The Quest for the Holy Grain - Best Brew Pubs
Massachusetts

 

 

Boston Beer Company/Sam Adams Tasting Room
30 Germania Street
Boston, MA 02130
Tollfree: 800-372-1131

The Sam Adams Brewery in Boston is a brewery, not a brewpub. It has an address that should be easy to find.  Except that the streets are all one way away from the facility.  Once found, the brewery has a handout for exiting the neighborhood.  The Brewery tour starts every hour.  The first speaking stop is just inside the door...in a classroom setting where they discuss beer ingredients, with samples of barley and hops.  A few steps away is the brewing operation.  They have two or three kettles, and a half dozen fermenters.  They appear to be 71/2 barrels systems.  They explain the smallness as these are the research and development facilities.  They are constantly changing their reciepies, especially the seasonal beers.  The next stop on the tour is the bar.  They serve 7 oz. servings of three of their beers, give a spiel, and answer questions.
Their website is pretty glitzy.

 

Cambridge Brewing Company
1 Kendall Sq # 100
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 494-1994

The Cambridge Brewing Company is near the MIT campus and thus very crowded with young people.  It is very modern, almost fern bar-ish with light colored paneling and lots of windows.  Cambridge had at least 10 of their beers on tap including a cask.  The beers are true to style and very well made.  The food was good, though a little pricey.  The service was particularly good.
By the way, The Cambridge Brewing Company is very hard to find.  The address: One Kendall Square, is the name of a large office development.  All of the buildings are "One Kendall Square".  Map services don't seem to distinguish between buildings, so your map won't work.  (The bar is on the far Northwest corner of the development)


 

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery - Boston
115 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 742-2739

Part of a chain, the
Rock Bottom brewpub in Boston is in the Theater district.  The bar and dining area are very large and spacious.  The brewing operation is not evident.  The six beers on tap, probably standard in each outlet, were good but not great.  The food was pricey but adequate.

 

Watch City Brewing Company
256 Moody Street, Waltham, Massachusetts
(781) 647-4000

The Watch City brewpub is just off the beaten path in Waltham, MA.  The brewing operation is in a glass walled room in the front window.  The bar is large and spacious with only room dividers separating the dining area.  Four full time beers are on tap as well as three seasonals and a cask.  The beer is good, but the food on the menu seemed pricey.

 

Boston Beer Works
61 Brookline Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts, USA 02215
(617) 536-BEER

Boston Beer Works is part of a chain of Brewpubs.  This one is located near the Boston Garden, in the Sports bar area.  It is very large with mostly restaurant space.  They serve 16 of their own brews, all of which seem true to style.  The food was well prepared with large portions.  It seemed pricey, but it was the big city.  The brewing operation is adjacent to the bar and the various tanks are visible on the upper level. The website has very little to add to this description.