I love craft beer, and one of the things I have absolutely not taken advantage of since moving to Boston is the close proximity of two craft breweries, Harpoon and Sam Adams. I finally got myself to Harpoon last Sunday and took a tour.

Harpoon Brewery, 306 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA

For $5.00 (some of which goes to Harpoon Helps), you get a tasting glass, a tour, and about half an hour to sample whichever beers they’ve got on tap. Everyone’s first sample is the IPA. After that, I went for their Crystal Wheat, Helles Blond Bock from the 100 Barrel Series, and the new UFO White.

I’m a huge fan of their regular UFO and the White did not disappoint! I went home with a growler of it. The Crystal Wheat and Helles were excellent as well. I recommend them if you’re into those types of beers (or even if you’re not. Try them anyway!) I’ll definitely be picking those up soon.

I’ll stop now before this turns into a beer blog. Here are some pictures.

The beginning of the tour

I believe this is the boil tank.

Tanks and tubes.

"The freshest beer you've ever tasted."

During the tour we were given a sample of the IPA before the last step in the brewing process is performed. There was no CO₂ added yet, which was definitely strange at first sip, but it was really good.

More tanks.

Where the bottling is done.

The Harpoon staff was so friendly and knowledgeable (not that I expected otherwise!) I had a blast. It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!