Instagram gave me a lot of things I never expected: brewery adventures, collaborations, countless beers, and a camera roll that is approximately 97% beer. But the thing I’m most grateful for has nothing to do with beer.
It gave me community.
But before the friendships, brewery meetups, and wedding invites, there was a college girl, a 12-pack of Narragansett Lager, and a very limited beer budget.
I went to Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, and just wanted to drink on the weekends with my friends without breaking the bank. I knew I was a light beer girl as I was growing up; Miller Lite was always stocked in our fridge, and a few sips here and there had me convinced I knew exactly what I liked. So naturally, my mantra of #IDrinkLocally started early; my dorm mini-fridge was always stocked with Narragansett Lager.
Every Thursday, I’d stop at the local packie to grab my weekend beer. One day, the cashier convinced me to participate in a beer tasting they were hosting. One sip of Narragansett x Allie’s Donuts Chocolate Porter and my mind was blown - beer didn't have to be just a light lager?
After college, I moved home to save money, which happened to coincide with the golden age of breweries taking off across New England. Breweries became my now-husband's (Stephen, but all my followers know him as Scuba) and I’s favorite way to spend a Saturday: hang out with friends, try new beers, discover new places and even better, when there were two or three breweries nearby each other, it became a whole day trip.
Eventually, I wanted a creative way to document what I was drinking and where we were exploring, so with some nudging from Scuba on a trip to Portland, ME, @BostonBeerGirl was born!
This was the early days of Beer Instagram. There were only a handful of other creators in the niche (shoutout to @porkandpintsboston and @brewerybabekelsea), and it was also the very early days of “influencing.” There weren't many collaboration opportunities, and I definitely heard my fair share of dismissive, “Oh, you're cute little beer page.”
But as time went on (and my taste in photos and beer got a bit more refined), more craft beer lovers started creating their own Instagram pages, and something bigger began to happen: a community formed.
There were brewery meetups that turned into friendships. Instagram interactions that turned into real-life conversations. And eventually, people I originally knew only through a screen became some of my closest friends.
I realized pretty early that authenticity, openness, and honesty with your audience are among the most important parts of building a community. For me, that means not posting products I wouldn't spend my own money on. It means not accepting collaborations with brands that don't fit my niche just because they offered an opportunity. And it means being willing to say no when something doesn't feel like me.
My followers rely on me for recommendations about local craft beer, so yes, I've turned down invitations to collaborate with Anheuser-Busch more than once. It's nothing against the brand; it just isn't my style or what @BostonBeerGirl is about. I'd rather have someone’s trust over a cool but inauthentic opportunity or a paid partnership.
And then, in 2019, I got to see just how powerful that trust and community could be.
I celebrated my birthday at Public Kitchen in Wakefield, one of my favorite places for an amazing craft beer selection. I posted an open invitation on Instagram to come celebrate my birthday on a Monday night. I had absolutely no idea who or how many people would actually show up, but more than 50 people came through those doors. Some were people I'd only ever interacted with on Instagram. Some I'd met casually at breweries. And some would go on to become lifelong friends.
Five years later, when my husband and I got married in 2024, we had two entire tables filled with friends and their +1s who we had met through Beer Instagram. That's when it really hit me. What started as a fun, creative way to document the beers I was drinking and the breweries I was visiting had become so much more than pictures on a screen.
It became people. It became friendships. It became community. And that's the part of social media I'm most grateful for.
Beyond beer photos, brewery adventures, collaborations, and Instagram posts are real human connections. People I've laughed with, celebrated with, traveled with, and watched different chapters of life unfold alongside.
In a world where social media can sometimes feel like it's all about numbers whether followers, likes, views, or engagement- it's easy to forget the social part.
For me, the greatest measure of success isn't how many people follow @BostonBeerGirl.
It's how many of those people I've gotten to know. It’s when people go to places I recommend. It’s when I can connect small businesses with other small businesses so they lift each other up.
Because at the end of the day, I'm not just grateful that Instagram gave me a place to share my love of craft beer. I'm grateful it gave me a community.
And after all these years, I'm still grateful for Narragansett and that chocolate porter that started it all.