When the weather is hot, there’s nothing better than an ice-cold brew enjoyed outside at one of Boston’s many beer gardens. While there’s a relatively short season to enjoy suds in the sun in New England, some beer gardens stay open past summer and a few pour brews all year long. More beer gardens seemingly sprout up every year, but the following six places make the strongest cases for being our go-to spots for brews and bites.
Trillium’s main campus in Canton offers a massive patio with plenty of seating and room to spread out. You can order from beer trailers when they are open or head inside to get food and drinks. Trillium also has several other venues where you can enjoy its beers, including Fort Point and Time Out Market in Fenway, plus a seasonal beer garden at the Rose Kennedy Greenway. While Trillium has a large roster of brews, the Double and Triple IPAs are arguably its most popular.
Notch Brewing
Head to the Charles River Speedway marketplace in Brighton for Notch Brewing’s fun atmosphere. The large biergarten is open year-round with communal tables (and umbrellas in the summer and heaters in the winter). Besides sampling Notch’s beers, there are several other outlets at the Speedway, including food vendors and shops. Music, trivia and even yoga are among the events held in the lively marketplace.
Not only can you sip suds in the Seaport District at Harpoon Brewery’s beer garden, but you can also play (or watch) pickleball at its adjacent courts. Harpoon, an independent and employee-owned brewery, has been around since 1986 and has an extremely loyal fan base that adores its Harpoon IPA. In the summer, you can also find a Harpoon Beer Garden at Boston Common serving draft beers, seasonal pours (like the Summer Style blonde ale), wine, hard seltzer, cider, margaritas and non-alcoholic drinks.
Enjoy beer year-round at Dorchester Brewing’s “Hopservatory,” a four-season rooftop greenhouse with a patio overlooking the city. DBC serves both in-house and partner brews, cider and wine on tap. Inside, there’s a game room and restaurant. For those who love quirky places, the brewery also houses the Museum of Bad Art. This non-profit offbeat organization, formed in 1993, has moved around a bit over the years but seems to have found a home here.
One of the earliest names in the craft brewery movement is still one of its biggest. When you visit the Samuel Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain, sit back with a cold Boston Lager — the beer that put the label on the map — in the garden after an informative brewery tour or go to the Faneuil Hall tap room, where you’ll discover a rooftop deck with incredible views. On top of the great beer, Faneuil Hall is mere steps from Boston’s Sam Adams statue and the Freedom Trail.
You couldn’t ask for better summertime views than Night Shift’s flagship restaurant and brewery on Lovejoy Wharf, which overlooks Boston Harbor and the Zakim Bridge. Just steps from TD Garden, the spot is understandably popular with sports fans on game days, too. When you’re ready to score, grab a brew and a Detroit-style pizza, which is one of the company’s other claims to fame. From spring to fall, Night Shift also operates pop-up beer gardens along the Charles River and by South Station.
