Boston Brew Tours: Just Get in the Van

It’s generally not a good idea to get into a van driven by strangers – unless the vehicle in question belongs to Boston Brew Tours. In that case, you should absolutely climb inside, ’cause they’re about to take you on a whirlwind day of drinking and craft beer schooling.

I was a little leery about waking up early on a Saturday, but duty called, so I got out of bed before noon and got my ass over to Kendall, one of the five city stops where the tour scoops up guests. Despite the sun, the bronze van and its giant beer sticker were pretty easy to spot from across the street. Once inside its comfy confines, I was introduced to Chad Brodsky, Boston Brew Tours’ fearless founder, and Eli, a plaid-clad driver-in-training. I also shook hands with my first fellow passenger, Brett Hansen, who just happens to run his own beer-centric bus tour in Indianapolis. Small world!

After picking up the remaining nine passengers, we departed for the Seaport. On the way, Chad had us play a quick icebreaker as he pointed out landmarks and explained the day’s itinerary – a big brewery, microbrewery, and nanobrewery (“In the craft beer industry, there’s more than enough pie for everyone.”) I was a little disappointed we were going somewhere I’d been tons of times, but given that half the group was from out of town, it made total sense to start with Harpoon. Anyway, who’s going to argue with a soft, chewy beer hall pretzel? Not this correspondent.

After properly QAing the Black IPA, we were let loose for 20 minutes before stop #2 – Meadhall. Pints in hand, we toured the basement where kegs live (“Whatever you do, don’t touch the lines”) and got a short tutorial on the importance of bar maintenance. It was neat to see the facilities from a business management perspective – I had no idea Meadhall refused to serve beer without the proper glassware. Everyone got quiet when lunch arrived – heaping plates of pulled pork sliders marinated in Kentucky Bourbon Barrel and meatloaf smothered in McChouffe Brown Ale. Oh, and there were fries.

Next up, Chad and Eli squired us to Everett, a slightly sketchy site for beer consumption (“This is the part of the tour where you get out of the van and we murder you”) but totally cool once you’re indoors. Chris and Grace, co-founders of Idle Hands, let us taste their traditional, Belgian-inspired wares and inspect their custom-built tanks (“A home brewer’s wet dream.”) Ten seconds later, we were greeted by their neighbors at Night Shift and treated to some pretty strange flavor profiles, including habanero peppers and honeydew melon.

All in all, it was an excellent exploration of the local craft scene. I can’t think of a more unique way to spend an afternoon than sampling a strawberry and kiwi sour in a warehouse with strangers who have become friends in a matter of hours – and I can’t wait to go for another round.