The 15 Best Breweries In Boston 2024

"Founded in 1986, employee-owned Harpoon is the oldest craft brewery in the Boston area. Its flagship Harpoon IPA came out in 1993, at a time when people generally weren’t interested in hoppy beer. Harpoon IPA’s malty, hop-forward, crispy beer was a massive success and contributed to the IPA boom of the early 2000s. While you should still prioritize trying an IPA or two, they also do other styles exceptionally well, like unfiltered, fruit-forward UFO wheat beers that are perfect for summer. You can get a tour of the brewing facility, but you can also just sip a pint in front of the glass windows that look out to the bottling line. There’s not a substantial food menu, but the pretzels made with spent grains are tasty. " - valerie li stack