Brewery/Taproom/Brewpub Recommendations for Boston

Bukowski is best if you're alone or with people you don't want to talk to, but if you want to make conversation you may find that it's maddeningly loud.

(I refer to the Inman Sq location; I haven't spent enough time at the other to have formed an opinion.)

 

True. I had to go because I'm a huge fan. The basement is where they filmed the video for the Spicy McHaggis Jig.

 

You probably mean where they filmed Going Out In Style.
The bar didn't open until 2008.

 

Im headed to Boston this summer, but I'll probably be staying in Brookline. I'll definatly check out CBC, but I'm wondering how Publick House, Sunset Gril, and Deep Ellum stack up against those other bars that you mentioned. I've seen some of their webpages, but you can never really tell how thorough and updated those online menus are.

What I'm really looking for is the place with the best selection of New England beers. Lonely Planet makes the Publick House out to be more of a Belgian beer bar, and I've noticed a load of Scandinavian beers on these bars' tap lists. While those beers are great, they're not really what I want to drink in Boston.

So which bars do you think have the best local and regional offerings? Transportation isn't an issue.

And does the Meadhouse actually sell mead?

 

I love the atmosphere at the Publick House, and would recommend stopping in there if you're staying in Brookline. Deep Ellum has a great deck out back, as well, and their beer list probably features a few more New England beers than Publick House, but it's still not the focus. Personally, I'd skip Sunset--so many other bars offer a better vibe, and the beer list seems to focus on quantity rather than quality. Others disagree, but that's my take.

As far as bars featuring New England beers, I'd say the Flatbread in Davis Square (Somerville/Red Line) is probably your best bet. It's a pizza place first, but there are probably about 20 beers on-tap, all local and almost all from Massachusetts. Atwood's near Inman and Kendall Squares also tends to have a lot of locals on, though it's not necessarily the main focus. The Other Side (Newbury St/Green Line) has been highlighting Mass. beers on their menu. Other than that, I can't really think of anywhere that makes locals a specific focus.

 

I recently made a map for a friend who is about to visit up here. This includes beer bars and other things, check it out!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205274213997615580566.0004bb4da36432813825c&msa=0

 

Cool map!

Does anyone know which meads the Meadhouse is selling?

 

The best beer bars in Boston are not where you will find the broadest selection of local offerings, but where you will still find some of the best beers available from regional breweries. Bars such as Deep Ellum, Lord Hobo, and the Publick House all find room for local beer on their draft and bottle lists, while avoiding some of the more... meh beers that you'll find at places with a local focus. While I think Flatbread is a great place to go for pizza and bowling, the last time I was there, there were only about five beers worth drinking on their list. One of which was Green Flash West Coast IPA.

 

I was at Flatbread recently and they had Be Hoppy IPA, a Jack's Abby line, and they always have a Pretty Things beer on. All of those are worthy, and much cheaper than anywhere else in the area. Prices are something like $4.50-$6.

 

Thank you for reiterating my point. It's not like you won't find Jack's Abby, Pretty Things, or Wormtown at some of the better beer joints in the city. I certainly wouldn't go to Flatbread just to save a buck on a pint, especially if I was only visiting Boston for a few days.

 

Maybe it is just me, but I prefer Flatbread to places like Publick House. Much friendlier servers/bartenders, cheaper price, better vibe. Publick House is the East Coast version of Toronado SF as far as bartenders go (in my experience). Places like Flatbread and Lord Hobo have much friendlier staff.

 

To each their own, I suppose.

 

Cambridge Common tends to have a number of NE beers: http://www.cambridgecommonrestaurant.com/sections/beer.swf

I'd agree with braineater though that most of the better places in Boston have at least a handful of NE taps, and so making a special trip might be misguided. I'd make my decision based on something else, like geography.