Waltham Beer Works?

Whatever it winds up being, I can't wait. I'm so close to it that it'll probably be a regular for me.

 

The mayor has bigger plans like a monorail on 128 how could they possibly waste time licensing a brewery!

Not a Simpsons reference unfortunately

 

Have not walked into a Beerworks in over two years... Last time was a dismal mistake. Staff is always new and seemed to never really care about their job. Beers usually tasted not so fresh or simply rushed and glasses always had some sort of rinse agent which killed the head. Blah... A shame that we can't have more quality local brewpubs.

 

I mean in all fairness this state needs monorails about a million times more than it needs another Beerworks location.

 

Agreed. We definitely need more brewpubs a-la-Dieu du Ciel in Montreal or L'Amere A Boire. Love those two spots and there's nothing even remotely close to those two in quality out here.

 

I'd be happy with anything different, glad to see Somerville Brewing Co. open up and Cambridge Brewing has always been awesome. Good to have breweries with real tap rooms as well but aside from that this generic shit needs to stop, Beer Works and John Harvard's are both equally bad which is a shame because in the past they showed potential.

 

So this is what that bronze in the IPA category from 1997 for GABF was all about when I was at Beer Works in the airport.

 

Ugh. Have you ever been to lord hobo which all you craft beer nerds love? The staff is atrocious. Very douchey and seemed put off whenever you wanna order something. You guys needs to get off your high friggen horses. I guess if you are not wearing flannel and don't have any barrel aged or high ABV beer on tap you are unwanted in this community. You guys are literally the worst. Try beer works Contender IPA and tell me you feel the same about all this.

 

LOL ... did I hit a nerve? I can only assume you work for one of them.

Why just pick on Lord Hobo? I go to Meadhall, both Bukowski's, Deep Ellum, Lone Star Taco Bar, Row 34, Yard House, Blackstrap BBQ, more dive bars than I can think of, etc. I don't wear flannel and I am usually drinking some form of Pilsner or IPA when I am out.

Sorry but Beerworks does not even make the list for "the last place I'd go would be ...", completely off my radar. This lands on the owners for letting their establishments be like this. This goes back to the late 1990's when I first started going and I would always go back and find a beer or two that were good enough to have more than one. But the bland feeling of each of their places, look around at the rest of the country ... Beerworks is about 15 years behind the time and the owners don't care to change, it really shows. Not trying to diss the staff or brewers but this is how I feel about the brand. They could be doing a lot more and I am not talking about doing uber beer geek beers. They are just about status quo ... they have been disconnected from the Boston beer scene for a long time IMO. There is a reason almost no one talks about the brand.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, next week I'll try to hit a location that has the Contender IPA ...

 

Contentender is legit. Everything else you said is spot on and was pretty much what the brewer at Framingham BE told me when I was grilling him about why it isn't being pushed.

 

I hadn't been to a beer works in years until early September of this year. We met my wife's friends at the Framingham Beer Works, and I had a cask IPA and Contender IPA. The quality of both, in every conceivable way, exceeded my expectations. By a lot. I was fully expecting the beers to be boring at best, but I was really, really surprised to find out I was wrong, way wrong.

 

Think I’ve said this before on here, but…
I wrote off Beer Works years ago for multiple reasons. But I moved to Framingham last year, very close to its Beer Works, and gave it a shot to see if it had improved from what I remember of the Boston locations. Maybe my expectations were low but I was pleasantly surprised, and still am. Like others have said, the Nobscot IPA (now “Contender”) surprised me. The cask is always fun, and they make a few other solid beers as well. Not every beer is good. Lord knows I’ve had some diacetyl bombs that shouldn’t have seen the light of day, but I’ve learned to ask for samples regularly which the bartenders are always eager to provide, so I can avoid the bad beers.

I’m a picky guy eating/drinking out, so I still laugh at myself that the Framingham BW has become a pleasant fall-back for me. I've been a lot now and I've never caught them on a bad day. It’s friendly, chill, solid beer and food as long as you know what to get. Someone brought up Lord Hobo - honestly, I would choose Framingham BW over Lord Hobo 9 times out 10 at this point. I’ve had 2 poor staff experiences at LH that I have no tolerance for anymore. I value good marks in all categories of a pub experience more than a place that has the highest mark in 1 category but otherwise falls short. For ex., I’m tired of sacrificing service for an A+ taplist.

Who knows, now with Jack’s Abby’s new spot open, I may be eating a little less at BW.

Just my 2 cents. Ultimately, I agree with you, I would welcome more brewpubs with originality. And if I was brand mgr at BW, I would change some things.

Oh and knowing you’re a pils fan – have you had the Patriot Pils at BW? I think that's at all locations. Thoughts? I think it’s really solid.

 

I think the BW hate has gone way too far. They're not trying to blow your mind. They're trying to give you solid beers and solid food, both of which I think they deliver on. Like @jbertsch I live near the Framingham location and have enjoyed all my visits.

 

Contender IPA & Perfect Pils are terrific beers. And I'd rather visit BW than any of the douche-tastic beer palaces around Boston.

 

I like flannel.

I don't mind BW for what it is. They occupy the narrow zone between a good beer bar (I'm thinking Amesbury or Gardner Ale House's or even a Yard House) and something less interesting like an Outback.

 

Glad we can had this discussion... At Canal St now. Beers are tasting good, bartender knows his stuff and I see the hired a brewer from Harpoon. I'll keep my mouth shut about the beer & staff at least. Looks like I'll be adding Beer Works to my places to hit for now.

Shame Waltham isn't going to be a brewery.

 

Actually drove by the place on Saturday and what was a temporary, wooden construction facade was now completely gone and I could see inside the place. There was a dozen or so workers working in a large, gutted room. Looks like progress is finally underway

 

I've been to Beer Works on and off for years. Some of them are better than others, and they will go up and down maybe depending on the brewer? I'm not certain why.
When I'm in Boston for a Bruins/Celts game / concert at the Gah-den, I usually go into Canal street for a beer and burger.
Ditto Fenway for game / concert etc. (though Yardhouse is getting more of my business there)
I do live in Framingham, I went to the BW there once, wasn't impressed, so John Harvard's gets most of my brewpub business. Their prices are a bit higher, but the food is definitely better, and the beer is as well (IMO)
I haven't gotten to the new Jack's Abby place yet, but I plan to soon, and that may become a go-to, though BW and JH are way closer to my house.

 

You're not wrong about BW anyways. The beer's worth mentioned were created by the brewer from the Framingham location. Almost all of their beers are still pretty bad and the food is decent at best. Great service though, The Framingham location that is.

 

Funny, we might live very closer to each other. I was at the Framingham John Harvard's recently for the first time in a while and really enjoyed the black lager they had on. For my tastes - between BW & JH - I feel like JH does maltier/darker styles better while the BW does hoppy stuff better.