The 10 best breweries in Boston
Boston’s breweries run from Harpoon, founded in 1986, and the original Samuel Adams site in Jamaica Plain to a lager house in Brighton and a taproom in a former Roslindale bank. This list covers ten breweries and brewery taprooms inside the city limits of Boston, from the Seaport and Downtown Crossing out to Hyde Park. It is written for visitors planning a tour and for residents picking a place for a pint.
The list favors places that brew their own beer, keep regular taproom hours all year and have food on site or allow it in. Published prices are modest: tours and guided tastings run $15 to $30 a person, and a spent grain pretzel at Harpoon is $12. Most taprooms pour flights or small sizes for anyone who wants to try several beers.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each brewery is inside the City of Boston and was confirmed open in November 2026 through the company’s own website or a dated event listing. Selection rested on coverage in local press, years in business, beer made by the company rather than bought in, and a taproom that welcomes walk-ins. Cambridge, Somerville and other neighboring cities were left out. Bars that carry a brewery’s name but only pour beer made elsewhere were also left out.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Castle Island Brewing Co.
Castle Island Brewing Co. started in Norwood in December 2015 and added the South Boston taproom on Old Colony Avenue later, in the former Cole Hersee electrical components factory. The taproom pours a rotating selection of 20 Castle Island beers, ciders, hard seltzers and wine, and the kitchen belongs to Bardo’s, the in-house partner that makes South Shore-style bar pizza. Pizza and beer to go can be ordered ahead and picked up at the door. Families are welcome during the day, but entry is limited to guests 21 and older after 8 p.m. every night. Leashed dogs are allowed on the outdoor patio only.
Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The brewery says hours can vary for private events and holidays.
Address: 10 Old Colony Avenue, South Boston, MA 02127
Why they made the list
- The company lists a Great American Beer Festival gold medal for Bohemian Shine in the Czech pilsner category among the awards on the brewery’s website.
- According to the brewery, Cole Hersee was founded by the great-grandfather of Castle Island’s founder, and his portrait hangs in the building.
- The South Boston taproom is open seven days a week.
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Democracy Brewing
Workers own Democracy Brewing, a brewery and restaurant on Temple Place between Boston Common and Downtown Crossing that opened on July 4, 2018. The beer is brewed in house and sold in 5-, 16- and 32-ounce pours or as a flight of four 5-ounce glasses. The November 2026 draft list included Worker’s Pint, a 5.5 percent helles lager, and Body Language, a 6.6 percent hazy IPA, along with a smoked lager and a pumpkin ale. The kitchen makes a double smashed burger, smoked wings and tater tots topped with Venezuelan braised beef. Monday is the short day, with doors opening at 4 p.m.
Hours: Monday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Address: 35 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111
Why they made the list
- The company is structured as a worker-owned business, and the brewery’s website says employees share in the profits.
- The downtown pub has a full kitchen and an event space used for fundraisers, art shows and live music.
- Democracy Brewing now lists a second location in East Boston on the company website.
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Distraction Brewing Company
Roslindale Square got a brewery in October 2019, when Distraction Brewing Company opened in a former bank on Belgrade Avenue. Boston magazine’s report on the opening described a 1,600-square-foot, family-friendly taproom with a standing drink rail that looks over a 10-barrel brewing system. The first beers poured included RoslinPale Ale and Belgrade Tripel, and the lineup has rotated with the seasons since. In 2024 the owners announced a sale to another brewery, then reversed course and stayed open when the deal fell through, NBC10 Boston reported on September 3, 2024. The current tap list is posted on the brewery’s website.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 2 Belgrade Avenue, Roslindale, MA 02131
Why they made the list
- Distraction is a small neighborhood brewery in Roslindale Square, well away from the downtown and Seaport taprooms.
- The taproom was the start and finish of a Massachusetts Brewery Running Series 5K on August 22, 2026.
- Besides the street-level taproom, the brewery has space in the old bank’s basement vaults, according to Boston magazine’s 2019 report.
Dorchester Brewing Co.
A glass-walled rooftop greenhouse called the Hopservatory sits on top of Dorchester Brewing Co., which opened on Massachusetts Avenue in 2016 and expanded the taproom in 2020. More than 20 taps pour house beer, cider, hard seltzer, wine and cocktails. M&M BBQ runs the kitchen every day, and outside food is not allowed. The building also houses the Museum of Bad Art, which is free to enter, plus an arcade, shuffleboard and board games. The brewery does not give regular tours. Andrew and JFK/UMass on the Red Line are each about a 10-minute walk, and the lot next door has free parking Thursday through Sunday.
Hours: Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight. M&M BBQ closes at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday and at 9 p.m. the rest of the week.
Address: 1250 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02125 (Dorchester)
Why they made the list
- The Boston Globe Magazine included Dorchester Brewing in a July 11, 2024 roundup of nine breweries and taprooms in the Boston area.
- Dogs are welcome on the first- and second-floor outdoor patios.
- The taproom takes reservations and walk-ins, and guests under 21 can visit with a parent or guardian.
- Crowlers and four-packs of house beer are sold to go.
Harpoon Brewery
Harpoon dates to 1986, the year three college friends founded the company and, by the brewery’s account, received Massachusetts brewing permit number 001. The Seaport beer hall on Northern Avenue seats guests at communal tables with no reservations, and pours Harpoon IPA alongside cider, seltzer and limited beers. Order the spent grain pretzel, $12 with ale mustard and IPA cheese. Guided tastings cost $15 a person and start every hour on the half hour, from 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 12:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Flights are four 6-ounce pours of any draft beer.
Hours: Beer hall: Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Food is served until one hour before closing.
Address: 306 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210
Why they made the list
- Harpoon has been brewing for four decades, according to the history page on the company’s website.
- The kitchen menu includes hot dogs designed by Boston chef Ken Oringer, priced at $11 to $12.
- Tastings are capped at 15 people and can be booked in person or online.
- Growlers, crowlers and packaged beer are sold to go.
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Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.
Mornings start early at the Fenway taproom of Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co., which opens at 7 a.m. as a coffee shop with pastries, bagels and a full breakfast menu before the beer takes over. The space is at the corner of Maitland Street and David Ortiz Drive, under the Bower apartment building. The kitchen sends out tinga tostadas, poke bowls, birria poutine and lamb lollipops, and the bar pours house beer, hard seltzer, hard smoothies and non-alcoholic beer. Table service is standard, and reservations are taken. Guests who spend $25 can get parking reimbursed at a nearby lot on weekday evenings and weekends, except during Fenway Park games and concerts.
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Address: 1 David Ortiz Drive, Boston, MA (Fenway)
Why they made the list
- The Fenway location is the only one on this list open for breakfast every day of the week.
- Children of all ages are welcome with a guardian, and live music is scheduled on select days.
- An upper mezzanine can be booked for private events.
Notch Brewing
Lager is the whole point at Notch Brewing, a Salem company whose Brighton brewery and tap room sits at the Charles River Speedway on Western Avenue. The house beers are Czech and German styles served in quarter-liter, half-liter and liter pours, among them The Standard, a 4.4 percent Czech pils, and Tenner, a 4 percent pale lager. The brewers use decoction mashing, open fermentation and a Lukr draft system imported from the Czech Republic. A 2,000-square-foot biergarten with communal tables seats 250 and stays open in winter with heaters. Outside food is allowed. Guests must be 21 or older after 8 p.m., and the tap room is closed Mondays.
Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, noon to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Address: 525 Western Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135
Why they made the list
- Notch has specialized in classic European lager for more than 15 years, by the company’s own account.
- The tap list posted on November 12, 2026 included a Czech amber lager and a Czech black lager alongside the pale beers.
- Dogs are allowed in the biergarten, though not indoors.
- Four-packs of cans are sold to go whenever the tap room is open.
Roundhead Brewing Company
Hyde Park’s brewery is Roundhead Brewing Company, which opened on November 4, 2022 in a former industrial complex at Westinghouse Plaza. Owners Luis Espinoza and Craig Panzer said then that Roundhead was the first Latino-owned brewery in Massachusetts, according to Boston.com on November 18, 2022. Espinoza, the head brewer, makes Latin American-inspired beers such as Contigo, a Peruvian lager, and Chimú, a red ale colored with purple corn. Boston.com described a taproom with 35-foot ceilings and 18-foot arched windows, with the brewing equipment in the middle of the room. Pizza is sold on site, and recent event listings note free parking.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 1 Westinghouse Plaza, Hyde Park, MA 02136
Why they made the list
- Roundhead is the one brewery on this list in the city’s southern neighborhoods beyond Roslindale.
- The taproom has a Friendsgiving night with music scheduled for November 25, 2026, listed as free and family-friendly.
- The brewery’s motto is “cerveza que reúne,” which Panzer told Boston.com means that beer brings people together.
Samuel Adams Boston Brewery
The Jamaica Plain home of Samuel Adams is the company’s research and development brewery, and the taproom draft list rotates through test batches and limited releases next to the flagship beers. Two public tours run from the Germania Street site. The 45-minute Sam Signature Experience costs $15, covers the ingredients room and brewhouse, and includes three samples. Beyond the Brewhouse lasts an hour, costs $30, is limited to guests 21 and older, and goes down to the underground Bier Keller for a barrel-aged pour. Tours can be booked online, and the brewery says some walk-in spots are available. A beer garden and a kitchen are on site.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The kitchen is open Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
Address: 30 Germania Street, Boston, MA 02130 (Jamaica Plain)
Why they made the list
- Boston Beer Company calls the Germania Street site the original Samuel Adams brewery.
- The draft menu rotates research and development beers, so the list changes often.
- Last call at the bar is 15 minutes before closing.
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Trillium Brewing Company
JC and Esther Tetreault opened Trillium Brewing Company in March 2013 in a small space on Congress Street in Fort Point. The company’s Fort Point location today is a taproom and restaurant on Thomson Place, with a first-floor taproom, an outdoor patio and a roof deck. Draft beer and the full food menu are served indoors and outside. Reservations for one to eight people open 14 days ahead on Resy and are for indoor seating; walk-ins are accepted. Headroom, a cocktail and small-plates room in the same building, opens at 5 p.m. daily. Beer and spirits to go can be ordered online from 9 a.m.
Hours: Monday through Friday, noon to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The kitchen closes one hour before closing.
Address: 50 Thomson Place, Boston, MA 02210
Why they made the list
- Trillium has grown from three employees in 2013 to a staff of more than 300, according to the company.
- Leashed dogs are welcome on the patio.
- Private dining spaces at Fort Point hold groups of 10 to 200.
- A kids’ menu is posted alongside the regular food menu.
See the full directory listing
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