Salem Beer Works: Dirverse and Tasty Craft Beer and Food in Witch Town!

Samuel Adams, move over. The Boston Beer works is edging their way into the mainstream Boston Craft Beer scene with three restaurants, two in Boston and one located in Salem. With their surprising beer quality, generous helpings of food and knowledgeable staff, they might be the summer destination for any craft beer lover in Boston. The Salem location of the Boston Beer Works has 16 beers on tap daily, all brewed at the restaurant location, rotated seasonally and with the batches of brew that mature for consumption. Last weekend I spent the day in Salem, and before taking a walking ghost tour got a chance to have dinner and sample some beer.

When I walked in, I was happy to see that the place was jumping with people, some at the bar watching the Red Sox playing, some families at tables enjoying their meals, and several twenty-somethings in a corner having fun. The atmosphere was welcoming, and even with the game on, we were seated immediately. The waitress was eager to explain what beers were on tap that evening, though a printed list of what was on top for that evening would have been helpful. They have a permanent beer list but that changes with what's brewing, so it's sometimes hard to remember what was 'on' that evening or not. The waitress knew her beer, and was able to explain different beer types, suggest pairings and answer questions about each. I found this to be a refreshing change to some recent experiences I've had elsewhere being served, where the server's eyes glaze over when you ask them if they have any India Pale Ales on tap.

We ordered Maki as an appetizer and it came with a fresh mango/pineapple salsa on top. It was a fun summery start to my dinner, and I took the opportunity to order a sampler of beer from their menu so that I could try as many as I could during my visit.

The first one I tried was their White Beer, which, sadly I didn't catch the name of. This one had a strong wheaty smell, it was a cloudy light copper color and had very little head. Its flavor was sweet, wheaty and strong - a delightful start. I'm a little weary of wimpy whites, so this was a great strong start. This was very tasty and I'd recommend it, my friend who loves all things Belgian even gave it a nice nod, pretty cool!

Second up I tried their Kolch, which I tried because I've only had one other Kolch before (at the Elm City Brewery in Keene, NH) and I was curious to try another. It was clearly yellowy with a little head, it smelled light. The taste was all at the end with a really nice finish to it - an almost peachy tartness to round out the end of it. Really drinkable and interesting, I kept getting a different taste each time I sipped it.

Next I tasted their hefeweizen, which, out of all the beer that I sampled that evening was the only one that wasn't excellent. The brew was okay, but it tasted a bit more watery than most hefe's I've tried. It was properly cloudy, had a great smell and was served with a wedge of lemon, but the taste was a little less strong that I would have liked. Not an unpleasant beer by any means, just not the best hefe I've had.

Their blueberry was sweet smelling and sweet tasting, it reminded me of the Portsmouth Brewery's blueberry but farther on the sweet end of the scale. Also served with fresh blueberries, this one is very drinkable and has noticeable blueberry taste in it. I'd say this was one of the better blueberry beer's I've tried, and the best one on tap I've had to date.

My favorite of the evening, however was their watermelon beer. Now, I'll admit that I have heard of watermelon wine but never of watermelon beer. So I ordered this one because I was very curious about how that combination would sit. It came with a huge wedge of watermelon on the side of the beer, another thing that I have never seen before! It was cold, refreshing, crisp and light with a completely natural watermelon taste to it. I could seriously picture myself sitting at a barbecue with it, or sitting outside on my front lawn (if I actually had one) in the heat of a summer's day. It wasn't intoxicatingly sweet which was a blessing. It was really well balanced, thirst-quenching and I left wishing that I could just pick up a six pack around the corner from my apartment in NH. A bonus was that the slice of watermelon even tasted good soaked in beer. Who'd have thought?

For my main course I ordered a pesto chicken sandwitch, which was quite tasty. The bread was larger than I expected tit to be and it filled me up quickly, but not for the lack of taste. The food is simple with some interesting items on the menu, but its very family friendly. I got sweet potato fries with my dinner that were quite nice, and a healthier alternative to greasy regular fries. They were cooked perfectly, also, another treat.

I've got to hand it to these guys. Despite being somewhat of a chain, their dedication to the beer stands out. If you're in the Boston or Salem area, don't be fooled by the new-feeling of this brewery. It has some great gems in it waiting for you to try, and something there that anyone you bring will enjoy.

Unless you're a Yankee's fan, of course.