John Harvard's killing it

Never heard of Spacelab

 

This was accurate as of 2/20, but I noticed it hasn't been updated since 2/18: http://bit.ly/2l3RpuS

They did say Lunar Sunrise was almost gone when I was there.

 

Interesting read and glad to hear Wally was considered solid as well. Strange that they included the Sam Adams offering without appearing to note that it actually contains mango juice and is a bit of an odd man out.

 

The John Harvard's Framingham Facebook page has a beer list you can click on that has an updated list. If you are not a Facebook user, you can check/follow the John Harvard's venue on Untappd. The web site sadly is way out of date and I don't yet have access to sync that up (hopefully soon though).

 

Does this mean the Harvard location has some of these beers (or new beers in general) as well?

I kind of remember my last experience (maybe last few) weren't the greatest, so I haven't been back in a while. I used to love that place.

 

They switched to being just a bar over a year ago I think, stopped brewing, JH beers come from Framingham and they have guest taps. No growlers since they're not a brewery.

 

Good to know, thanks!

Sounds like I can try some of these awesome beers I've been reading about in this thread.

 

The only JH beers that go from Framingham to Cambridge are Pale and a seasonal (which currently is Imperial Stout although they should be close to being out of that)

 

I liked this for informational purposes only. Because that sucks. I'll still swing by though to try the pale ale/seasonal and see what guest taps are there.

 

@xerotime is quite a beer celebrity in Metrowest. His hoppy beers have a unique character. It's unfortunate the Imperial Stout kicked when I got there. Pretty solid Kolsh too.

Contemporary Dance. Even though Infinite Improbability is the real MVP.

 

Finally got around to trying a couple of beers at John Harvard's (after suggesting to the wife it would be a good place for lunch while we were in the area, which it was) I had the Brando IPA which was superb! as well as the hefeweizen which was equally as good in its own way. Will definitely be back. A good experience all around!

 

Must echo the sentiments here that John Harvard's in Framingham is back on the map for me. Got to chew the fat with the bartender (very knowledgeable about local brews) and enjoy a couple pours of the Brando IPA and the Cask Brando IPA with Nelson hops. Love Cask IPAs - keep up the offerings!

Brando IPA had that desirable haze and juice that many local breweries attempt. Didn't seem forced or in any way a fake one-off than many East Coast IPA clones end up being. This beer had character and depth as well as being imminently drinkable. The Cask version had some excellent white-wine and melon notes from the Nelson and was a pleasure to drink side-by-side with the draft version of Brando. Think cask version of Trillium Stillings Street.

The temperature of the cask IPA was spot-on to me. Just the slightest of chills.

I admit, I hadn't been there much since 1998 so it brought back some memories of nearly 20 years ago walking back in there.

Gorgonzola burger is worth a shot too...loved it.

Best of luck to @xerotime as the journey continues. I'll be back!

 

Unfortunately this is accurate. I went back to the Harvard location a couple weeks ago, and I think the pale ale (Dunster?) which I've seen before was there. They were out of the Brattle Blonde, and I don't recall seeing a seasonal (there could have been one, it had been a long day of drinking so I was shying away from high ABV beers).

To make a long story short, they have guest taps as well and I went with Notch Pils. So...much different experience than what's being posted about the Framingham location.

 

Had the Brando this past weekend. My God, it was delicious. Reminiscent of TH's Julius but with Mosaic notes too.

The Peach Frappe looked intriguing but I passed because I'm trying to stay away from DIPAs for a bit. Anyone try it out? Interesting combo of lactose with peach in a NEIPA.

 

Brando is one of the best kept secrets I know in MA. I like it better than many Trillium beers, and it might be on the level of Tree House (hard to say, I haven't had TH in a while). Regardless, it’s elite, yet you can just walk right in a get a growler of it with no wait/line. And now I can use my brandless growlers there

 

I agree completely. This beer is helping me stay away from Tree House as they trend towards calmer times... I hope.

 

Funny that their website still only shows the classic brewpub styles. Is the beer improved at all locations or just Framingham?

 

This is exclusive to the Framingham location. Per the brewer:

I usually keep an eye on their Untappd menu to see what they've got:

https://untappd.com/v/john-harvards-brewery-and-ale-house/55

 

Went today, tried the Brando obviously, yes it is excellent. Let me just say they had a Pils, Coffee Porter, Saison, and West Coast IPA as good in their styles as Brando is in it's. Really just fantastic.

The food is obviously SYSCO but hey it's edible

 

Ok went again. Weather Patterns the Belgian Wit is encyclopedic, not my style, but it nails it and I can drink it.

Just head out here my BA' s because soon he'll be brewing in some shed and you'll have to stand in line for 3 hours