1 Fort Point Pale Ale | American pale ale | Trillium Brewing Company | 6.6% | Boston, MA | Citrus, light tropical fruit, crackery malt | 3.5 | Post-lab patio session with takeout tacos | My default setting. Balanced enough for casual drinkers, nerdy enough you can still monologue about hop selection if someone asks. | Widely available in MA cans and on draft |
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2 Whirlpool | Hazy pale ale | Night Shift Brewing | 4.5% | Everett, MA | Peach, mango, soft wheat, low bitterness | 3 | Long Celtics game that’s probably going to OT | The session beer that tricks you into thinking you’re hydrating. Cloudy juice bomb without the palate assault. | Year-round in MA, common on draft around Boston |
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3 Harpoon IPA | American IPA | Harpoon Brewery | 6.0% | Boston, MA | Grapefruit, pine, caramel malt backbone | 4 | Crowded hockey bar and regrettable nachos | The OG Boston IPA. Not hazy, not trendy, just the reliable power forward who still knows how to throw an elbow in the corners. | Everywhere in New England, draft and package |
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4 You Can’t Beat Boston IPA | Hazy New England IPA | Harpoon Brewery | 6.0% | Boston, MA | Tropical fruit, citrus, soft bitterness | 4 | Fenway day game and a questionably sunburned neck | Big civic-pride energy in a can. Tastes like someone finally let the marketing department dry-hop the slogan. | Regional, especially around Boston sports venues and Harpoon taprooms |
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5 Samuel Adams Boston Lager | Vienna-style lager | Boston Beer Company | 5.0% | Boston, MA | Toasty malt, light caramel, floral hops | 2.5 | Family dinner where you’re the only one who knows what IBUs are | The default save file of Boston beer. Smooth, malty, zero drama—like the rare Sox season where nobody gets traded mid-rant. | Nationally distributed, on draft and in every grocery beer aisle |
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6 Samuel Adams Wicked Hazy | Juicy New England IPA | Boston Beer Company | 6.8% | Boston, MA | Orange juice, tropical hop punch, low bitterness | 4 | Mario Kart tournament that “definitely won’t go late” | Sam finally embraced the haze meta. Big citrus, soft body, and just enough booze to make you accidentally text your ex about the Pats. | Year-round, widely distributed in New England and beyond |
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7 Birds of a Feather | New England IPA | Lamplighter Brewing Co. | 6.8% | Cambridge, MA | Juicy orange, stone fruit, dank hop edge | 4.5 | Overanalysing a playlist in a Cambridge apartment kitchen | The “oh, you know beer” pick. Soft, saturated, just murky enough that your non-beer friend still calls it ‘that orange one I liked.’ | Regular Lamplighter release, cans and draft around Greater Boston |
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8 A Year With Dr. Nandu | West Coast-style IPA | Aeronaut Brewing Co. | 6.3% | Somerville, MA | Grapefruit pith, pine, firm bitterness | 5 | Arguing movie rankings after a Bow Market show | For when you’re sick of juice bombs and want some old-school resin. This is the IPA equivalent of switching from spreadsheets to a command line. | Year-round Aeronaut core beer, common on draft and in cans in MA |
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9 House Lager | Helles lager | Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers | 5.2% | Framingham, MA | Fresh bread, light honey, gentle herbal hops | 2 | Grilling in a friend’s Somerville backyard that is illegally a driveway | Peak “crushable but not boring.” If macro lagers are base camp, House Lager is the comfy hut halfway up the flavor mountain. | Widely available across MA, especially in 16 oz cans |
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10 Keeper | American IPA | Castle Island Brewing Co. | 6.3% | Norwood, MA | Tropical fruit, citrus, balanced malt | 4 | Beach day that accidentally turns into a pickup wiffle ball league | Does the “big hop” thing without wrecking your palate. The two-way defenseman of IPAs: plays offense but still backchecks. | Core year-round beer, easy to find around Boston in cans and on draft |
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TheLysts
