The Best Beard in the Bar: Meet Joe Raposo of Fall River

To all the bearded men of the SouthCoast, your time to shine has finally arrived.

When it comes to appreciating a good beard, I'm an advocate for men with facial hair. Throughout my life, my face has gone through different stages. Sometimes I keep my beard long and well-groomed and sometimes I keep it short and simple.

Having a beard takes time and patience.

With a beard comes responsibility and a strong sense of confidence and accomplishment. A beard undergoes multiple stages before it becomes strong and noble. First there's the stubble, also known as the five o'clock shadow. Next is the awkward patchy stage that eventually will fill in over time. Over a few weeks, you'll start to experience the gains of the growth; this is when facial hair can be dubbed as an official beard. Finally, within a month, that's when a beard is long and strong.

At this stage will you start to stand out among the crowd of bearded men, only to be recognized as the top gun of grooming, the champion of chops, the almighty God of facial hair, the apprentice of a wizard's set of whiskers and most importantly, the best beard at the bar.

This week as I was sitting at the bar over at the Cask n' Pig in Dartmouth, there was a significant beard that caught my eye and captured my attention.

The owner of this glorious beard was 38-year-old Joe Raposo of Fall River.

As a senior web designer and developer for C-4 Analytics out of Wakefield, Raposo works hard on his facial grooming. He was catching up with friends enjoying an ice-cold Sam Adams Cold Snap, his beer of choice, getting ready to celebrate another birthday coming up on Saturday, February 22.

A strong beard should always be rewarded, so in return and as a prize for being dubbed "Best Beard in the Bar," Raposo received a Cold Snap on me.

Congrats to Raposo and to his mighty beard; may your facial success bring you humble beginnings and never-ending bragging rights as the chosen one for the Best Beard in the Bar.

#Beards