New England Brewing Company has an industrious vibe to it, from the moment you slip into the parking lot. Forklifts load palettes of cans into outbound trucks, and through the big roll-up brewery doors you can see workers winding around rows of hulking fermenters. But come 5:30, the tasting room is full of folks stopping by for growler fills on their way home from work.

You can’t order pints or flights at New England, but you can get up to four free tastings per day. Their focus seems to be on beer production rather than operating as a drinking establishment, and New England’s tasting room is a lively place to hang out and taste the wares before taking a few growlers home—limit two per style, four per person. There isn’t any seating in the tasting room, but there’s plenty of places to lean—a big copper-topped bar, barrels-turned-to-tables, and a long wood table overhung with Edison bulbs inside 32-ounce growlers.

The Brewery’s two famous IPAs, Sea Hag and the G-Bot Double, were on tap when I visited, along with a deliciously bright French Saison and numerous “Fat 10ers,” which ranged from dry-hopped Pilsners to Pale Ales to Coffee IPAs. It’s a great place to restock your beer supply (growlers only, cans are available in liquor stores and bars state-wide), and a fun launchpad into date night.