It was blazing hot at the 2012 Boston Marathon, temperatures reaching 88 degrees and no cloud cover in sight on April 16^th race day.  But, one thing that kept me running toward the finish of this sweltering, semi-sadistic event was the reward of a tour at Samuel Adams® Brewery.  I had signed up for a ‘go and see’ of this popular craft beer maker and gosh-golly-darn-it, I wasn’t going to be late for the party.

Found out that Samuel Adams, brewer and patriot, really doesn’t have anything to do with the brand other than the company, founded in 1985, thought he captured the spirit of the flagship Boston Lager® beer. Another factoid, it turns out this little brewery is more of a research and development post, making only about 1-percent of the company’s beer – the remainder is produced in Cincinnati, OH and Breinigsville, PA.

In the tasting room, I got to partake in quite a bit of beer sampling including Boston Lager®, Summer Ale, and Boston 26.2 Brew, a ‘seasonal’ recipe. I really enjoyed the Boston 26.2 Brew, a special draft-only edition made to be served at official race events and at restaurants and bars along the race course. A real bummer, none of it was planned for bottling, so we couldn’t take any home – maybe they’ll change that next year!

After the tour, we considered heading to the pub straight across the street from the historic Granary Burying Ground, the final resting place of many famous colonial Americans. From the pub window you can actually see headstones and the joke is you can enjoy a cold Sam Adams beer . . . over a cold Sam Adams. Instead we walked over to Doyle’s Café, the first place to ever carry Sam Adams on tap, to enjoy a little more of the 26.2 brew . . . and much-earned pizza!