Boston Beer Works - Canal Street

merc7186

New York

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited on 7/22/12.

A: The place has the feel of a huge sportsbar/microbrewery. It has tons of seating, two levels, and a smaller outdoor patio for seating.

Q: Slightly Above Average were the beers that we tried but nothing that'll make you go out of your way to come here.

S: Our server was okay, semi knowledgable about the beers they served but was hard to find at times, especially given that the place was dead when we went.

S: A nice variety of different beers, I believe they offered 16 in house beers that covered the gambit well enough.

F: Decent for bar food but nothing better than your average chain.

V: Decent value, beers and food were priced well and on par for the area and quality that they were serving

Overall, if your in the area then recommend stopping in but not a place you'd go out of your way for.

07-26-2012 14:04:23 | More by merc7186

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.56/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Large cavernous room with a long curving bar. I'm here on St. Patrick's Day. I arrived at the right time, just after a Bruins game started at the Garden (less than a block away).

So, it is a bustling location today, but I did get a seat at the bar. To give you an idea I've seen four kegs kicked in the last thirty minutes. Because of the size, it is noisy.

Basically, this is your typical brew pub on a game day. If you like that atmosphere, come on a game day for the Celtics or Bruins.

I didn't get a chance to try the food, but the location at the Fens has a typical brew pub fair. The beer selection is extensive and overall fairly decent.

03-17-2012 18:31:52 | More by smcolw

bszern

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -25.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

Atmosphere is ok. Tables are all over the place, and any person who gets stuck sitting by the garage doors in the winter will regret going there.

Food and beer quality were ok. I wasn't really blown away by anything. Standard pub fare on the first page of the menu, and up-scale dishes on the second (the prices pretty much double).

Service sucked (went on a Saturday around 8 PM). I was surprised, considering how empty the place was (now I know why). Sat at a table for 15 minutes without anyone coming over to take a drink order before I finally went to the bar.

Pretty big selection of beers, not mind blowing. If you like Pale Ales, you are in for a treat!

Food was ok. They forgot the bacon on my cheeseburger, and the desert pizza was made without all the ingredients.

The only reason I would come back here would be for a beer or two before a Bruins/Celtics game.

02-19-2012 22:43:49 | More by bszern

seanwhite

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -21.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 1.5 | $$

Come for the beer, but you won't be blown away, avoid the food.

They have a wide selection of beer and one cask at all times, but they are more mainstream beers (nothing wrong with this), and nothing really pushes the envelope.

I joke that it is a gateway drug for mainstream beer drinkers to get turned onto craft beer.

You will see hundreds of beers go by with floating blueberries headed to college chicks, but just lit it slide. The back bay IPA is not bad, and can help you overcome the dry food.

11-21-2011 17:46:40 | More by seanwhite

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Stopped by after visiting our niece who is in college in Boston. Great looking place from the outside, as well as when you walk in. Prime location, too, being walking distance to North Station/The Garden. The place is pretty spacious, with a ton of room and a ton of seating. It was pretty empty for a Sunday afternoon...I can imagine it packs in depending on the day. They have quite a list of brews available on-tap, and have quite a few available in 6-packs to go. They also have a group of 3 or 4 "seasonal" brews that rotate each month along with a themed portion of their menu. Very cool. The food was very decent, and the prices were not bad at all, especially when compared to most establishments in downtown Boston. Our waitress was helpful, and very prompt. All in all, a very decent place to hang out with a group and watch a game while drinking some decent beers.

09-29-2011 03:04:29 | More by GarthDanielson

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

After a day on the Freedom Trail, we headed to Boston Beer Works for a beer break before walking over the bridge to Bunker Hill. Tried only a couple of beers since we had had some of the in common brews the day before at Salem Beer Works. All were adequate brews with the India Pale Porter that stand out beer on Canal Street. Similar to Salem, each place had ok beer with a single beer that was just a bit better than the rest. Nachos were too big and ok as well. Nice break, but a bit pricey. Best feature was that for some reason there was a very cooling breeze down the street that made the patio very nice, in spite of it being fairly warm walking in other parts of the city that day. So, great patio dining if that's something you enjoy.

07-09-2011 19:50:42 | More by FightingEntropy

BennyL1

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Went here before the Celtics and Rockets on 1/10/11

Very nice place to have a pre-game meal. Interior is nice, plenty of flat screens on all of the walls. Music was a little loud but didn't bother me that much. Packed with people going to the game.

The beer is what really did it for me. I had a Back Bay IPA with my meal and a Bunker Hill Blueberry with my dessert. Both were quality offerings. There were about 15 or 16 beers on the menu. You could choose from 12, 16, or 22 oz servings which I liked.

The food was also very good, I had a chicken sandwich and some very good fries. Both the girlfriend and I enjoyed our meals.

Service I thought was timely considering how packed it was. Two dinners, beers, dessert, and tip was about $50. Well worth it to me and will definitely come back when I go to my next Celtics or Bruins game.

01-11-2011 18:08:12 | More by BennyL1

BeerSox

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Located pretty close to the North Station stop on the Green Line. The inside is rather modern, with lots of finished wood and metal.

Behind the bar are signs that show the beer selection. Each sign is colored to match the color of the beer which I think is a great idea, especially for those unfamiliar with beer in general.

My dad and I showed up to this place planning on waiting for my sister to go get a late lunch, but she texted me to tell us that they were eating, so we ended up with a salad. The salads were pretty good, and there seemed to be a good amount of options on the food menu.

The beer was really good, and there was a good ranged of beers available, from very light to very dark, sessionable to strong. The beers seemed to be reasonably priced as well.

08-22-2010 03:07:37 | More by BeerSox

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I've stopped in here a few times while waiting for a train back to the burbs. The inside is large with an open layout, seems kind of like a converted warehouse. There's a large bar on the wall to your right as you walk in - that's where I've seated myself during my visits. The bartenders have always been quick to take my order and answer questions about the large selection of beer that's been available during my visits, even taking the time to ask questions about favourite styles, make suggestions, and provide small samples. Friendly and quick service is always appreciated, particularly when you're a slave to the train schedule. As mentioned the beer selection has always been large during my visits, probably on the order of 15+ taps. There have usually been multiple choices for a given style, particularly stouts, IPAs and pale ales. I'll continue to stop in here due to both the convenient location and the selection/service.

06-12-2010 13:02:08 | More by DrJay

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

My favorite pre/post Bruins haunt, Beer Works Canal St. is like one of those choose your own adventure books. You can sit around for awhile or you can get in and out before a game. You can fill up on some of their pedestrian brews or you can pontificate upon something fancy. It's up to you.

First and foremost this place is about getting people fed and quenched before sporting events at Garden (or whatever it's called now). The service is accordingly fast and efficient. Consequently, if you're looking to sit around for awhile you should probably let your server know.

Beers range from mediocre standards such as Fenway Pale, which are geared more to the sports fan who just ended up here, to takes on Belgian ales and sours. When they want to Beer Works brews some good stuff. They also brew a wide variety as they trade out with other Beer Works locations.

The food is similarly eclectic and hit-or-miss. I personally recommend the jambalaya.

If you're not careful they may blast club music at you in the upstairs. Watch out for that.

It's right next to North Station so it's a nice place to wait when you're train is late.

01-18-2010 04:32:52 | More by donkeyrunner