Suds. Brewskis. Cold ones. Swill. Adult sodas. Bieros. Grandpa’s old cough medicine.
it’s called by many names but in the end what you’ve got is beer. Now that it’s Friday, you’re probably going to want to go find one. Before you head to the nearest dive, why not crowd source to find the perfect spot for all your grog-guzzling needs?
There are a lot of fun and informative online resources that will tell you everything from where to grab a pint, to how you can brew your own. Here’s a list of Boston beer blogs and other sites that are sure to create some buzz if you catch my draught. (Oh yeah. I went there.)
How to Find Bars and Brews
Beer Mapping – With the catch phrase “we find the beer, you drink the beer,” what’s not to love about BeerMapping? They’ve compiled an impressive collection of tagged Google maps for various cities including one for Boston, which is barely visible under the sea of pins representing bars, breweries and brewhouses.
DrinkBoston – Nominated for Best Blog in the Boston Phoenix’s “Best of Boston” readers’ poll, DrinkBoston features a great “best bars” list if you’re looking for the cream of the crop. In addition to finding top hops, DrinkBoston is set apart by its list of best Boston bartenders. A valuable resource since beer just tastes better when it’s poured by someone with capable hands and a friendly face.
BeerAdvocate – BeerAdvocate is a huge beer community which can be narrowed to the Boston area. Here you can find tons of A-to-F grade ratings and user reviews for just about every bar in Boston based on quality and price.
RealBeer – Like BeerAdvocate, RealBeer also hosts a Boston-centric beer guide. There aren’t any reviews, but the list of names and addresses is pretty epic.
BostonBeerBars – A humble layout, but loaded with tasty content about Boston bars and brews. It also has a Google map for beer bars though BeerMapping proves a tough act to follow.
Local Breweries Online
SamuelAdams – Everything you’d ever want to know about Sam Adams beer along with a ton of general beer info. Not only do you get the history and workings of the brewery, but content like tasting tips, a history of beer, home brewing lessons, and a beer encyclopedia. All of this combined makes Sam Adams a great teacher for those looking to learn about all things beer.
HarpoonBrewery – Harpoon’s site may not pack the beer knowledge Sam Adams provides, but you’ll forget all about that when you see all of the events and other ways you can get involved with Harpoon. With road races, tours, tastings, activities, and festivals, Harpoon is truly a brewery for the people. You can even sign up to be a “friend of Harpoon,” which grants you special perks like notices for fan-only events, and ticket reservations for festivals. All of this is free – as we speak I await my “friend of Harpoon” card which is due in two to three weeks.
Beer News and Events
Beernut – For constantly updated events and other news about brews, Norman Miller of Beernut is your guy. Tap into this constant flow of posts and stay refreshed with all the latest on beer in Boston.
Watch List: Up and Coming Online Beer Stuff
TheBeerGenome – The Beer Genome is a project based right here in Beantown. It’s still in private Beta, but the idea is to create a beer rating community, allowing fellow Bostonians to create a rating database for various crafts of beer (bad news for you, Natural Ice). They are working on mobile apps right now which will allow you get recommendations on the go, and rate brews mid-sip.
BeersInBoston – Beers in Boston is building an online community for everything brew-related in Boston. It’s my impression that the site is relatively new, but they’ve already compiled a solid list of reviews, event schedules, brewery profiles, and more. This site has some serious potential to be a one-stop-shop for thirsty Bostonians.
What online resources do you use to quench your thirst for Boston beer happenings and culture? Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments section.
