Tucson pubs vs Boston pubs

Tucson pubs: great beer selection, crowd keeps to itself.
Boston pubs: measly beer selection, friendly crowd.

I understand the latter to have to do with us being in the West: people are more neighborly in places like Chicago or New Orleans or Boston. But why do Boston pubs have small beer lists? Or why do even mediocre Tucson beer joints (1702 is world-class) like Bison Wiches have such a great selection?

Yes, I just got back from some professional travel. Plenty of interesting goings-on at the capitol: posting will resume soon!