Boston, Massachusetts
Boston has a special place in my heart. I lived right in the middle of the action downtown in a neighborhood called South Boston (AKA ‘Southie’) for 4+ years. When I say ‘in the middle of the action’, I mean: John Connolly (famous FBI Informant of Whitey Bulger) lived next door before he went to jail. The Departed and every other movie filmed in Boston had scenes showcasing my street. And, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade passed 8 feet from my front door. I would say that is ‘in the middle of the action’, right?
Top 3 touristy Must Do’s: Duck Tours. They sound cheesy but in fact they are an amazingly efficient and entertaining way to see Boston’s historical sites, especially for those who do not want to walk around. Boston actually invented the Duck Tour so they do it right. Each ‘duck driver’ has their own personality/alias so while presenting all the historical tour facts, they are just as much entertainers as they are tour guides. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and constructed in 1912, needs no introduction. Just do it, even if you aren’t a sports fan.The place is basically a museum anyway! Lastly, you must experience the Samuel Adams Brewery tour and then take the free trolley ride to Doyle’s Cafe afterwards. See additional info below.
Food! One of my favorite places to eat is the Publick House because of their amazing beer selection (including every Trappist brew) and phenomenal pub fare. If you judge restaurants based partially on their aioli sauce options like I do, then you will not be disappointed. Also, seafood is a must in Boston. The best lobster rolls are at Row 34 and Neptune Oyster. The best clam chowder is at Union Oyster House and their cornbread is pretty legit as well. If it was good enough for Paul Revere, it will be good enough for you. Last piece of advice is to walk around the North End/Italian District and pick any place that looks enticing. Fresh pasta from scratch, homemade sauce, imported meats, and cannolis. You can’t go wrong!
**I have so many recommendations based on the time of year you’re visiting and what you are interested in. I want to focus on Samuel Adams for this post so I’m cutting myself off here, but please contact me with any specific requests as I’m happy to provide additional specific information based on your itinerary.
Samuel Adams Brewery
I’ve been on this tour 10+ times! Anytime I had a visitor from out of town, we would take them on this tour and it never disappoints. The Samuel Adams facility is about a 20-3o minute commute on the ‘T’ (public transit) from downtown Boston. About the same amount of time by cab… classic Boston traffic. Tip #1: Arrive early! It is first come, first served for the tour. They are often out of tickets by noon. Tip#2: Bring cash. The tour is technically free, but they have a suggested donation to one of Samuel Adam’s designated charities. Tip #3: Bring your ID. No ID, no samples at the end of the tour.
Once you’ve procured your ticket, which is a bottle label from one of their many beers, you wait around looking at the brewery’s history, beer festival accolades, and past advertisements. The tour starts and the tour guides are usually pretty entertaining/witty as they give the same spiel as most breweries do about the 4 ingredients that make beer. One unique thing they do is pass around fresh hops, barley, etc. You can taste if you want, but spelling is enough for most people. Then, they take you past the mash and lauder tons where they are actually brewing beer. Mass beer production doesn’t happen at this facility, but they do make a lot of small batch beers and they use it to experiment. Tip #4: Look at the workers in the brewery. You might recognize some them from Samuel Adam’s commercials. Those aren’t actors, they are the real magic workers!
Now its time for the tap room and tastings! Your guide passes around small sample glasses and pitchers of 3 different beers, starting with the traditional Boston Lager. Another unique thing is that your guide teaches instructs how to appraise the beer, highlighting how important their custom German-made pint glasses are, and talking about how aromas are almost as important as the taste of the beer. Then, it’s bottoms up! The tour ends, as all good ones do, in the gift shop. Absolutely worth the experience. Tour guides are well-trained, informative and witty. You’ve probably had their beer before but it doesn’t disappoint and they have a number of beers on tap that are not commercially distributed.
Overall, I like their Boston Lager, Latitude 48 IPA, Rebel IPA, Summer, and Grumpy Monk. Not in love with the Octoberfest (although critically acclaimed), all of their Ales, Noble Pils and Cherry Wheat. Sam Adams brews 60 beers so you have to try at least a few when in Boston.
Bonus Tip: On Saturdays only, they have a free (party) trolley ride to/from Doyle’s Cafe, the first establishment to sell Sam Adam’s beer. Doyle’s has more taps of Sam Adam’s brews than the brewery does. Also, if you give the waitress your sample glass from the tour, then she will give you the official Sam Adams pint glass. Their food is mediocre at best, but it is worth the journey for the 10 minute trolley ride.
This party trolley comes complete with disco ball, 70’s music, American flag waving out the back and a driver who is one of the most entertaining characters in Boston. This guy gives fun facts the whole ride about Sam Adams and Doyles, he pumps the brakes to the beat of the song, and gets you so fired up to go to Doyle’s. Words can’t describe this experience, but just trust me, you have to partake.
