Cambridge Brewing Company

kinopio

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +18.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The #1 beer destination in the Boston area. A must visit place, simply put.

I lived close to CBC in my early 20's and I have it to thank for introducing me to a world of beer I didn't know existed. They made me a fan of Sours and Barleywines years ago and since then I've had dozens of examples of those styles but still rank theirs way up there. They also knock it out of the park with saisons and sessionable stouts. They are one of the most experimental brewers in the US so there is always something interesting on tap.

I'd say my favorite beers of theirs would be Tripel Threat, Benevolence, Cerisse Cassee and Blunderbuss Barleywine.

They were one of the first places around here to focus on local ingredients. You'll often find local fish, cheese etc on their menu. These are typically on their specials board so I would suggest ordering from there. I dig their pizza and plentiful vegetarian options as well.

CBC has one of the best patios in the city. The main bar area is great, with plenty of sunlight and room to mingle near the bar.

This place is tops. Any beer lovers trip to Boston needs to make an evening at Cambridge Brewing Company a priority.

03-28-2012 17:14:52 | More by kinopio

GolgiIPAratus

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +15.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited: All the time

This is a favorite spot of the wife and I, so it’s about time I showed some love.

We’ve had good food here, we’ve had so-so food here. I’ve been spilled on and dripped on. I’ve tried amazing beers here and I’ve had beers that, well, *weren’t for me*. But one thing is for sure. We love it.

It’s a brick walled, open space loft like atmosphere. Wood everything. Maple maybe? Who knows. I’m not a frickin’ carpenter. The brewery, mash tuns, fermenters and all, is exposed to the dining area on all sides for the most part. There’s about a 35 ft bar with a flat screen mounted way up high on the end furthest from the entry way. There’s an outdoor seating area as well, but we’ve only ever opted for the safety and comfort of heat and AC. A newly rendered three piece mural covers the left hand most wall (upon entry). There are famous people and locals alike, enjoying all sorts of things. Definitely a conversation piece as you sit at your table.

There’s always a rotating offering of ‘seasonal’ beers, though, to be honest I’ve never understood this naming convention. There are so many rotated that I don’t think of them as being either in or out of any particular season. Anyway, I’ve had numerous amazing brews here; the YouEnjoyMyStout, Red God IPA, Bannatyne’s Scottish (maybe my favorite), Easy Ryder Rye and many, many more. The constant offerings are worth mention as well. Try the Tall Tale or the Charles River. Fantastic.

The food is incredible. The pulled pork is some of my favorite anywhere, and I always use the BBQ pork as a measuring stick for brew pubs. The Cubano sandwich is outstanding, the nachos, the steaks, the burgers. All great. And we went to the Beerunch on a recent Sunday and that was fantastic as well. (Try the steak and eggs! Beautifully seasoned steak cooked to perfection…aw yeah)

Now, the one thing this place has that I find an extremely high quality characteristic: Great F-ing Music. Every time we go, the music is just STELLAR. It’s like they took my CD collection and are playing a personal setlist only I can hear, and maybe everyone else has their own that I can’t hear…ok, maybe too futuristic. But still. Take for instance our trip to the Beerunch. They played The Beatle’s Revolver front to back. I had just gotten a copy for Xmas! I’ve heard Radiohead, Miles, Coltrane, Flaming Lips, tons of other more underground indie rock and jazz and classic stuff…not to mention that quite obviously the brewer must be a Phish fan given some of the beer names....it’s continually one of the highlights of when we go. I always can’t wait to hear what’s playing while I’m being served great beer & food by great staff.

Bottom line: Go.

01-22-2007 13:58:39 | More by GolgiIPAratus

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +15.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $

What took me so long to get to this place? I've seen CBC beers around for years, usually the Amber, and have enjoyed it when I had it, but for some reason it was not until this spring that I made me way over to Kendall for the real deal. Holy balls! This place is it.

First off, the beer--it's delicious, fresh and crisp in a way that even few brewpubs manage to be, and it breaks my heart. The regular beers are all good, but the rotating, seasonal beers are really amazing. At least thrice now, I've found a beer I've loved, only to return in short time to find that it's out for the season. Soul-crushing, but better to have loved and lost...

There's always a nice balance of fine takes on typical styles, and wonderful, experimental brews. Servers will usually offer you a sample, and are always happy to explain the beers. In addition to the already lengthy descriptions of each beer on the menu, you can grab a full page description from the wall near the bathroom.

The atmosphere is nice, with a large, covered outdoor seating area tucked into a small courtyard off the larger one. The interior is nice, too, with a large, open room around the bar. The openness is nice and different from most other bars. Only the back room lacks much interest. There's always good music, and the place is always fairly crowded, but never so much that it's hard to get a seat at least after a bit of a wait.

In addition to the great beer and atmosphere is some highly amazing food. Like the beer, the food is fresh and interesting. I'd highly recommend the local pick plate as an appetizer.

I'd consider this Boston's only true brewpub, and while I wish there were more, the CBC does an amazing job filling the void.

09-29-2009 20:31:47 | More by FrankLloydMike

Hibernator

Massachusetts

4.64/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

The best brewpub in Boston or Cambridge area that I have had the pleasure to visit. I am impressed.

Located in and around Kendall Sq in Cambridge. Cambridge Brewing Company is easy to locate off of Broadway. About a 5-7 minute walk from the T.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. Music was on point with some great Reggae and Bluegrass on a Saturday afternoon. Service was exceptional with friendly staff. Wow, it was so refreshing to have a bartender with such attentiveness and knowledge. They offer a cask night 1 X a week. Check out the website or call for details. In addition, they also have growlers for purchase on the way out.

Selection is very good. There were 4 featured beers on tap that were fairly conventional including the Charles River Porter, Golden Ale and an Amber Ale. There are also 4 specialty selections. The Blunderbuss Barleywine and Tripel Threat were phenomenal. Very fresh and tasty. These quality beers are served in proper glassware as an added bonus. The specially beers are $4.50 and well worth it. The brewmaster at this brewery deserves some serious accolades.

I really enjoyed everything about this place. From the quality of the beers and the selections offered to the comfortable atmosphere. I love how they only serve CBC beers on site. They have wine and cider as options, but the beers are their own.

I can't wait to go back and visit. Check this place out. Recommended.

02-26-2005 22:04:17 | More by Hibernator

alexgash

Connecticut

4.64/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in to check this place out while in town for the EBF. Spacious bar/restaurant area with lots of light wood accents and plenty of natural light. Very clean, but not sterile. I had just eaten, so I sat at the centrally-located bar and ordered a sampler. The bartender was very friendly and gave me generous samples the five seasonals I ordered. He also provided me with laminated write-ups on their beers. They offered at least 5 regulars, along with 5 seasonals and they were all on. Good variety and great quality too. I especially enjoyed the barleywine. I didn't get any food, but the menu looked decent. I will stop here everytime I come to Boston!

03-05-2005 23:34:02 | More by alexgash

Franchise

Oregon

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Went to the CBC after NERAX, I've been wanting to hit this place up for a long time only heard quality things. As we got off the "T" it is right around the corner. It is in a very secluded section of this Cambridge area, they must have really good word of mouth cause the foot traffic looks minimal.

Anyway, as we entered the CBC it was pretty quite, there were a few people sitting outside and a handful of people inside on a sat night at about 9pm. We were in luck cause their 17th anniversary party was the previous day and they broke out 17 kegs of "special" beer for this occasion and still had 10 out of the 17 on tap.

This of course was very exciting, especially since they still had Benevolance which is an aged sour ale from 2001 and oh man was that delicious. The waitstaff was very good, fast, and knowledgeable about all the beers on tap. The food was very good and paired nicely with the entrees we ordered.

I love a brewpub that has a variety of menu fare, and allows it to match up with the beers they serve as well as uses it in the dishes themselve. I know this sounds obvious but man, I've come across many places that not one beer on the menu goes well with anything their serving behind the bar.

Overall this place is great, the beer is fantastic, and it is a def must try if your in the area or planning a night out in or around cambridge.

05-10-2006 17:43:41 | More by Franchise

StevieW

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4

This was the first stop on my recent New England Vacation. Meet up with the founding brothers of BeerAdvocate.com Jason and Todd. BA Longstaff also dropped by. I really enjoyed all the beers available, especially the Heather Ale and the Charles River Porter. All the selections were very good though. Couldn't ask for nicer service, the bartender knew everything you could possibly ask about beer, and even picked up our tab. Hard to find place, but the beer is worth thr trip. I hope to make it there next summer.

09-22-2002 14:20:14 | More by StevieW

CharlesRiver

Connecticut

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

This is my favorite brew pub in Boston. The beer and the bar tenders make the trip worth it for me. There hand crafted beers are always right on. I have yet to make it to one of their Tuesday Cask Nights but have heard great things. The first beer that I had there was the Espresso Stout and it was amazing! On different trips I have tried there Pale Ale, Porter, and Redgod IPA. There Porter is very solid.
CBC is easy to get to via the T. Get off at Kendall/MIT and the walk is about two blocks.
I have yet to try the food but it appeared solid. They seemed to have the pub staples.

10-31-2002 17:35:29 | More by CharlesRiver

Gregorious

California

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Ok, I think I know this place as well as anyone can.

For the past 6 months I've had the pleasure of working across the street from this little fresh beer gem.

They have four standard beers that they have all the time...
Golden, Pale Ale, Amber Ale, and Porter

Porter and the Pale and my personal favorites.

As the days pass 2 to 5 seasonal beers will appear...In winter...they have barleywine and nice winter ales. In spring, saisons and hefeweizens.

Along side with this continually changing list of beers they have a weekly cask tuesdays....which I always try to attend. They'll take one of their beers, standard or seasonal, and cask condition it with some local delicious ingredient...hops, honey....it depends on Will's (the brewmaster) mood.

Atmosphere - Not many college students here.... The crowd is seasoned veterans and young aspiring beer connissours. There is only 1 tv next to the bar, so usually you end up striking up a conversation with the fellow next to you instead of watching TV. I've had conversations with inspiring authors, physicists, bands, Sci Fi freaks, MIT professors, and a bunch of other kind of dorks you may remember from highschool. Around there is MIT and a whole bunch of physics, bio, computer, and civil engineering firms/buildings...so the crowd is very diverse.

Quality - The beer is fantastic. It's fresh(cuz its a brew pub) and there has only been 1 beer that I just don't enjoy to drink (L'Amore du Jour).

Service - I can't really voice too much on this facet since now that my face and name is known from the bar to the kitchen...well....yeah. Though before I was on a first name basis I usually was taken care of properly.

Selection - Well...some people would like to play the number game and say that a place that only at most has 9 beers available isnt much a selection...and I would agree. But, since their seasons change considerably, you hardly notice it. Their seasonal beers range from the usual to the never-heard-of-before.

Food - I've heard the food has gotten better over the past few years at CBC and I gotta say there isn't too much to complain about there. The food is good but I wouldnt call it up to par with the beer. Not saying you won't enjoy the food, but you'll like the beer more.

Come and join me at the CBC sometime for a few brews and some eclectic conversations.

07-08-2006 21:19:23 | More by Gregorious

Brad007

Vermont

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Great atmosphere and bartender was friendly. Lots of people. I liked the paintings on the wall and the view of the brewhouse from the bar.

Beer selection is awesome with 12 brews on tap that were listed. Beer from 4.4 abv up to 15 abv.

Food menu seems upscale and the prices sort of reflect it. The selection is not your usual pub grub, though you can still get a decent burger.

I got a bit of "sticker shock" from my bill but I would say that it's highly worth it. I don't remember them listing prices for the beer.

Overall, a very warm and inviting place with good food and plenty of chatter. I'd come back again!

03-14-2011 00:59:54 | More by Brad007