BOXFORD, Mass. (UPI) -- Police in Massachusetts attempting to deal with a herd of loose cows said the beer-loving bovines crashed a backyard party and cleared it of brews.

Boxford Police Lt. James Riter said he was directing traffic around the herd on Main Street when the cows took off for the back yard of a nearby home, The Boston Globe reported Friday.

"I could hear screaming coming from the back of the house. When I ran around back, a group of young adults were outside enjoying the nice weather and having a few beers," Riter said. The cows chased them away from the table they were sitting at and started drinking their beers. They knocked the beer cans over with their noses started drinking beer right off the table.

Riter said that of the available beers, the cows seemed to prefer the Bud Light to the Miller Light.

"When they ran out of beers on the table, one of them started to forage in the recycling to see if he could find any last drops in there," Riter said.

Riter said a dispatcher was able to contact the owner of the animals, who was able to round up the herd with the help of some friends.

"Myself and another officer blocked traffic; we had one cruiser in front of the cows, and I followed behind them," Riter said. We marched them about three-quarters of a mile up Main Street where they belonged.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International