Sudsy Sallies

What's better than free beer? Learn everything you ever need to know about hops and barley and maybe stagger home with a free stein.

Harpoon Brewery/Mass Bay Brewing Co.
306 Northern Ave.
Marine Industrial Park
Boston
(617) 574-9551 x.33
T: Red Line, South Station
Public tours: Friday and Saturday, 1pm. FREE.
Group tours: by appointment Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 5:30 to 7 p.m. Call 617-574-9551 ext. 21 and leave message on the 5:30 Club voice mail box.
Directions: From South Station, walk down Atlantic Ave. to Northern Ave.; it's about a 30 minute walk.

Sam Adams/Boston Beer Company
30 Germania St. at Bismarck St.
Boston
(617) 368-5000
T: Orange Line, Stonybrook.
Tours: Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday, 1 and 2 p.m.
The tour is free, but the $1 suggested donation goes to Youth Enrichment Services, a local charity.
Directions: From Stonybrook in Jamaica Plain, turn left on Boylston St., walk two blocks and take a right on Bismark St.; the brewery is straight ahead.

Tremont Brewery
Charlestown Commerce Center
50 Terminal Street
Boston
(617) 646-3400
Tours: Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. FREE.
The Lost Brewery Tour: November 7, 1999-This historical bus tour in the fall of Boston's defunct breweries is sure to please homebrewers, Boston history buffs, and collectors. Call (617) 242-6464.
Directions: Take Storrow Drive to Leverett Circle. Go around the circle to the McGrath/O'Brien Highway, past the Museum of Science. Take a right at the first set of lights and go over the Gilmore Bridge. Take a right at the bottom of the bridge onto Rutherford Ave. Take your first left onto Chelsea Street. Follow Chelsea Street to the end, where it curves sharply to the left and turns into Terminal Street. There is a large container yard (Massport Terminal) on the right and our building is the first building after the container yard. The building is called the Charlestown Commerce Center (there is a ship on the sign) and our door is the last door on the container yard side.

Brew Pubs

If Harvard Square is getting a little claustrophobic and the John Harvard's/Brew Moon scene just doesn't do it for you, Boston's best brewpubs are only a T-ride away.

New England Brew Pub
Sitting on the outskirts of Faneuil Hall.
19 Union St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 723-8080
Open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
T: Haymarket

North East Brewing Co.
An Allston brewpub with more homemade beers than any place in town.
1314 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02134
At Redford Street
(617) 566-6699
Open Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
T: Grigg St.

Cambridge Brewing Co.
Go for the brews amid MIT undergrads wolfing down burgers.
1 Kendall Sq
Cambridge, MA 02139
At Hampshire Street and Cardinal Medeiros Avenue
(617) 494-1994
Open Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 12 midnight; Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, 12 noon to 1 a.m.; Sunday 3 p.m. to 12 midnight.
T: Kendall

The Commonwealth Brewing Co.
If you're heading for the FleetCenter, Boston's first brewpub is definitely worth a stop.
138 Portland St
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 523-8383
Open Monday, Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 12 noon to 9 p.m.
T: Haymarket, North Station

The Elephant & Castle
Another authentic English pub (with authentically English food).
161 Devonshire St
Boston, MA 02110
At Franklin Street
(617) 350-9977
Open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 12 midnight.
T: Downtown Crossing

Back Bay Brewing Co.
The super-popular Boylston Street brewpub serves up good brews and an ambitious menu.
755 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116
Between Exeter and Fairfield streets
(617) 424-8300
Open Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 12 midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 12 midnight, club open until 1 a.m.
T: Copley

Boston Beer Works
A-step-above-average food makes this a popular spot near Fenway for the post-college crowd.
61 Brookline Ave
Boston, MA 02215
At Yawkey Way across from Fenway Park
(617) 536-2337
Open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; open at 11 a.m. on game days.
T: Kenmore Sq.