Check out one of these bars in Boston for some of the rarest and best beers around:
1. The Tip Tap Room | Beacon Hill
"Brian Poe’s exotic chop house is best known for its kangaroo steaks and rattlesnake dishes. But with 46 craft taps and 50 different bottles to choose from, it’s also one of the top beer bars in town. The classic dark wood interior and thoughtful cocktails make it perfect for anything from brunch with grandma to a pretty serious date."
2. The Lower Depths | Kenmore Square
"Just a stone’s throw from Fenway, this underground (cash only!) temple of beer geekery keeps track of everything you drink so you never have to break out the beer journal. Why do the bartenders keep track? Because, if you manage to make it through the 30 taps and over 150 bottles, you get your own congratulatory mug. Gimmicky? Maybe. But with nine Flemish sours on the menu, the beer list certainly isn’t. "
3. Stoddard's | Downtown
"One thing Downtown needs is more decent watering holes, and Stoddard’s certainly delivers. Walking in the door feels like stepping on to the set of a film noir, complete with a dark wood bar, stainless steel taps, and vintage furniture. The selection includes 25 rotating casks and drafts and over 90 craft bottles both domestic and international. It has a perfect pub atmosphere, and the kegs to back it up."
4. Lord Hobo | Cambridge
"Lord Hobo is a beer bar through and through, with over 30 unique bottles and an enviable draft list that includes everything from the Lord Hobo brewery in Woburn, plus a wide array of microbrews from across the US. Rotation is so frequent that extremely rare beers crop up on tap every now and then, and the staff is very good about steering customers towards the ones they’ll love (the menu includes full descriptions of each beer, too). This place has a great neighborhood vibe, and the fact that the pub food is reliably un-boring also makes it a must try. Go for the Hobo Chili, which is made with steak, pork, confit, and veal."
5. Russell House Tavern | Harvard Square
"Russell House is a great all-purpose restaurant with a solid beer program. Each of the 13 taps represents a local craft brewery, and most are rotating, with two dedicated to interesting nitro and cask selections. The fresh-obsessed will be happy to know that a brand new cask is tapped every Thursday at 5pm in time for the weekend. In addition to an extensive bottle list, the restaurant also serves growlers of hard-to-find beer. Be sure to stick around until 11pm when oysters are $1 each."
