Samuel Adams Brewery

This has been the best brewery with good quality beer, I was visiting from Los Angeles and decided to give this brewery a tour, it was a great idea, I love Boston!

Not much of a tour. If you really want to learn about brewing… find some other tour. If you want to have a little free beer, this is your place. Tour goes to exactly two rooms — one where there are three barrels of raw materials like hops and malt… you get to taste and smell each. Next is a room with some upright copper and stainless tanks where they tell you the beer flows from here to there. That’s it for the tour part.
Off to the tasting room which resembles a bar… with three or four long tables. They pass three different beers in pitchers one by one down the tables for people to sample. You get a Sam Adams short glass on the way in so you sample with that and get to keep the memento. I think legally this is about all the beer they can serve you at a time. No beer is for sale in the tasting room.
The best parts of the whole event: the tour is free, although they suggest a donation of $ 2 for charity; the sample glass is free to keep; the gift shop on the way out is pretty neat, and there you can buy different beers to go; and the staff that leads the tours are very engaging. The tour is something you do once and then drop from your bucket list… don’t know what I expected but there is just not that much to it.

It was kind of fun — is there anywhere in Boston where you don’t have to listen to sanctimonious lectures from the staff? I mean who doesn’t want to listen to the tour guides political opinions? Close trip but I wouldn’t travel too far for it.

Morning mash tour at 9:40AM for that special umph or extra pour.
I was running late by 10 minutes but the guys at the front were really nice and led me to the only 5 minutes in tour to join my friends. You get a quick run down of the hops and how tos of Sam Adams beer and then off to the beer tasting room where you get your very own complimentary glass. We sampled three 6 oz pours and then were a small enough group to check out the special tasting room (forgot what it was called) that’s temperature controlled. Sampled a wine beer, very tart, and not many of the tour goers favorite. Free fun tour if you’re interested in beer and have some time to visit. Very accessible by the T or car.
Don’t forget your ID!

Great beer and a great way to start the day at 10 with free beer! Joe was our tour guide and he was great. Although his jokes got better as we drank. Good beer, great atmosphere and the belgin stout was so yummy we bought a growler to go home & of course some shirts!

Such a fun (and free!) tour! The tour guide was super lively, entertaining and informative and the tour was super quick as far as brewery tours go. The tours are large so don’t expect lots of one-​on-​one time with the tourguide. At the end of the tour, you go into the tasting room and you get to try three different Sam Adams beers that all have different flavors and bodies to them. They have both an inside and an outside area so my friend and I sat outside to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather.
It is a bit far from everything else, so definitely take that into account and the tours start right on time so be sure to get there in time so you don’t miss it!

Free tours, donation based. The tour was okay but got quite boring at a few points. They should find a way to spice it up a bit.
Lets be real… the best part is the free beer at the end!

Honestly, not even a huge beer fan and I was so impressed with this tour. The tour is free (suggested donation) and my tour guide was so gutsy, funny, and amazing! The tour itself is pretty quick; they explain beer basics and how they make beer. Since their facility is mainly for research and testing, it’s not huge and some of the beer they serve you at the end is unique and may only be offered then! If you’re a fan, you can even buy the limited edition beer in the gift shops.
Beer tasting is limited to three different types, but you get to keep your tasting cup too. Great experience, learned a lot, got to try some really different flavors, and even got a nice souvenir. The only thing that I’d say is that for a beer facility there is a really limited number of bathrooms, which doesn’t seem to make sense especially since the tours can be pretty sizable. Our 3 pm tour had close to 100 people, so these are not small intimate tours.

I’ve only been to one other brewing company, which was a few years back in Amsterdam, and I must admit, Samuel Adams blew the Heineken tour out of the park! My friends and I got to the place just in time for the last tour at 3pm (on a Saturday), and they’re pretty on the dot. We almost didn’t make it! They first do a mini introduction on what makes beer, well, beer and the processes they go through go make them, then they take you to the tasting room. Now this is where you get your 21oz free (ish) beer! We got to taste 3 different beers, and it was actually my first time trying Samuel Adams. I liked it! I also liked, no loved, our tour guide for the afternoon. Peter was entertaining and had a great sense of humor. Some comments were a bit rough around the edges but it was all in good fun :) I really enjoyed my time there!
Here’s the best things about this tour in a nutshell: you get to keep the glass cup you use to sample the beer, free parking in a pretty spacious lot (for Boston at least), great beer which is practically free ($ 2 suggested donation, which you might as well pay cause let’s be honest, $ 2 isn’t even that much), and entertaining hosts! Definitely take the time visit this place when you’re in Boston, you won’t regret it :)

Tour was one of the best I have been on. Sam Adams is not my beer of choice but this tour was so fun.
Not located in the main Boston area, you have to drive out of your way to get here.
Staff were really friendly. Free parking. Gets busy as the tour times get closer.
Make sure you check the tour times. They only do a few a day. Not open on certain days.
Tour is free but just do the $ 2 donation. You get a ton of beer and a glass during the tasting, don’t be cheap.
Tour lasted about an hour with the tastings. They pass out pitchers per table so you can get double or triple pours after everyone gets a tasting.
The tour store has a few brewery only bottles which you would never find outside of the brewery.
Keep your tour ticket, after the tour, stop by Doyle’s down the street and trade it in to get a free Sam Adams pint glass!
The tour guides were knowledgeable and made it very entertaining. I would do it again!

One of my favorite beers…
Tour of brewery was so much fun. We took an early tour. The first one. Later on it gets busy.
Fun tour guide. Funny guy.
The sampling of beers was generous. Even more so in the morning…
We took the subway and hoofed it. Avoid parking if you can.
Area is residential.
Tour was free.
ENJOY!

What a great tour this was! The tour is free, but they take donations which benefit local organizations. A darn good reason to donate money, that’s for sure. Anyway, I thought the tour was informative and our guide knows his stuff. Everyone on staff was friendly.
At the end of the tour, they take us to their tasting room where we get to sample several of their beers. We’re seated at tables and they give us some information about the different brews and then we get to drink! The best part of the tasting was there is no limit to how much you can drink, but honestly, one can only drink so much. When the tour ends, they recommend that we dine at this restaurant that was the first to take a chance on Samuel Adams beer by serving it there. If we eat there and order their beer, then we can get the Sam Adams beer glass as a souvenir gratis. I have two of those in my house. This tour is definitely worth the donation amount you give them. This should be on your list if you’re a beer drinker who is visiting Massachusetts.

Who doesn’t like free award winning Samuel Adams Beer? This was probably my third tour of the brewery and it’s nothing but fun, informative and high quality ingredients stuff. Donations are suggested and tours start at 10am and commence every 45^th minute of the hour, with the last tour at 2:45p
At the conclusion of the tour you get to sample the beers and keep your sampling glass.

So this is probably the longest brewery tour I’ve ever been on in relation to the size of the place (which you’d think would be bigger) and one of the more interactive. Most brew tours are the same, and this one ends with a pitcher of beer n tasting glasses. Dnno whatever happened to mine …
There is an illusive red the only serve on tap in the city of Boston itself as a way to give back to the community. It is never bottled or canned and if you ask the Brewers they’ll tell you where to go (or I could)
A good start is to take that crazy bus from the brew tour over to a lil known brew pub… Follow the ‘brick’ road… To Doyle’s

Let me start off by saying I am usually not a fan of small tours. However, if you have time in Boston, I would highly recommend this brewery to be part of your itinerary. It is a free experience with a $ 2 suggested donation. Each tour lasts close to an hour. On the tour, you will see and be able to physically consume the different barley and the hops. You will see the brewing process. And most importantly, you will sample three types of beer in a free complimentary glass. Knowledge + free beer = Win.
I came with a party of 8 on a Tuesday morning and had no problems parking. They have a parking lot and a decent amount of street parking.
The staff here are friendly and funny!
You will also have a chance to purchase special R&D beers in the gift shop.

Free beer & free beer glass? Good laughs? Tastings of the 4 ingredients that make up beer? I don’t see any reason why you would not want to give this place a try!
The tour on weekends run every 15 minutes and there are multiple tasting rooms to accommodate the large groups that come in. Weekday tours run every half hour. My group had roughly 40 people and the line to go in went by very quickly. I felt as if the staff here were extremely passionate about beer and their job which made coming here a great plus. Although the amount of walking and sight seeing was not as high as I had expected, I can’t really complain since this is all free and you get 3 small glasses of beer (refills if there’s left over in the pitcher!). According to what I hear, Harpoon Brewery’s tour is $ 5 and is a larger facility. However, I am extremely happy with my tour here and there is a bunch of places to eat nearby only a 10 – 15 minute walk away.
Overall, you’ll be inside for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You will have an option to ride the trolley to a Doyle’s Pub for free where you have the chance to pay $ 7 for a glass of beer that you get to keep as well. This glass is different from the one that you’re given at the brewery because it’s the original hour glass shaped glass where there will be optimal stimulation of your senses when drinking the beer. Definitely will be coming back here again for free beer in the summer time since samples differ according to season!

I’ve been to a couple brewery tours, but this one is my favorite (I like it so much I’ve been multiple times). The brewery itself is located a little off the beaten path in Jamaica Plains. Easiest way to get there by public transportation is to take the Orange Line, although it can take a while to get there if you are coming from Cambridge or someplace far away. The tour itself is free but there is a suggested donation of $ 2.
The tour is great! The staff are really friendly and passionate about their job. You spend about half an hour learning about how beer is made, from the ingredients to the brewing and fermenting process, before moving to the tasting room. Everyone is given a 4 oz tasting glass that you can keep at the end of the tour!
The tasting room is beautiful, with wood paneling, a full bar, and long wooden tables. Each session generally involves tasting 3 different beers (usually the original Sam Adams and two seasonal beers). Everyone gets their glass filled at least 3 times, and the tour guide will walk you through the proper steps to take when savoring your beer. They also take this opportunity to talk about their Sam Adams pint glass, which is a nice glass that you can buy in the gift shop, and their relationship with Doyle’s, an Irish pub down the street. There is a free trolley that takes you to Doyle’s from the brewery and if you show them that you have been to the brewery beforehand and order a Sam Adams at Doyle’s, you get to keep the Sam Adams pint glass it comes in for free.
The tour is fun, informative, and a great way to spend an afternoon.

Its a free tour where you learn how beer is made. The best part of the tour was the tasting of course, where there was PLENTY of beer for everyone.
There is a store there too. You should definitely take the free trolley to Doyle’s where you can buy a Sam Adams beer and take home the glass for free.

So, I love Sam. As in I feel like I could be in a relationship with him. But, I’d never been to his home until recently. Let me just say, that it’s very weird to be that close for eleven years (legally) and never visit. But I finally got the chance to, and was pleased.
If you’re a tourist, the brewery is a bit off the beaten path, but JP, as we call that ‘hood, is worthy of some exploration. The brewery is super close the T, which is nice.
You can reserve in advance, and there’s a nice waiting area to check out the history, awards, etc. The one thing Sam doesn’t have is whatever tricky license is required by the burdensome Boston blue laws for purchased beer to be consumed on premises. The tasting room is after the tour, where you get samples, and you can buy bottles in the gift shop, but you can’t purchase a pint while you wait for your tour.
The tour was not too long (thankfully, because I lose interest easily), but it was chock-​full of information and our guide was funny. Tastings after were great, and I appreciated the gift shop.
I was sad for two reasons:
1. Something was aging in Corsair barrels, and I learned that it was probably for limited, local distribution.
2. We went to the morning mash-​in tour, which sounded like it would be different somehow from the other tours, and I think the only difference from a regular tour was that we got to try some beers that are not being released or have limited, local distribution. I’d still probably go with that tour if you are fairly familiar with Sam’s offerings, but if not, it probably doesn’t matter.
Definitely a great stop in Boston.

Breweries are my favorite and I absolutely love this place! Not only am I a Boston girl at heart but I am a Sam Adams girl too!
One of the few breweries I have been to that don’t charge for the tour. It is first come, first serve and let me tell you, if you have the chance to work with Grant or Bobby, you’re in luck! I learned so very much from them and they clearly love their jobs!!!
The tour ends with a communal tasting and class and it is just too much fun. They pass out pitchers and you get to choose how much you consume which is always good especially if you are not a fan of darker/​lighter beers — you choose how much you take!
I brought my mom and though she is not a beer drinker, she enjoyed it!
The only thing I would note is that he gift shop gets quite busy so be prepared and patient!

This was our first brewery in our Boston Brew Tour and it was a MUST on our list when we planned the trip.
I’m a fan of their seasonal ones and my friend just loves them.
The tour is one of the most formals you’ll find. You have a tour guide explaining all the processes it takes to make the different beers, gives some history, lets you participate by asking questions and Caroline (tour guide) was cheerful, funny, and seemed genuinely happy to guide us through the brewery.
It’s not a long tour, you learn about the ingredients that go into the beers, you get to touch them, smell them, and even taste some of them (if you choose to). After that you go to see cylinders where the beer is being made and finally, everyone’s favorite part, the tasting!
We had 3 beers to taste. Each served in pitchers you serve yourself as much as you want, and if there’s any left, you are welcome to have more.
The 3 we had were:
Winter Ale — one of my «go to» beers this time of year
Sam Adams Lager — can’t go wrong with this one
Experimental IPA — I’m not a fan of IPA’s but it’s fun to try things they are working on.
Joel helped Caroline with the pours and the tasting part of the tour and was also very welcoming and friendly.
We were also lucky to come in on a day they were doing some other experimental beers. We participated on a tasting of «cola beers».
Right before the official tour we walked up to a counter and tasted 3 beers that tasted like soda, and answered some questions based on our tasting. Pretty cool!
They also have a gift shop, and a van that takes you to a partner restaurant where, if you order a Sam Adams, you get an official pint glass.
Whether as part of an organized tour or on your own, Samuel Adams tour is a great addition to your Boston trip.

I wished I would have read the reviews more closely before heading out the brewery. I was expecting something different especially since it is a well know beer maker. Since we have been to several brewerys we don’t do the tours. I mean after you have one, you pretty much get the jist of it.
So first, and foremost, they do not sell beer to drink on the premises. There is no beer garden/​bar to enjoy libations so that was a total disappointment.
You have to take the tour to have a sample of the beer so you take the T for 20 – 25 min for sorta nothing. They have a nice gift shop in a different part of the building and you can buy growlers and some bombers.
I don’t think it is worth the drive or T ride there. So we got there, skipped the tour, stopped at the gift shop and back on the T before no time.
I would not return.

Donation-​based tour for shared pitchers of beer and a free tasting glass. I love the barrels converted into benches! Extensive gift shop priced to recoup overhead, only a semi-​industrial brewery setup. They’re technologically hip enough to allow tour spot reservations and to have a photobooth-​y option, and a display screen of recent Swarm check-​ins.
Graham was a great guide who was happy to educate, answered questions of any specificity that he was able, and charmed us with his dry wit. The morning booking featured the bonus replacement pours of two secondary mainstream options with two different Longshot competition beers. With a full group, the tasting hall doesn’t make you feel like sardines, and you can hear and see everything to your heart’s content, and they’ve partnered with a nearby business for discounts from your entry ticket. Downside, you can’t really chill on-​site to drink since you have to clear out for subsequent tour groups.

I’ve been to this FREE tour (YES, FREE tour!) twice now and it was just as entertaining the 1^st time as it was the 2^nd time. (NO I’m not an alcoholic either)
Basically, you get a 30 – 45 minute tour of the brewery, a historical lesson about the brewery and a lesson on how Sam Adams produces their beer. It’s pretty cool seeing the machinery involved and hearing how exactly the beer is brewed. The guides/​orators were very entertaining, funny and definitely knew their Sam Adams and beer history. If there is one thing you should do in Boston, it’s definitely this because 1) it’s FREE! and 2) you get to sample FREE beer and keep the FREE souvenir glass cup after the tour is over! Doesn’t get much better than that!