Cambridge Brewing Company: Am I missing out?

I'm having a hard time understanding how a beer nerd from Boston has never been to CBC. I think they make some of the best beer in New England, some of the best barrel aged beers in the country, and could be in the top 5 list for US brewpubs. Personal highlights:

• YouEnjoyMyStout
• Cerise Cassee
• Annual Barleywine Fest
• Poutine in a number of ways

 

CBC = Columbus Brewing Company. Yes, you are missing out.

 

I don't get this, you have never but are judging it that way? Also GDKERSEY lists a couple reasons why they are more than just OK. I could list beers/reasons that make them head and shoulders above a lot of Brewpubs, but I would really should say this. Spend some time there, drink some of the special type beers they have, you will eventually figure out why people think that.

 

Yeah, you need to get to CBC. I've traveled quite a bit and the only beer style that I've had elsewhere that CBC hasn't been better at has been IPA/DIPAs.

Edit: It is also strange that you consider yourself a beer nerd, but you haven't been to CBC. Best beer in town

 

First time i went there i was kind of in the same boat. Tried a couple of beers and thought they were OK. Fast forward two years and I love that place. Some seriously anazing beers are being made there. I could list individual beers but no need to keep gushing about them. Go there, enjoy the beers. If you dont like them, go again. If you still don't like CBC, check your tastebuds.

 

CbusBC is by no means nonsense!...with all due respect Honestly didn't even look what forum I was in, as I was reading the "what's new" posts. The acronym "CBC" always strikes a chord with me cuz I think the columbus brewery is phenomenal! I'd recommend getting your hands on some whenever possible. Next time I'm near Boston I'll check out "CBC" to see for myself if they're as good
Cheers!

 

Don't knock it til you try it. Best brewpub in the country? Not sure about that... I haven't been to all of them but they certainly are hard to beat in New England.

 

In my opinion, the food is much better than mediocre. If nothing jumps out at you from their menu, know that the fish and chips is outstanding.

As for the beers... I've had a couple duds but by and large they are excellent. It's easy to forget that this is a brewpub with the offerings they have - sake-beer hybrid, a bevy of wilds, a 7-year solera, no less than 6 takes on pumpkin beer around this time of year... and those are just a few of the things to come to mind. As a homebrewer you will at the very least appreciate the creativity if not straight up boundary pushing. Bear in mind that these are the guys that brought a non-alcoholic beer to Extreme Beer Fest last year (among other more traditionally extreme - oxymoron? - offerings). If that elicits a grin from you, chances are you'll appreciate their beer program.

In an extremely beer-centric city, they stand out to me as a constant go-to option. Oh, and if the weather's nice, they have an enormous patio for outdoor seating. Now I'm craving fish n chips and the grey ghost at 820 in the morning on a sunday.

Final word on the matter: you should probably go and check it out for yourself. Last time I went with my girlfriend, we split a flight of all the specialty beers they had on tap (6 beers I think?), we each got appetizers and then split a pizza and I believe the bill was right around $40-45. I think that's incredibly reasonable and worthwhile dining experiment, especially for a beer geek.

edit: Brief addendum: noticed that you said your friends are big beer-geeks. They will probably enjoy it, too - not all the beers are for beer geeks. They typically have a pale, porter, golden and amber on all the time, and they are solid expressions of the style even if they may not tickle your geekdom.

 

You're definitely missing out. They make so many fantastic beers of just about every style out there. There is also pretty much always at least 1-2 barrel aged and/or sour beers on tap, so the place is constantly right in the extreme beer geek's wheelhouse. Fantastic cask beers too, and even their standard lineup is solid. Also very cheap relative to the other high-end beer bars around the city.

Food isn't earth shattering, but it is usually more hit than miss. It's good quality and fresh ingredients, though sometimes the portions are a bit on the small side. Vibe is laid back, service typically varies by waiter and how busy the place is...

Put it this way - I live south of Boston and I go to CBC more than any other beer bar.

 

What I love about CBC that hasn't been mentioned already is that they bring their A game to festivals. You can always count on them to bring more beers than others, usually including some unique or different offerings that are consistently world class.

 

Food, service, and atmosphere I have found to be consistently sub-par, but the beers are really great. Worth a visit and plenty of other restaurants in walking distance to meet your food needs.

 

CBC is hands down my favorite brewery. cerise cassee is my favorite beer.

 

I have actually been to both. I thought the food was better in Columbus, but Cambridge's beer is far superior.

 

They also had an awesome pumpkin festival this past Saturday with over 40 pumpkin beers, which 11 were in house and the others were from guest breweries across the United States.

You also can't go wrong with the sours, wild ales, barrel aged, Belgians, etc. beers that they do. As for food, I have only had brunch there and thought the portion was right and the food was good.

 

I drink more beer from the CBC than from any other brewpub (and quite possibly any other brewery), and I go to the CBC more frequently than any other bar. When I think about the likelihood of moving out of Cambridge in a few years, one of the first things that comes to mind is how much I'll miss the CBC.

Of course, the main reason I love the CBC is the beer. The level of quality, variety and innovativeness is among the best of any brewery in New England. While I agree that the IPA/DIPAs can be a bit of a relatively weak spot, even those are good here, albeit often different than other breweries. Still, the Audacity of Hops, Spring Training, Mind Left Body and Will's Not Here are all examples of very good (and in some cases excellent) IPAs brewed at the CBC.

And while I occasionally get a sub-par dish here, it's never bad, and more often than not, quite good. I especially love the Wallet (my standby sandwich at the CBC) and several of the entrees, which tend to be quite good. Even better, though, is the killer food coming off the grill at their events, like this past weekend's Great Pumpkin Fest.

I've always found the service to be friendly, prompt and knowledgeable. They won't coddle you and the servers here, like humans everywhere, have personality. Personally, I think that's a good thing. I'm not sure where the idea of bad service comes from here.

Finally, I love the CBC for the vibe. Sure, I hate that they switched out the cooler, old lights (there are still one or two of the old ones in the brewhouse behind the bar), and the light maple tables for darker wood, and the vibrant color scheme of the back room for bland earth tones. But the front room is still a great, open beer hall, and the patio is probably the best in the Boston area. The music is good and never overbearing, and the crowd is always diverse and interesting. Just like the beer.

My advice would be to get to the CBC as soon as possible, and never look back.

 

One of my favorites in the area, I don't get there nearly as often as I would like. It's easy to find a good IPA in Boston/Cambridge, so I like having some variety when I go to CBC. I've always really enjoyed their food too. One of the best clam rolls I've ever had when it was on special. And they serve pitchers!!

My only complaint: My wife hates beer and drinks whiskey, leaving no option at CBC, so it's hard to get her to come with.

 

CBC has def earned the title 'best brewpub in the country' (chowhound.com contest, i believe). my wife is 6 months pregnant and i still try to get in there once a week (Somerville, MA res). Will (brewmaster) is always hanging around and willing to chat to a homebrewer, the food is fresh, tasty and well priced, and the beer... fresher, tastier, well priced-ier.

The Great Pumpkin Ale is probably top 5 pumpkin ales in the country (pumpkin, not pumpkin spice ale, not pumpkin pie ale)... there i said it.