Back Bay Brewing Co.

 

 

Small place but in a good location, not too far from the oceanfront but far enough back that parking isn't a major pain in the rear. Decor of the place is a little funky but in a very nice way, done up towards more traditional waterfront housing. The slab wood tables were a nice touch. Service was good, walk right up and got served right away.

On the downside, the place is small. There was a decent sized bachelorette party in the building and they quickly overwhelmed the area. Not too bad on a weekday night, but I wouldn't want to be there on a weekend in the summer, it could get overwhelming quickly. Tried a couple different beers, nothing really noteworthy there. Solid enough, but there are better breweries in the area.

 

Very nice vibe upon walking in. Folks, kids, dogs, games....Direct attention given at bar while still considering my options. A few lagers, triple, pumpkin for a total of 7 or 8 choices. I had a terrific raspberry ginger lager that was very session able and refreshing. Business was picking up and I had to drive so only had the one beer. Easy locale from the beach, nice local vibe and the beer I had was very enjoyable. Need to get back for sure.

Best part about Back Bay is the location and tasting room itself. Not far from the oceanfront, Gringo's Fish Tacos is literally across the hall and a great snack if you stop in (Tad's Deli is great too if open).
Shuffleboard, darts, plenty of other games to play. Neat nautical vibe tastefully done. They have a really cool space upstairs with a bar and a stage for music and they do have great music.

But this is a brewery right, and the beer is just not that great. A lot of it is still contract brewed at St. George in Hampton although there are some small batches brewed on site (3 barrel system? probably smaller actually, been a while since I've been, in plain view in the tasting room).

Cool place to hang out and meet people, much better places for beer in town though

 

 

 

6 brews on tsp. Here in a Tuesday night while on buisness. Some cute chicks. Some good music. Live band/guy.

I highly recommend stopping in if you are in town. I stopped in one night while working a show in town and really enjoyed both the atmosphere and the beer. I had The Water Melon, Amber, Atlantic Ave IPA and Milk Stout. The Melon was a perfect summertime beer, light, fruity with little hop bite. The IPA had all the flavor you expect out of an IPA. As a stout fan, I could easily see wrapping my arms around a growler of the milk stout and kicking back. I really scored because the brewer was trying a new caramel apple beer, which I really hope makes it into the rotation. All in all, a great stop.

 

This is a really cool place for a hangout. They have great things like Vinyl night on Thursdays - bring some records and they'll spin them. Place is right by the beach but well off the boardwalk which is great - plenty of locals and tourists but still a huge beach vibe. It's got a neat upstairs area away from the main bar area. There's a Mexican restaurant next door and you can order food or have food delivered (pretty standard but still nice it's right next door). The bartenders are great, incredibly friendly, fast, and attentive.

That's the really good stuff. There's nothing bad to say about the beer but everything I tried was mediocre. Again, nothing bad or off but it is very middle of the road with nothing as a standout. There are fine beach beers but they're new still and have some room to grow in terms of having some more interesting offerings. To be completely fair, I have not tried things like the Golden Coffee Stout or Oyster stout. But the night I was there the 5 I tried (Atlantic Ave, Beach Cruiser, Falls Cape, Betty Blonde and one other...) were fine, but just a bit bland in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to rate a place so new and rather small, even for a brewery, that it can only brew one beer at premises right now and contracts the rest of their beers. I'll just keep this review short and to the point. Bartender was great, even during a rush (this place is probably usually busy b/c of location right at beach and for the events they do each night) and the prices are not bad at all. If I am a tourist at the beach it is worth checking out one night. Beer wise they have six on the menu, I got to try five (4 on tap and one in bottle), and they are all pretty mediocre with a standout IPA. This isn't a bad place at all, I just would say in this stage (I think they just opened in late April) that it's a nice place to visit and that's about it. A lack of multiple beer offerings and being crammed in a building doesn't help, which I find ironic that every new brewery around the 757 has outdoor seating and outdoor areas except the one that is actually at the beach.