National Beer Day: Here's where to celebrate in the New Bedford area

Beer lovers, unite. National Beer Day is Friday, April 7, and Greater New Bedford has some fun places you can celebrate, and kick off the weekend with a cold one.

National Beer Day marks the end of Prohibition in the United States thanks to the Cullen-Harrison Act, which was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Today, it's become a celebration of the beers brewed in the U.S.

According to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, there are more than 200 operating breweries across the Commonwealth. Mass. Brew Bros. notes there are more than 150 breweries to visit in the Bay State.

There are three such breweries in the Greater New Bedford area ready to help you celebrate National Beer Day:

Beer, food trucks, and free concerts

In the backroads of Westport, not far from Horseneck Beach at 98 Horseneck Road, you can head to the picturesque Buzzards Bay Brewing, a family-run staple in the area for 25 years.

Mark National Beer Day with Buzzards Bay's two newly released brews — Horseneck Haze, a New England grown and New England-styled IPA, and Dumpling Rock Bock, a lager beer that took four months to make.

According to their website, Dumpling Rock Bock is a richly layered homage to local malt, smooth and with a clean, graham cracker crust, toffee notes, and a slightly sweet finish; Horseneck is brewed with local malts and hops, with aromas of pithy white grapefruit, white flowers, and citrus, finished with light toffee, hints of caramel and fresh baked bread.

Buzzards Bay currently has four beers on tap at their taproom, and another five available in cans. Two are available year-round — the Golden Flounder and Buzzards Bay IPA — and everything else rotates by season.

Don't miss out on the sensational summer schedule at Buzzard Bay, they offer free concerts and food truck events.

Brews, beachy vibes, and live music

Known for live music and a good time Cisco Brewers New Bedford is a one-stop entertainment complex. Basking in the sun and sand at 1482 East Rodney French Blvd., there is no shortage of bars, seven to be exact, a restaurant with daily specials, and of course daily music in the summer months starting Friday, April 28.

With five year-long brews and three seasonal to choose from, you won't have trouble finding one to suit your beer palette. The brewery has Wondering Haze, Grey Lady, Whale's Tale, Shark Tracker, and Gripah all the time and each season you can sip a specialty like Summer Rays, Pumple Drumkin, or Cold Wave.

Shark Tracker is more than just a hardworking lager that is light and crisp, proceeds from this beer directly support OCEANRCH for white shark research. If you want a little fruit with your beer try the Gripah, a grapefruit IPA where according to their website is citrus meeting tropical hops for a sweet yet tart slice of island life.

Cisco Brewery should be on your list this summer with its summer beer garden, games, entertainment, dining, and more.

Lagers, ales, and fresh seafood

In the heart of downtown New Bedford Moby Dick Brewing Co., not only brews ales and lagers on-site but they are serving them up with fresh seafood and classic New England dishes.

In a restored 1927 building at 16 S. Water St., you can soak up the history of New Bedford and enjoy the breeze from the ocean while sipping one of their brews on tap.

The brews listed on tap right now are Simple Sailor, Ishm-Ale, The Pulpit, Quick Eternity, and Glorious Goney. Two new brews were introduced last week — Crow’s Nest and The Doubloon. Get ready to jump into spring with Crow's Nest, a crisp blonde ale with strawberry juice; or try The Doubloon, a Munich Dark lager that has aromas of toasted bread or pumpernickel which is dominated by the rich and complex flavor of Munich malt.

Take a walk around the cobblestone streets to embrace Whaling City history, then stop at Moby Dick Brewing for dinner and a brew.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Celebrate National Beer Day at one of these New Bedford Breweries