighterbrewing.com.
Blumpy doesn’t have her own Instagram account, but she does have her own hashtag—#wheresblumpyat—which is used by a few Thomas Hooker Brewing (@hookerbeer) humans. (Update, July 21, 2017, 10:30 a.m.: We are sad to report that Blumpy died this week. She will be missed.)
A post shared by Hookerbeerevan (@hookerbeerevan) on
Thomas Hooker Brewery, 16 Tobey Rd., Bloomfield, Conn., 860-242-3111, thomashookerbeer.com
Buddy Sprinkles—aka Buddy Sprinx—joins the pigs, chickens, and fellow animals at Kent Falls’s farm brewery.
Kent Falls Brewing, 33 Camps Rd., Kent, Connecticut, 860-398-9645, kentfallsbrewing.com.
Dizzy, mouser-in-chief at Oxbow Brewing’s farmstead in Newcastle, Maine, is a bit elusive on Instagram. Follow @oxbowbeer and @oxbownewcastle in hopes of an occasional glimpse—and the farmhouse brewery has chickens and pigs, too.
#brewerycat Dizzy having a brew with visitors at @oxbowbeer. #beercat pic.twitter.com/UAHAa5eXb3
— Beer Cats (@CatsOnTap) September 4, 2016
The chickens were hungry this morning. #oxbowbeer #farmhousebrewery #chicken
A post shared by Oxbow Brewery & Tasting Room (@oxbownewcastle) on
Oxbow Brewery, 274 Jones Woods Rd., Newcastle, Maine, 207-315-5962, Oxbow Blending & Bottling, 49 Washington Ave., Portland, Maine, 207-350-0025, oxbowbeer.com.
Australian shepherds Growler and Tap belong to Night Shift Brewing co-owner and Massachusetts Brewers Guild President Rob Burns. @Growler_Pup often features her sister on her own Instagram page, too.
A post shared by Night Shift Brewing (@nightshiftbeer) on
A post shared by Growler Burns (@growler_pup) on
Meet the neighborhood watch. Don’t mess with this patrol! #aussies
A post shared by Growler Burns (@growler_pup) on
Night Shift Brewing, 87 Santilli Hwy., Everett, Mass., 617-294-4233, nightshiftbrewing.com.
Havoc at Buzzards Bay Brewing, aka @buzzardsbaycat, sometimes features his friend, Meow Zedong, who roams up the road at Westport Rivers Winery.
A post shared by Buzzards Bay Brewing (@buzzardsbaybrewing) on
Rubs by the fire @buzzardsbaybrewing
A post shared by Havoc the Brewery Cat (@buzzardsbaycat) on
A post shared by Havoc the Brewery Cat (@buzzardsbaycat) on
Buzzards Bay Brewing, 98 Horseneck Rd., Westport, Mass., 508-636-2288, buzzardsbrew.com.
Hermann has popped up a few times on Downeast Cider’s Instagram since he joined the team.
256 Marginal St., Building 32, East Boston, Mass., 857-301-8881, downeastcider.com.
Kelsa just recently showed up on the Bissell Brothers’ Instagram account, looking epic in silhouette.
Our brewdog Kelsa, and her favorite morning routine. #bissellbrothers
A post shared by Bissell Brothers (@bissellbrothers) on
Bissell Brothers, 4 Thompsons Point #108, Portland, Maine, 207-808-8258, bissellbrothers.com.
Mitzy helps when 603 Brewery has to tell fans it’s closing early because of the New Hampshire winter weather.
It’s another Snow day… we will be closing at 3pm today. Please be safe out there!
A post shared by 603 Brewery (@603brewery) on
A post shared by 603 Brewery (@603brewery) on
603 Brewery, 12 Liberty Dr. #7, Londonderry, NH, 603-630-7745, 603brewery.com.
Here’s hoping Odel is on taproom duty when you visit Fort Hill Brewery on your next Easthampton beer crawl.
A post shared by Fort Hill Brewery (@forthillbrewery) on
Fort Hill Brewery, 30 Fort Hill Rd., Easthampton, Mass., 413-203-5754, forthillbrewery.com.
Otto the Weimaraner doesn’t have his own Instagram profile, and the good dog typically stays out of the way if he’s at the cider house during taproom hours. But give Bantam Cider a follow because when Otto does grace their profile, you don’t want to miss it.
A post shared by Bantam Cider (@bantamcider) on
Bantam Cider Company, 40 Merriam St., Somerville, Mass., 617-299-8600, bantamcider.com.
Rhode Island’s first farm brewery, Tilted Barn, has a whole crew of fluffy friends. Meet Roast Beef the cat, and pups Summit and Tupelo.
Tilted Barn Brewery, 1 Hemsley Place, Exeter, R.I., tiltedbarnbrewery.com.
Stout is an ideal name for the English bulldog on the Backlash Beer team. When the makers of Ricochet IPA finally get their own home in Roxbury later this year, we hope we see more of him.
Backlash Brewery & Taproom, coming soon to 152 Hampden St., Roxbury, Mass., backlashbeer.com.
Winston is one of a couple resident dogs at Down the Road brewery in Everett. And every Wednesday, bring your own four-legged friend to the new spot.
Down the Road Beer Co., 199 Ashland St., Everett, 617-454-4255, downtheroadbrewery.com.
UPDATES This post was updated August 8, 2017, to include animals at Tilted Barn and Kent Falls breweries. We are sad to report that Thomas Hooker Brewing’s cat Blumpy died this summer. She will be missed. On Nov. 27, 2017, this post was updated to include Down the Road Beer Co.’s Sir Winston.
