Beer Works is located in the back area of the newly (re)built Hingham Shipyard, which is "being transformed into a waterfront village of luxury town homes, apartments, condominums, restaurants, shops, etc..." Basically, that means it'll be a new attraction in the town, but more importantly the home to what will likely be one of our new favorite places to visit.
Because it was the opening night, we were able to grab a parking spot directly in front of the entrance; however, to our surprise, it was quite packed. We were quickly greeted at the door, as we made our way to the bar. The bar seating was actually filled up, but to our luck there happened to be two spots open - it was meant to be! We were greeted by our server/bartender, and we ordered our first beers: mine was a Hingham Pale Ale, and Sarah opted for the Oktoberfest (guess whose is who).
Both beers were quite good, and an excellent start to our first visit. The Hingham Pale Ale was slightly bitter, but with a soft sweetness. The Oktoberfest was light in body, and pretty malty, as one would expect from a Marzen. We then ordered our dinner, while taking in the beautiful sites of Beer Works' new digs.
Beer Works has 16 beers on tap, with room for more!
Now, this is the third location I've visited, but is instantly my new favorite. If you're not from Boston, you probably don't know that Beer Works has two downtown Boston locations. One is in Fenway, directly across from our beloved Ball Park, as well as on Canal Street, next to my personal favorite place - the TD Garden, where my boys in Black and Gold play (as well as the Celtics). Beer Works also has locations in Lowell, MA(where they bottle their beer for retail), two locations at Logan International Airport, as well as one in Salem, MA.
The dining area at the new Hingham Beer Works is incredible. They have a very large, open dining area, with additional booth seating, and high top tables adjacent to the bar. It should be noted that the bar is incredibly large and L shaped, with the capability of seating at least 35-40 people. There is also an outdoor patio space, which (I'm assuming) will open in the spring. There is even a side room, capable of being used as a function room.
Anyway, our dinner came, as did our next round of drinks - I had the Double Pale Ale, and Sarah ordered the Black Rider.
The Double Pale Ale is an unfiltered, over-hopped, American Pale Ale. It is incredibly floral and fragrant, and was exactly what I love in my beers...bitter! The Black Rider is a Black Lager brewed with a small percentage of roasted malt, which gives it its amazing black color. However, it is incredibly smooth and tasty. It is lighter than a Porter, but has similar characteristics- slightly smoky, smooth as ever, and not very bitter.
For my last round, I went with a tall Oktoberfest, inspired by Sarah's enjoyment as well as my own curiosity of trying the beer for the first time. Sarah enjoyed a Hendricks Martini, which she noted was pretty good!
Because it was the grand opening, the Chief Brewer for all locations, Tim Wilson, offered to take us on an impromptu tour of the brewhouse. Tim has been with Beer Works since 2007, but started his professional career at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, CA, and also worked at John Harvard's.
Shown in the following pictures are the seven new 300 gallon fermentation tanks.
From our seats at the bar
From the brewhouse
Tim took us all around, along with a two other guests, including the cooler room - which pumps the beer right to the bar out of their tanks or half-barrel kegs.
A gift from the Gods!
At any rate, it was a great tour, and Sarah and I were able to talk beer with Tim for a good 20 minutes. It was an excellent end to our first experience at Hingham Beer Works, and we will definitely be going back soon for more fresh beer.
If you haven't been to these excellent brewpubs, it's worth a trip to the Boston area. Hit up a Sox game, go to a Bruins or Celtics game (make sure to go early for both, it will be crowded), or one of their other locations for some great beer!
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3 comments:
This was a great night - awesome food and beer and Tim could not have been nicer. Can't wait to go back!
Also, those beer pics make me look like a wimp!
Sarah, your beers were a reasonable size. It looks like Adam had 3 Big Gulps of brew. I need to hit up Beer Works SOON.
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