Best tap list in Boston area?

Armsby, it's in Worcester, a little bit of a drive but totally worth it.

 

Lulu's in Allston

 

Ginger Man

 

Sunset Tap and Publick House

 

I would go to Kendall Square. You can visit two breweries(Cambridge Brewing and Lamplighter) and 2 bars with big selections(Lord Hobo and Meadhall).

Gingerman is also good because its downtown and they do flights.

 

Lulu's by far, at least currently, can't be beat.

 

Are you looking for mostly local stuff? Row 34 also has a really great beer program. Plus it's walking distance to Trillium beer garden. In terms of "deep lineup," Gingerman is tough to beat.

 

Where are you going to be staying, how long will you be in town?

 

Lulu's is hard to beat, especially if you like high end hoppy beers.

 

Y'know... looking at Lulu's draft list right now, I might rescind my Ginger Man suggestion and give it over them.

Edit: Yeah, Lulu's is really killing it. Sip, Second Fiddle, Epiphany, Cat's Meow, lots of Finback and Trillium... that's insane. Gotta get out there this weekend.

 

^^^Wow - Lulu's has a great tap list. The Abbey is still a must!!!

 

No doubt that Armsby Abbey has a great list, esp. with Hill in the mix, but I don't know I would say that a place in Worcester—which is at minimum an hour from Boston and could be closer to 90+ minutes depending on traffic—is a recommended spot "in Boston."

 

Kinda like when people ask for brewery suggestions in Boston people suggest Treehouse

 

Gingerman blows. Staff seems to hate customers and know little about beer. Tap list is big, but mininal local stuff. And all at ridiculous prices.

For me, Stoddards has the best mix of being a bar with a good tap list at affordable prices. Not the best tap list (that's probably LuLu's), but if you're staying downtown as a tourist, it's a good spot.

Also, if open, hit the Trillium beer garden. And I second the recommendation about a Cambridge beer/Brewery crawl.

 

With the Pike construction, easily 90 mins of driving from downtown.

 

Don't sleep on Five Horses in Davis right now. Sip of Sunshine, Afterglow, Cat's Meow, Finback, three Trillium drafts, couple Zero Gravity drafts which are new to MA, and even a Tributary and Deciduous draft on. Honorable mention for Mayflower's Golden Ale on cask which is always good.

And you can take a quick/cheap Uber over to Kendall Square to hit up Lord Hobo/Meadhall/Lamplighters/CBC all in one fell swoop.

Wow, just checked out that Lu Lu's list though, I still need to get over there. Their list is ridiculous...it's rare, but Five Horses has the better hoppy Trillium beers right now. It also seems like Lu Lu's is always behind Five Horses in terms of which Trillium beer has come out recently...better turnover in Davis Square?

To the OP:

For highest rated/local beers I'd go to Lu Lu's or Five Horse (probably Davis, their list tends to be better than Worden Hall/Boston Five Horse).

If you go to Lu Lu's, you can also check out Deep Ellum. If you go to Five Horses in Davis, you can hit up Kendall Square.

For a wider variety I'd go to Row 34. Probably the best tap list in the city in terms of variety of styles, imports, and locals. They always have unique stuff, although Lord Hobo can sometimes give then a run for their money. But if you go to Row 34, as someone already mentioned, you could get your hoppy fix at the Trillium beer garden as well. And you can pick up Trillium cans at the brewery next door to Row 34.

Pro tip: Row 34 will give a ticket and refrigerate your Trillium beers for you while you drink.