Boston Adventure: Part Two - Harpoon Brewery

I am a bit of a beer fanatic and I enjoy trying new beers whenever I get the chance. One of the best ways to do this is by going to the brewery itself; you'll get to see how the beer is made, learn some history, and taste a few of the beers they make. I have been to the Samuel Adams Brewery before, but this time around in Boston, I went to Harpoon Brewery. Let me tell you, this place was amazing!

First of all, the primary Harpoon Brewery is in Boston, Massachusetts (Seaport Area), but they have a much smaller location in Windsor, Vermont. The Boston location is where all the mass production takes place. Another cool thing about Harpoon is they are environmentally conscious and make sure their products are recycled properly, winning them the Boston Green Business Award in 2012.

The first room of the brewery had a shop, a bar, and long wooden tables. There were no TVs there because they went with the old fashioned idea that people drinking beer should sit together and socialize, which I thought was a wonderful idea. There were plenty of beers on top (all for pretty cheap, too) and they had samplers for those who are not into alcohol, there was nonalcoholic rootbeer! And fresh squeezed lemonade. The food looked good, too. We got the cinnamon pretzel and it was to die for.

Aside from the pretzel, my friend got the

nonalcoholic rootbeer and I got the "specialty sampler" which came with 1) Apple Cinnamon UFO, 2) UFO Cranberry, 3) Captain's IPA, and 4) Nana's Nightcap. The UFO versions are their unfiltered options, and they are so good. It was my first time trying the Apple Cinnamon UFO and Nana's Nightcap. Both were so good! I was really happy with my choice in that one. Another awesome thing is that they make sure the beers on the sampler palette are numbered in accordance to the chalk board above the bar, so you always know what you are drinking. The sampler was also only $6, which is basically a steal.

The brewery tour itself cost $5 per person and the tours run on the hour. We were all given protective goggles before going through the tour. We also lucked out that our tour group was really small, so we got to hear everything and have it be a little more personal.

 At the beginning, we got to see the beer being put into bottles, cans, and kegs with this really intense machine. The "bottling line" can fill ~250 bottles a minute!

The main ingredients of beer are:

• Water
• Malted Barley
• Hops
• Yeast

The employee giving the tour takes you down to where the beer itself is brewed (The Brewhouse) and goes through the process. There are several steps to making

beer, starting with the malted barley, which is broken down so the starches become exposed. It is then mixed with hot water in the Mash Tun--this mixture creates what we call mash. After that, the mash is put through a filter so the husks do not get mixed in with the wort (the liquid). The next step is the Brew Kettle, where the
hops are added to the beer (the amount and kind depending on the type of beer being brewed). A whirlpool treatment is then used to separate the wort from the excess hop and barley particles. The last step is sending the wort to the tank to start the fermentation process.

A fun fact is that the broken down barley is given to local farmers as feed
for their livestock. This is beneficial for them because the cows, horses, etc. do not need to break down the extra starches after eating--it was already done at the brewery!

After this, we went back into a room and learned about some of the current
beers on top. We also got to try "green beer" which is the title given to beer before it becomes what it is supposed to be. After trying the green beer, we got to try different beers on top. I tried an IPA, a Nitro Stout, and this limited edition porter. Again, everything was really good.

The last stop was to learn about bottling and sales. Harpoon bottles

their beer in brown bottles to ensure no exposure to sunlight (something that can cause the beers to get "skunked"), which effects a lot of beers in clear or green bottles. They also pay attention to the shelf life of the beer, so if you buy a package of Harpoon and it tastes funny or is past its shelf life date, bring it in and they will exchange it for you to ensure your overall satisfaction!

Another topic covered was location. Harpoon's products do not span as far as the west coast and they do not have any current plans to do so.

Overall, I would recommend going to the Harpoon Brewery, no matter your feelings on beer. There's so many different options there and the people working are really friendly.