From progenitors Boston Beer Company to nascent upstarts like Trillium or Night Shift, the Boston area is teeming with breweries seeking to continually redefine and expedite the evolution of craft beer.
WTOP Beer Contributor Rob Fink recently traveled to Boston for Extreme Beer Fest and sipped his way though the city. He gives recommendations for Boston's best beer spots. (Courtesy Rob Fink)
Courtesy Rob Fink
Here is a look inside the shared barrel and tasting room at Night Shift Brewing in Everett, Mass. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
Night Shift, much like many craft breweries nowadays, allows tasting flights. Cleverly dubbed "Citranation," this all-Citra double IPA just so happened to be fermented with Belgian yeast, lending notes of bubble gum, spice and stone fruit, which only strengthened the already-present tropical character full of lychee, mango and honeydew melon. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
This is one of the many cylindro-conical fermenters carefully strewn between stacks of barrels at Night Shift. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
Here's an idea of what the EBF line looked like an hour before the doors were open. We ran into many people not local to the Boston area, which only serves to strengthen my perception that craft beer continues to seep into more and more parts of the country. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
A look down open of the corridors of EBF, held at the Seaport World Trade Center. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
Here's a shot of the men behind the illustrious beers of Kane Brewing Company. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
Preeminent local brewpub Franklins (Hyattsville, Md.) employ plastic animals to preach their sour beer evangelism. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
A bit of Southern hospitality at its finest -- the gentlemen from Trophy Brewing Company, out of Raleigh, N.C. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
A nice view down the row of shorts (or "butts?") taps from the guys who put weird ingredients into beers and pull it off, Shorts Brewing Company from Bellaire, Mich. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
Extreme Beer Fest most certainly wouldn't the same without the lovely volunteers such as these folks. (Courtesy Brian Stanton)
Courtesy Brian Stanton
A wonderful brunch spot if you happen to find yourself in downtown Boston. (Courtesy Rob Fink)
WASHINGTON — Boston: It’s one of the premier craft beer cities in the country.
From the original Boston Beer Company to nascent upstarts such as Trillium or Night Shift, the Boston area is teeming with breweries seeking to continually redefine and expedite the evolution of craft beer.
Similarly, the Boston area boasts its share of reputable craft beer bars and restaurants, from the loveable grit of The Publick House and Sunset Grill and Tap to the radiant sheen of Row 34 and Lord Hobo, all of which help define what is a top-tier craft beer city.
I recently traveled to Boston for my fifth Extreme Beer Fest (EBF), a festival organized by the hard-working folks at BeerAdvocate. Over the years, EBF has become the embodiment, or at the very least, the “State of the Union” of craft beer, proving time and again that craft beer is not teetering off the edge. If anything, it’s only strengthening its armor.
Below is rundown of my latest Boston adventure and best bets for craft beer lovers.
Fresh off the plane and hungry for lunch, I headed to recently opened Row 34, a highly acclaimed oyster and craft beer bar. The restaurant’s natural light and tall windows give you the impression of being outside while enjoying the comfort of the indoors.
The food and beer did not disappoint. Spicy lobster tacos fired on all cylinders while Mahr’s Ungespundet-hefetr
