Review: Harpoon Brewery Tour in Boston, Massachusetts

If you are planning a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, consider touring some of the breweries while you are there. The Sam Adams brewery is a first choice for many people because of the popularity of the brand, but Harpoon Brewery offers a great tour as well. In contrast to the Sam Adams tour, Harpoon actually brews much of their beer here. The brewery is easy to find. Harpoon is located inside near the Marine Industrial Park and near the World Trade Center. You can reach the brewery by taking the silver line of the metro system, which is recommended since there is currently no parking at the brewery. Take the Red Line to South Station and then get on the Silver Line - Waterfront which is on the bus route. The brewery is the 4^th stop on the Silver Line.

There are two different ways to visit the brewery: Weekday Tastings and Weekend Tours. Tours are not given during the week while all of the machinery is operating.

On weekdays, you can sit in the tasting room which overlooks the brewery and sample Harpoon and UFO bears for free. Staff explain the brewing process and the history of the company as you sample. This is a great option for people who have trouble walking and do not want to take the tour. The tasting lasts for about 1 hour. You do not need a reservation for tasting. Tastings are offered each weekday at 4PM and at 2PM on Wednesday through Friday.

Tours are offered for $5 on the weekends. You will be given a souvenir sample glass to take home for your money. They are given from every half hour from 11:30 to 5PM on Saturdays and every hour from 12 to 3PM on Sundays. These tours often fill up and sell out, so you should plan to arrive early to ensure you get a spot. Be prepared to wait awhile for your turn. In Institute of Contemporary Arts and many restaurants are located nearby if you need to kill some time.

The following beers are often available for sampling on tastings and tours: Harpoon IPA, Harpoon Ale, Harpoon Munich Dark, Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale, UFO Hefweizen, UFO White, Harpoon Cider, Harpoon Summer Beer, UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, #31 Single Hop ESB, Leviathan Imperial IPA.

The tour was fun and informative. The staff really seemed excited about their beer. About half way through the tour, they let us try some uncarbonated beer right out of the fermenter.