Going through a large scale renovation can drive a person to drink!
Recently, this beautiful warm weather has made me miss all the carefree vineyard trips that Jared and I made in Virginia. Virginia is often included in the top 10 of wine-producing states but Massachusetts doesn’t even crack the top 20. There are however, a number of famous breweries in the Bay State. After all, if it wasn’t for beer the Pilgrims would have never stopped here at Plymouth Rock.
You think I’m joking? It’s a well known fact that the Mayflower’s crew was running low on beer and if they didn’t drop off their passengers in Plymouth, Massachusetts it would have been a long, sober voyage home.
Then in 1637, a Charlestown Captain named Sedgewick was given the very first license to brew beer for the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. By the early 20th century, Boston was home to 27 breweries and today the entire state boasts just under 2,000!
Today I wanted to highlight my three favorites. Why not? It’s five o’clock somewhere, right? And just in case you only gave your dad a stupid necktie for Father’s Day, make it up to him with a trip to one of these breweries for a cold one…
I’d say the most famous beer in New England (and maybe the country!) has to be Samuel Adams. Sam Adams started in 1984 as the Boston Beer Company. That funny fella you see in all the commercials is Jim Koch, a sixth-generation brewer. In 1998, the old brewery in Jamaica Plain was turned into a museum and their R&D facility where they come up with all those flavors!
Then there’s the good old Boston Beer Works. Not as much history here. They’ve only been around since 1992. But with great flavors like Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale and Old Ironsides, it seems like a classic to me. With seven locations around Boston and the North Shore, it’s one of my absolute favorites. Especially the Salem location for a Pumpkin Beer in the fall!
Another Boston favorite is the Harpoon Brewery. Three college buddies started this one in 1986 and was the first commercially brewed and bottled beer in Boston since 1964. Their new Beer Hall in the South End is a happening place to be! Jared and I were there last month with my cousin Alex and his wife Sara for a couple pints. The industrial feel, large chunky wood bar, and oversize saloon chandeliers were right up my alley. If you can’t go on off hours, expect to wait in line outside for a while but good company and the promise of a Pale Ale makes it all worth it!
