Hopedale local Dave Hughes, Owner and Brewmaster of Strong Side Brewing, will help 

kick-off Mass Beer Week as a part of a roundtable style beer tasting event, “Meet the Brewers: 

Freshman Class 2023,” set for Saturday, March 4, from noon to 3 p.m. at Lookout Farm in  Natick. 

The event brings together seven of the state’s newly launched breweries for an intimate tasting  event with unique access to brewers. The lineup includes: Break Rock Brewing Co., Dirigible

Brewing Co., Hopothecary Ales & Kitchen, Hot Plate Brewing Co. Strong Side Brewing Co., The  Girls Brewery and Twisted Fate Brewing Co.

Hughes is one of many brewers who have been inspired by the annual event. In 2018, he attended the “Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class” tasting, then as a wide-eyed homebrewer. 

While moving from table to table, meeting the featured brewers who were realizing their dreams, Hughes made a pact with himself to one day host a table of his own. Strong Side 

Brewing is now operating as a contract brewery, producing and packaging their beers at Start 

Line Brewing Company in Hopkinton. This is just the beginning as Hughes searches for a 

taproom location of his own.

Tickets are $50 and all proceeds will benefit the Mass Brewers Guild, the state’s trade 

association that exists to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the  Commonwealth. The fundraiser aims to foster learning and education of the brewing process  and inspire deeper connections between brewers and craft beer lovers.

“This is a full circle moment for some of the breweries that are being featured this year – many who attended this event as a craft beer fan, picking the brains of the brewer across the table to  learn what it takes to open their own operation. Now, they’ll be the ones dispensing advice,  sharing their start-up story and brewing history, ” says Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild. “This is the first-time that we’ve had this event live and in-person since  2020. It’s one of our most anticipated beer tasting events and we are so glad to bring it back.” 

How does the event work? 

Upon arrival, guests are broken up into groups of eight. Each group  will then have twelve minutes with each brewer to enjoy up to three samples, ask questions, and hear the story behind the beer before rotating to the next brewer. Attendees will also receive a souvenir MBG tasting glass, a gourmet soft pretzel from Eastern Standard Provisions  and additional refreshments throughout the afternoon. 

Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2023 will take place in the Lookout Farm Brewing Co. taproom located at 89 Pleasant Street South, Natick, Mass. For more  information about the Mass Brewers Guild, or the state’s breweries, visit massbrewersguild.org. 

To purchase tickets to Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class of 2023, visit  https://events.beerfests.com/e/meet-the-brewers-freshman-class-2023/tickets