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39 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com brown ale and 'Epiphany,' a Maine IPA." Foundation Brewing has honed its efforts locally to the thirsty drinkers of Maine, focusing initially on saison-style ales and moving into lagers, double IPA's, porters and imperial stouts. Mayflower Brewing brings the tradition of brewing beer back to America's roots, settling in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2007. The owner, Drew Brosseau, can trace his family history to John Alden, who was a cooper on the Mayflower ship. Local competition can be loyal, but fierce, as more brewers enter the industry with over 100 operating breweries located here in Massachusetts. The number is changing seemingly by the hour, with openings and the fating closing of doors due to a variety of factors. Mayflower has risen above the noise, brewing traditional ales and exploring the extreme realms of American craft beer. This current craft beer atmosphere demands new products as frequently as a child cries for milk, as the ever-changing brewer's recipes keep the thirsty customers ready at the tap. Selling products throughout New England, fresh Mayflower beer is available in far more towns than New England's first. Brewing small batch, tough-to-find beer is becoming so popular that festival organizers are catching on and creating separate events to cater to the growing local segment. In June of 2016, the popular beer rating website Beer Advocate has dedicated a two-day festival to brewers creating 15,000 barrels of beer. To compare, Founders Brewing in Michigan brews over 300,000 barrels per year. This event, deemed the "Microbrew Invitational," will be held at the Seaport Trade Center and host brewers such as Barreled Souls, Cambridge Brewing Company, Foundation Brewing and Other Half Brewing. Meyers exclaims, "I think it'll be an awesome fest and I appreciate the Alstrom Brothers producing an event which focuses on smaller, more artisanal producers." Designing an event for the biggest growth segment in the county, support from a very large beer rating website casts a bright light on small brewers doing their greatest to stand out and have a voice. As we continue to see small brewers become large brewers overnight through corporate acquisition, we must ask ourselves, "Will my favorite local brewer (hyper, nano or otherwise) be snatched up and changed forever?" While there is always a chance, these large acquisitions involve brewers that are easy to expand beyond their hyper local or local footprint due to their market strength and product diversity. As the craft beer industry changes, we need to ask ourselves where our loyalties lie and who truly owns our next six-pack of finely crafted ale. Supporting local brewers couldn't be more easy and fun than it is right now, as drinking a fresh India pale ale from a brewer five miles down the street says something about the trend of the industry, and it also says something about you. Searching for the next big beer could take you all day, but why not seek out a local brewery and try their new take on a classic style. Let them wow you, because you deserve it. Life is hard. Beer is easy. Cheers! is referred to as hyper-local. Small, nimble and fresh, they may own and operate their own facility or contract-brew their product via a larger brewery. Cambridge Brewing Co. works as a brewpub, creating small batches of beer per batch and selling food in their location in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Hyper-local and local brewers' tighter capacity makes for long lines for limited product that's as fresh as it gets. These small brewers attract a very local crowd because their products are the freshest and the fastest to sell out. Beer, food and clothing made locally can stretch beyond a town, city or state. Keeping the business honest and simple are key components to the localized movement. A newcomer to the Massachusetts beer scene, 14th Star Brewing, hailing from St. Albans, Vermont brews big 16oz. cans featuring flavorful ales. Their mainstay, "Maple Breakfast Stout," sources local maple from Vermont maple farmers, coffee beans and local honey. The company proudly states that "While new to the brewing industry, 14th Star understands that it is a small part of a proud craft brewing community in Vermont and of the Vermont artisan community as a whole. We strive to uphold the craftsmanship, attention to detail, balanced flavor and hometown responsibility that are the hallmarks of the Vermont craft scene." Brewing with local ingredients is not always the most economical choice for companies, but supporting others is most important, especially in Vermont. Foundation Brewing Company is located less than 10 minutes off of Route 95 in Portland, Maine on Industrial Way. Often referred to as "brewers way," this well-traveled industrial park houses Allagash Brewing, Austin Street Brewing and Bissell Brothers to name a few, with D.L. Geary Brewing just a few minutes away to round out a mini beer-cation in the outskirts of Portland. When asked about sourcing local ingredients to brew its beers, Foundation's Christie Mahaffey replies, "Whenever possible…we use Maine-grown oats, wheat and barley as a part of the specialty ingredients in 'Eddy' saison, 'Burnside'