Sam Adams Brewery Tour

July 11, 2013 by cryan.com

Recently I took the Boston's Sam Adams Brewery tour with my company's engineering team. Here are some notes about the tour if you are interested in doing it.

The brewery is accessable by the Orange Line, get off at the Stony Brook stop and walk a couple of blocks to the Samuel Adams Brewery. You'll see some signs along Amory Street pointing you to the right directions.  (Take a left when you get out of the train station and head towards the traffic light, and look for the Sam Adams billboard pointing you to the way!)

The tour groups are large, I estimate that there were 30 people on the tour group. We basically went through three sections of the Sam Adams Brewery. You are allowed to take pictures on the tour.

In the first section you get some basic understanding what goes into making a beer. You will get to feel and smell raw hops and wheat. (Some people even tasted raw hops!) Your tour guide will explains all the different parts of the beer and why each ingredient is important to making their beer the best.

In the next room you get to see some of the large containers and barrels where the beer gets made. The tour guide will explain the step-by-step process of making each beer. While the tour guide is talking you may see some employees opening containers and barrels to perform daily functions. Note: The tours are given in the research and development area of Samuel Adams Brewery - you are not really seeing beer making process being done that will be distributed around Boston.

This is where most people are excited to try some of the beer. You get a 7oz plastic cup and a chance to sample 3 different types of beer. On my tour, we tasted Boston Lager, Summer Ale and Black Lager. When you get the first drink, the guide will explain all the ways to taste and see what makes Sam Adam's beer different. Some people in the tour were able to have more than one sample of the beer.

• There were some children on the tour. I think it's probably not the best place to bring them since there's not a whole lot of excitement for them. (Kids don't get root beer or anything, and the one's I saw didn't look excited to be there.)
• When your tasting the beer, the tour guide will explain how you can get the famous Sam Adams glass at a discount. (Hint: It's available at a nearby bar.)
• The tours last about 45 minutes, with much of the time spent tasting the beer.
• After the tour is over, there is an "extra" tasting where you can sample a couple of "upcoming" beers. Let the Brewery know which one you like and why.