Cheers!

Sometimes you've got to go where everybody knows your name. But for a more unique experience, a Bay State microbrewery is the place to wet your whistle.

By Brion O'Connor

OK, so you've grown up since those wild college days. The all-night pub crawl is a thing of the past. You have a more educated, discriminating approach to life. But let's face it, you still have that occasional hankering for a good handcrafted beer. If you're planning a getaway to Massachusetts , you're in luck. The Bay state — including Cape Cod and the Islands — is home to more than 40 microbreweries, each producing uniquely satisfying suds for a wide range of customers, centuries after the first Massachusetts brewery was established in 1637.

Back then, political meetings were held in taverns, whose owners later became leaders and the forefathers to the state's longstanding tradition in the art of brewing, as well as the good-natured and welcoming environment that brewpubs engender. Patriot Samuel Adams began his failed foray into the business when he inherited a malt house from his father in 1748; now the Boston Beer Company uses Adams ' likeness to sell some of the richest and most distinctive beer you'll taste.

Here are six microbreweries worth visiting, plus a few places of local interest to help satisfy both your palate and your inquiring mind.

Offshore Ale Company - Oak Bluffs

After you've had your fill of high-energy shopping along Circuit Avenue , the Vineyard's eclectic retail center, strolling along nearby windswept beaches or exploring the evocative Chappaquiddick Graveyard, take a few moments to unwind at the Offshore Ale Company . Owner Bob Skydell was so enamored with the picturesque hamlet of Oak Bluffs, on the northeastern shore of Martha's Vineyard , that, once he decided to build his brewery and restaurant, he made sure it fit the historic landscape. Offshore opened its doors in 1997, in a new building constructed from second- and thirdhand timber, to give it an antique look and feel. “When people learn that we've only been open for seven years, their first question is, ‘What was here before?'” says Skydell with obvious satisfaction.

Skydell is also keenly aware of the legend that the island's first settlers brought hops to brew beer (“Hops are not native to North America,” he says), and the first malted barley produced in the New World was harvested in 1602 by English settlers on Martha's Vineyard . The brewery's Amber Ale celebrates the 400th anniversary of New World beer making. But you may opt for the award-winning Nutbrown Ale, Irish-style Dry Stout, light-bodied O.B. Blonde, Stonewall IPA or Hefeweizen.

“ We lean heavily toward tradition in our beer styles, but we're trying to explore the different realms of beer — German lagers, English ales or the American IPA,” says Skydell, adding that many of the brewery's cutting-edge ideas come from head brewer and brand manager Matthew Steinberg, who came on board more than a year ago . Several newer brews, such as the Imperial Inkwell Stout and a hearty Scottish ale, are aged in oak barrels. The brewery's blackboard menu changes constantly, with offerings such as a Caraway Rye, a Blueberry Ale, an Octoberfest and a slightly sour Belgian beer flavored with fresh cherries.

Hyport Brewing Company/Cape Cod Beer - Hyannis

A 90-minute ferry ride from Oak Bluffs will bring you to Hyannis, home to the Kennedy clan and several “Camelot” institutions, including the John F. Kennedy Memorial and Museum, as well as the Cape Cod Potato Chips factory and the Toad Hall Classic Sports Car Museum. A few blocks down from the Kennedy Museum on Main Street , you'll find Hyport Brewing Company and Cape Cod Beer . CCB Brewer Todd Marcus boasts that his liquid concoctions offer “a vacation in every pint,” though he admits that his real clientele are local folks who call the Cape their home. “I'm trying to make a beer brewed by a Cape Codder for Cape Codders ,” says Marcus. “We're providing high-quality craft brews consistently, and they haven't been subdued to be marketed to the masses.”

For years, Hyport was synonymous with Marcus, who has established his own brand, Cape Cod Beer. The two most popular brews, Channel Marker Red and Sharkstooth IPA, are served at more than 20 year-round restaurants and bars on the Cape . At the Hyport brewery, however, guests have a wider selection of offerings and can sample a Hyport Light, a Cranberry Ale and a Cape Cod Amber, in addition to the Red and the IPA. They're all worthwhile, assures Marcus. “I wouldn't brew a beer I wouldn't drink,” he says.

For the take-home crowd, Marcus hosts “growler gatherings,” where locals line up to fill their growlers every Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Cambridge Brewing Company - Cambridge

“The signature of our brewery is that we're pursuing unique and interesting beers, rather than replicating standard styles,” says Will Meyers, brewmaster at Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC). Want proof? Try these brews on for size: an ancient-recipe Scottish heather ale called The Wind Cried Mari, a more traditional English bitter called Will's Extra Bitter, the Great Pumpkin Ale and a Bavarian-styled Hefeweizen. “We're constantly pushing the envelope,” Meyers contends.

Which is what you'd expect for a brewery located in the think tank of Cambridge , surrounded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as such popular attractions as the Botanical Museum , Grolier Poetry Book Shop and the Museum of Science . Housed in the former Boston Woven Hose factory, CBC is bordered by IT and biotech firms. Suffice it to say, the curiosity of the people who make their living in these hypercreative environments doesn't end when they punch the clock. Many nurture that inquisitive nature among the many offerings at the CBC, including Regatta Golden, Tall Tale Pale Ale, Cambridge Amber and Charles River Porter.

“We have extraordinarily high standards here,” says Meyers, a familiar refrain among Bay state microbrewers. “Our customers expect the beers to be exceptionally good, but also expect them to be reinvented and interesting to their palate. We go to great lengths to educate our clientele.”

Don't feel that you have to try every beer on the menu. Like many microbreweries, CBC sells a number of their offerings in half-gallon growlers, so you can take a few samples home.

Watch City Brewing Company - Waltham

True, the city of Boston might be aptly nicknamed The Hub, but if you want to indulge your taste buds in a true melting pot, travel a few short miles west, to the suburb of Waltham. Known as the “ Watch City ,” due to its heyday as a center for pocket timepiece manufacturing and repair in the 1800s and as the home of the first American watch factory, Waltham Watch Company, Waltham hosts a remarkably eclectic array of restaurants. Stand at the corner of Main and Moody streets, look in any direction, and you'll find more than 60 eateries to choose from, ranging from fast food to fancy. There's Italian ( Campania Trattoria, Il Capriccio, Tuscan Grill ), Thai ( Erawan of Siam, Asian Grill, Baan Thai ), Mexican ( Iguana Cantina, Margaritas ), Japanese (Absolutely Asia, Sushi Yasu), Indian (Bombay Mahal, Jewel of India, New Mother India), Spanish/South American (Solea), Cambodian ( Carambola ), vegetarian ( Masao's Kitchen ), Irish (The Skellig) and good ol' American ( Jake's Dixie Roadhouse, Wing's Express, Bison County, The Mad Raven ).

For a great beer, though, head straight for Watch City Brewing Company, at the tip of “Restaurant Row” on the north end of Moody Street . Here, malt-and-hop lovers can relax in an atmosphere accentuated by warm wood and brass decor, enhanced by spacious, high ceilings. The pub's flagship beers include the refreshing, light-bodied Tick Tock Ale, the copper-toned Totem Pale Ale, the flavorful Hops Explosion IPA, the rich Titan Ale and the dense, robust Moody Street Stout. But it's Watch City 's specialty brews that really celebrate the staff's affinity for Greater Boston. They include the Scottish ale Schilling 38, named after Red Sox hurler Curt Schilling, and a Hefeweizen dubbed Tyler 's ClavicAle, in honor of Marblehead cyclist Tyler Hamilton, who courageously finished the 2003 Tour de France in fourth place despite riding with a broken collarbone. And be sure to try the spiced Frostbite Winter Ale.

Wachusett Brewing Company - Westminster

You can't order Wachusett's finest at the brewery, unless you opt for one of the tours, since there's no restaurant or bar on the grounds. But you can try favorites Nut Brown Ale, IPA, Black Shack Porter, Blueberry Wheat Ale (exceptional when combined with Guinness Stout) and the flagship Country Ale at more than 400 pubs and eateries throughout the state — and only in the Bay state.

Wachusett has deep roots in Massachusetts . The brewery is based in Westminster , where Ned Lafortune, the president and part owner, spent his formative years. Lafortune and his partners, Kevin Buckler and Peter Quinn, met at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, started drinking beer together and developed an appreciation for it.

Today, 10 years after the brewery's inception, the result is an engineer's approach to beer — fresh and precise. Wachusett brews don't have wildly inventive monikers: the seasonal offerings include the pedestrian-sounding Winter Ale and Quinn's Irish (after the brewery's cofounder). The lack of linguistic creativity, however, shouldn't fool you, as the popularity of these brews from Boston to the Berkshires speaks to their quality.

Tours are held hourly every Friday and Saturday afternoon (root beer is available for the youngsters) and can also be scheduled by appointment. That might make the brewery the perfect stopover if you're taking in the sights along the rural Mohawk Trail (www.mohawktrail.com), the first scenic highway in New England, from Millers Falls to Williamstown. Or you can try a pint up the road in Princeton at the Wachusett Mountain ski area (www.wachusett.com), the brewery's first commercial customer.

And keep your eye out this spring for the return of the Green Monsta Extra Special IPA, named after the famed left-field wall at Fenway Park .

Northampton Brewery Bar & Grille - Northampton

In the cerebral enclave of Northampton , which boasts such highly regarded schools as Smith College , the University of Massachusetts/Amherst , Mount Holyoke College , Hampshire College and Amherst College , it's no surprise that the Northampton Brewery aspires to entice the knowledgeable palate of its clientele. “If someone comes in here and asks for a Budweiser, the first thing we do is ask for some identification,” says brewmaster Chris O'Connor, with a laugh. “Then we suggest a Paradise City Gold.”

It's only fitting that the brewery is located at Brewster Court , in the former offices of the Whiting Oil Company, since brewster is the term for a female brewer. O'Connor is engaged to the brewery's owner, Janet Egelston (“She's the brains, I'm the brawn,” he jokes), and the pair strive to craft brews that are both enlightening and enjoyable. “Our clientele goes right across the board, from academics and graduate students to farmers in the hill towns,” O'Connor says. “As the generations turn, they really have a more informed palate.”

Opened in 1987, the brewery holds the distinction of being the oldest modern-day microbrewery in the Bay state. The 205-seat restaurant and pub nearly doubles in size when the rooftop deck opens in the summer months. And since the brewery took the name of the town, O'Connor and Egelston admit a sense of duty. “Every day we open our doors, it's an opportunity to serve our community,” O'Connor says.

That service includes a number of standard offerings, including Northampton Pale Ale, Black Cat Stout, Old Brown Dog, Hoover 's Porter, Daniel Shay's Best Bitter and Nonotuck IPA. O'Connor also delights in his specialty beers, brewing up three dozen varieties in a calendar year, most notably the English-style Decadent Ale and the Graduation Ale in springtime.

For artistic creations of a different kind, make time to visit Smith College , where you'll marvel at displays of major 19th- and 20th-century works at the Brown Fine Arts Center, or the natural wonders at the school's Botanic Garden.