Sam Adams Brewery

No stay in New England would be complete without a visit to the Sam Adams Brewery. The brewery in Boston is the smallest of the three in the country. This is the location where they experiment with new brews. There is no bottling at this facility. Beer that leaves this facility is put in wooden barrels that are then put in kegs somewhere else.

It is a small facility, so the actual tour is only in 2 rooms. In the first room, we talked about the ingredients of beer and got to see, touch, and taste. It took me back to working at a daycare! Then we went into the brewing room (that was extremely loud) where there were 8 very large brew tanks. We learned about the history of Sam Adams beer and the brewing process. Jim Koch founded The Boston Beer Company in 1984 because he believed that Americans deserved better beer. I don't remember much of what our tour guide said because I was in the back of the group and it was LOUD in the room!

Then we went into the tasting room where we all received a complimentary 7 oz tasting glass. We tasted 3 different beers. We learned the proper way to taste the Boston Lager (the original beer), and what is done every morning by the beer tasters. What a job! It is a 5 step process: visual appraisal, aroma, body, flavor, and appraisal (drink!).

We also tasted the seasonal brew, which is currently Summer Ale. It has grains of paradise in it. Nicholas likes to tell people that and watch them not believe him, but it is true. Then we tried the Boston Brick Red, which is only sold in select bars in Boston along the Freedom Trail. So...we have had beer most of you will never try! Of course, it is Nicholas' new favorite beer. *sigh*