Just back from a week in Boston. I had several recommendations from friends in real life and on social media so I had a list – most of which I managed to visit. We stayed in Quincy (just south of Boston ) so kept it local for the first evening. Assembly is a busy bar/restaurant that had a decent selection of local beers, I went for the brilliantly named Reservations at Dorsia, brewed 5 minutes up the road in Widowmaker but we’ll come back to them later.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge was recommended by Stephen from Trouble Brewing and he wasn’t wrong. I had chicken and a biscuit with a pint of Czech Pils from Notch – more on them in the next paragraph if you can wait that long…That evening I was lucky enough to see Jonathan Richman play the Somerville Theatre. And I was happy to have a New England Pale Ale to sup from Night Shift called Whirlpool while watching a New England legend performing. More decent beer at gigs please.
The next day we went to Salem, after looking at a couple of notable sites and a load of shops I headed to Notch, which is a well known Lager specialist brewery. I loved the Kolsch and Tmavy. And the whole family was impressed with the soft warm pretzels. Definitely worth a visit.
One thing that I noticed in common across the breweries I visited was the commitment to the correct serving style, which included Czech side pour taps and the appropriate glassware. And I very much appreciate it.
The next day, still wearing my green jumper I went to Dorchester Brewing Company. Interestingly it also houses the museum of bad art. And admission is free.
I enjoy the Japanese Rice Lager and the Porter here along with the relaxed vibe and the eh, interesting art. And then I went up the road to the Carhartt shop just to add to my existing collection. Why yes, I am a walking cliche.
I was beside the Faneuil Hall and said sure, I suppose I may visit the Sam Adams tap room. It was right there. This place was a lot busier than the breweries, location and timing being two obvious factors. Again, they had a side pour tap and loads of horizontal lager tanks. But then they started playing Vengaboys. So I finished up my Golden Pilsner (grand like) and left. Luckily I was being fed live recommendations – The Green Dragon was just a short walk away and it was where some of the revolution planning was done. So of course I got a Shipyard Pumpkin Ale with a cinnamon sugar rum. It’s what the founding fathers would have done. And yeah, I felt suitably ridiculous. Next stop was The Black Rose. It is a bustling Irish bar but the punters and staff were friendly and I had a Fiddlehead IPA. So two out of the three are worth a look if you are in the area. I enjoyed some Regina’s Pizza after that.
I was lured to the Wrentham Outlets with the promise of a brewery…It wasn’t open when I first went by and I was starting to feel like I’d been sold a pup. On my second loop it was open and I tried their Route 140 and Wicked Pissah IPAs and they were decent. It was a little cold to be sitting outside drinking from plastic glasses though.
Later that evening I made my way to Widowmaker. These guys make some very good beer. And their bathroom mirror made me laugh. Lager To Cross the Bridge and Blue Comet Hazy IPA were both top quality. They do pizza too but unfortunately I arrived after it was finished for the evening.
On my way home I stopped at the Irish Pub in Quincy. From the outside it looks pretty unassuming. But I was glad that I went in. The craic was great. I ended up talking to a man and I have worked with his cousin before… standard stuff. I had a pint of Break Rock IPA, they had that and Fiddlehead on tap as well as the beers that you’d be expecting. I went back another evening and was welcomed by name, so that’s always nice.
Another recommendation that came my way was Bukowski and I just happened to be walking past so…I was greeted warmly and I got a pint of the classic Two Hearted from Bells. They were playing Silversun Pickups when I was in and there were racks with loads of records behind the bar. I could’ve stayed all afternoon but had to press on.
To the Prudential Centre where Tree House has a pop up beer garden. The Sequoia Red Ale was excellent and All That Glitters Is Not Gold is a very good example of the New England IPA style. And it was inside – which definitely helped as there was some pretty biblical rain falling on the city.
The evening concluded in Mcgonagles – a much praised Irish gastropub, top 50 restaurants in the USA no less. Between us we had chicken curry, a spice bag and I went for the pork chop and a Cloud Candy IPA from Mighty Squirrel. The place is very shiny and new and I was happy that I’d booked ahead as it was hopping. But the consensus was that you’d get a better feed in The Shack in Athlone. Not that it was bad by any means and the server from Tyrone was very friendly and helpful.
The next day was Halloween so of course we did a tour of Harvard. After that I strolled as far as Aeronaut. I tried the Dark Lager, the ESB and Organtuan Signs IPA and the standard was high across the board. Speaking of boards, their menu board was a work of art – pity I neglected to get a picture of it! I had some Gyoza and some amazing chocolate made with hops too from the food vendors on site. You should definitely visit the good people of Aeronaut.
On the final day I was able to visit The Corner Bar which is a very cool dive bar. I had a tasty pint of Sluice Juice from Bent Water. I also tried Harpoon’s Boston Irish Stout. It has a nice chocolatey roast malt flavour and makes a good fist of the style. I wasn’t overly pushed on going to the Cheers pub and it was, as advertised, very much a tourist trap and nothing like the place you have in your memory. That said, the barman was on the ball! Then it was time to pick up the bags and head for the airport. That was some week. Thanks for reading and sláinte!
