Brewery/Taproom/Brewpub Recommendations for Boston

CBC, Lord Hobo, Atwood's Tavern, Cambridge Common, Green St Grill, approximately in that order of preference. CBC is a must and most unique since nearly all their stuff is DONG, the others all have their various merits. You could do Meadhall too, but until they get their shit together and put together an online presence that I can use to assure myself that I'm not going to be screwed by their prices, I see no reason to go there given the other nearby options.

Bottle shops: Liquor World (Porter), Downtown Wine & Spirits (Davis), Supreme (Central Sq), Whole Foods (River St Cambridge), Traders Joe's (Mem Drive, exclusively for $5 Maine Beer Co bottles).

 

Agreed with everything emannths said, though I'd bump Lord Hobo and Cambridge Common to the top of the list. Especially if you want good food to go with your awesome beer.

 

basically what he said.

 

Cambridge Brewing Company sells growlers of their 4 year round beers as well as their current seasonal, Spring Training IPA. Something to consider for drinking back at your room.

Other good Cambridge spots that haven't been mentioned are Bukowski Tavern, Area Four, Russell House Tavern and The Asgard. But CBC and Lord Hobo are the must visits.

 

Definitely check out Lord Hobo and CBC. I didn't get a chance to check out many other places though. I would recommend Bauer Wine and Spirits (on Newbury Street) and if you're a fan of the Dropkick Murphys, McGreevey's. They did have Wachusett Green Monsta IPA on tap when I went there.

 

They own an Irish pub/sports bar. If you're in that area, though, you're going to find much better beer at Bukowski.

 

CBC and Lord Hobo are two of the best you'll find, not just in Cambridge but in the whole region. Close enough you could easily do them both in the same day/night or split it up. Bukowskis can be hit or miss from what I've seen so might be worth asking someone thats been there recently.

 

Most of the taplists are online. Here's Bukowski's. Not a bad selection, but it doesn't stand out among the growing crowd of good beer bars in the area, especially given the relatively high prices and common short (three-finger head) pours I've come to expect from them.

 

Not sure if you knew this, but there's two Bukowski locations. One is a ten minute walk from Lord Hobo in Cambridge, the other is in the Back Bay in Boston. I was talking about the Back Bay one.

With a hotel near Kendall, you're in good position to take the T anywhere. If I were you I'd probably do two Cambridge nights and hit CBC, Lord Hobo and Bukowski in some order on those two nights. Maybe all three the first night and back to your favorite or two and two, doubling up on one, something like that. Then, take your third night and venture out to Publick House and/or Deep Ellum.

 

Clover in Harvard Sq will have Hoponious Union on tap Thursday night. They only serve one beer but they charge pocket change for it.

 

CBC to Hobo is a 4-5 minute walk up Hampshire street, no cab necessary. I consider this a safe neighborhood, no worries walking to/from your hotel.

 

Its a very safe and short walk. I used to live 2 blocks from Lord Hobo and never had any problems. That neighborhood is tech labs, pharmaceutical companies and restaurants with good beer. Nothing but beer geeks and regular geeks.

And yes, CBC does have some very good stuff on draft right now. The barleywine, I AM NITROGEN and the 2 Brett beers are great.

 

Bukowski's is alright--I like it once in awhile, but personally I'd say hit Atwood's if you're looking for a third place. Very laid back, dark vibe inside, great patio not that it matters now that the cold is back, solid food, and very good taplist. The taplist isn't nearly as esoteric as Lord Hobo and obviously it's not a brewpub, but they always have very good offerings and focus a lot (but not entirely) on locals. Friday nights there's a cover once it gets late for the band, but Wednesday night the members of Morphine play for free at 10pm. It's in the same neighborhood--which as others have said is almost dangerously safe--as Lord Hobo and CBC. I walk from Central to all three frequently, and I'd recommend hitting them all if you can.