Boston: Sam Adams Brewery Tour

This weekend Sam and I went to visit our friends Becky and Gary in Boston.  Although both of us had been to Boston in the past, it was when we were much younger.  So it’s been on our list to see our friends and check out this city as adults.

On Saturday we visited the Sam Adams Brewery, did the tour and tried some of their beers!  The tours take place Monday thru Saturday, each day starting at 10am.  Each tour is about 1 hour, and you can enjoy a Sam Adams beer at the end!

The brewery is in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, in a fairly residential neighborhood- easily accessible by public transportation.  The tour is free, but donations are recommended.

Samuel Adams was founded by Jim Koch in 1984 in Boston, MA.  Although Sam Adams is the largest selling craft beer in the country, it only accounts for less than 1% of the beer in the U.S.  Most of the beer is actually made in two other breweries- which are located in Cincinnati, Ohio and near Allentown, Pennsylvania (this location makes about 60% of the beer).  The Boston location is mainly used to test out new beer, 2 million barrels of beer per year are made here- which only accounts for 1% of all Sam Adams beer.

What beers did we get to taste?  We had the Sam Adams Boston Lager, the seasonal Summer Ale, and the Sam Adams 26.2 Marathon Brew.  This last beer can only be found on tap around Boston, and it was made specifically for the Boston Marathon– which took place this past Monday.  Currently there are 50 different types of Sam Adams beer.  The most popular, about 50% of sales, is the Boston Lager.

What did we see on the tour?

This is where the brewing and mashing takes place.

This is the cooling tank to allow the beer to cool off.

These are the fermentation and conditioning tanks, each holds 25 barrels of beer.

Barrels of beer ready for drinking!

This is in the tasting room, great to see the different bottles.

Next time you’re in Boston you should definitely check out the Sam Adams Brewery!

After the tour you can take the free trolley to Doyle’s Cafe (about a 5 minute drive).  This trolley is decorated with a disco ball and the driver plays fun music.  In 1986 Jim Koch established a partnership with Doyle’s Cafe, making them the first purveyors of Sam Adams beer- this was the first place that had the Sam Adams beers on tap.  Doyle’s Cafe was established in 1882- it’s celebrating its 130th anniversary this week!  The best part is if you show your Sam Adam’s Tour stamp, and order a Sam Adams beer, you get to keep the Sam Adams glass!  We had some amazing clam chowder here!