Yankee Brew News Archive

Opinion: Where, Oh Where, Are Those Specialty Beers?

Originally Published: Spr/93

By: Ken "Lucky" Spolsino

Editor's Note: We at the YBN don't believe you have to be a certified beer judge or a professional writer to share your thoughts and ideas about beer. We encourage our readers to send their opinions on beers, pubs, or other related topics to us.

So, you say you are tired of pounding down the same old tired swill that the leading large-scale commercial brewing companies have forced down our collective throats in this country throughout the years. You feel your taste buds have evolved because you may have taken your two week vacation overseas and experienced some of the true diversity of brews out in that big, beautiful world of ours. Maybe you experienced the epiphany most home brewers feel after your first successful attempt at one of the many fine brewing kits out on the market today. Whatever the reason, the one thing you know for sure is you want to taste something different.

Well, if you're sure about this new quest of yours to locate a new taste sensation, I know just the place in Boston for you to check out. Across the street from the front door to the famed Fenway Park, you will find the mecca for specialty brews in our region. Boston Beer Works is home to the freshest and most innovative specialty beers this writer has been privileged to quaff down in one place.

In my experience, whenever I ask for a specialty beer at most New England brewpubs, I am lucky to be offered a stale version of a ginger beer. Ever try a Raspberry or Blueberry Ale? How about an Oatmeal Stout or Chocolate-Cherry Stout? These are just a small sample of what you may expect from Boston Beer Works Head Brewer Steve Slesar. Steve is at the top of his craft of brewing specialty beers, in my considered opinion. I view him as a maverick in the brewpub industry due to his inclination to offer the public some of the wildest combinations ever attempted by even the most imaginative pub brewer. I have fond memories of his Watermelon Ale of last summer and anxiously await the arrival of his Fenway Pale Ale.

No less imaginative are the epicurean offerings of Boston Beer Works. From "Grilled Maco Shark Sticks" to "Ragin' Cajun Jambalaya," you may expect to find a menu filled with delights capable of satisfying the most adventurous spirits among us.

Boston Beer Works is open seven days a week and offers a full menu until 1 a.m. There are twelve taps which pour some of the most daring specialty brews this side of heaven. They are located at 61 Brookline Ave. in Boston. For more information, call (617) 536-BEER.

Ken Spolsino, M.A. (Malt Acolyte), the YBN's Marketing Director, finds that several Blueberry Ales meet all of his pre-Red Sox game nutritional requirements.