Anyone heading to Boston this summer? Are you a Beer fan? Boston’s got some great options for your visit and this contributing post from Erica covers some of them for you. Thanks Erica. Drink up everyone! I’m off to get a drink!
When planning your Boston holiday, including a brewery tour will give you the chance to taste and experience local beers and the American pub culture. Visitors can opt for packaged tours or can plan their own excursions. Here are the best breweries and pubs to add to your itinerary.
Samuel Adams Brewery
The Boston Beer Company, brewer of Samuel Adams craft beer, brews more than 50 styles of beer. However, its original Sam Adams Boston Lager debuted in April 1985 in only about 25 bars and restaurants in Boston. Today, it’s available in all 50 states and in more than 20 countries.
The Boston Beer Company uses a traditional four-vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging, and a secondary fermentation known as krausening to brew the beer.
Visitors on a city break to Boston can tour the Samuel Adams Brewery daily Monday through Saturday. Tours depart approximately every 45 minutes and last about one hour. They provide a view of the brewing process as well as tastings of the specialty malts.
Reservations are not offered and tickets are handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only guests 21 and older (the legal drinking age in the States) with a valid ID will be able to sample on the tour. Those not from the United States or Canada, must have a passport or copy of the passport ID. Tours are free, however, there is a suggested $2 donation.
The Publick House
The Publick House has been ranked No. 1 on the Boston Globe’s “Top 10 Best Beer Bars in Boston” list. This bar offers 150 different types of artisanal beer, 27 of them on rotating tap lines, served at the perfect temperature and in the appropriate glassware. The Washington Square location features fireplaces and wooden church pew seats. It’s important to note that the Publick House does not accept reservations.
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
The Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall, located in Boston’s Seaport District, is the oldest brewery in the state of Massachusetts. It offers a full selection of Harpoon beers straight from the source as well as guided tours of the brewery. Daily tours are $5, include a beer tasting and give visitors an up close and personal view of the brewing process. As part of each one-hour tour, all visitors 21 years and older will enjoy a range of freshly brewed Harpoon and UFO beers. For those visiting the newly opened Beer Hall, beer lovers can enjoy a freshly brewed pint at the bar or around long wooden tables. Boston-based Harpoon produces up to 55,000 barrels of IPA, UFO and other blends every year.
Cheers Pub
The Bull & Finch Pub provided inspiration for the American sitcom Cheers, which aired from 1982-93. The story goes that three television producers wanted to create a sitcom about a neighbourhood bar. When trying to decide on a location, one producer suggested Boston, mentioning that sports and politics were hot topics regularly discussed in the local watering holes.
They visited Boston’s Bull & Finch Pub where they met bartender Eddie Doyle. After chatting with Eddie and enjoying a beer and burger, they knew the Bull & Finch would be the inspiration for their television show, Cheers.
Today, the Bull & Finch has been renamed Cheers, after the show. Visitors can still enjoy a pint and burger at this pop culture site on Beacon Street as well as pick up Cheers-inspired souvenirs.
Blue Hills Brewery
Blue Hills Brewery makes great-tasting beers inspired by the elements and nature around Massachusetts’s South Shore community. The brew house can brew 20 barrels at a time, or about 620 gallons per batch. The beer spends the first seven to nine days in a primary fermenting vessel and is then transferred to a secondary fermenter, where it is chilled to 40 degrees for another seven to 10 days. It is then filtered, carbonated and kegged. This Canton-based microbrewery uses only choice American-grown ingredients and offers free tastings every Friday and Saturday.
During your Boston holiday, you can visit these pubs and breweries on your own schedule. However, if you decide you’d prefer someone else to drive and plan the itinerary, Boston Brew Tours offer a variety of options to visit local breweries.
Samuel Adams image by guzzphoto from Flickr’s Creative Commons.
Cheers image by Caitlinator from Flickr’s Creative Commons.