Toast 250 years at North of Boston’s Breweries and Cideries 

Just like in colonial days, local beer and hard cider are beloved North of Boston. Design your own pub crawl with this guide, and raise a glass to all the innovation that’s brewing.

Housed in an antique mill building on the Merrimack River,  The Tap Brewing Company in Haverhill pairs a brewpub lunch or dinner with a rotating selection of on-tap beers, like the Riverman, a roasty, chocolatey London porter, or the Golden Slipper, a light and fruity Belgian tripel.

Bent Water Brewing Company

Bent Water Brewing Company concocts its beer onsite from start to finish, right down to the canning, starting with Lynn’s award-winning (really!) municipal water. Sample ever-changing seasonal and limited-edition brews, or year-round faves like the New England double IPA Super Sluice and the pre-Prohibition-style Premium Lager.

True North Ale Company

True North Ale Company’s Ipswich alehouse bustles with trivia nights, live music, drag shows, craft classes, and the Big Pig Barbecue food truck parked outside. At the center of it all, though, are the beers, like the light and refreshing Cerveza Mexican lager and the hazy, fruity North Shore IPA.

Newburyport Brewing Co

Beers like Plum Island Belgian White and Green Head IPA deliciously nod to  Newburyport Brewing Co.’s coastal Newburyport home. Pack a picnic dinner (or have dinner delivered right to the bar) to enjoy these and other suds along with live music five nights a week. Bonus? They also have a free-to-join pickleball club.

Far From The Tree

Far From The Tree leans into Salem’s witchy vibes at its tasting room with scarily good hard ciders. Try the kiwi-, jalapeño-, and bell-pepper-flavored Ectoplasm; the spiced, black-tea-infused Apple of My Chai; and even ciders named for Hocus Pocus characters like the Winifred, with apropos bursts of tangerine, cherry, and ginger.

Oak & Iron Brewing Co.

With exposed brick and beams in its taproom, and a riverside patio, Andover’s  Oak & Iron Brewing Co. is a cozy spot to enjoy small-batch New England–inspired craft beverages. Sample beers like Summer on the Shawsheen wheat ale, Rivah Bendah IPA, and the malty Smith & Dove Scotch ale.

Granite Coast Brewing

The family- and dog-friendly tavern and terrace at Granite Coast Brewing in Peabody invites long, leisurely days sipping the brewery’s creative takes on classic beers. There’s always something new on tap, like Kessel Spice Run amber ale or the rich Noir vanilla-bourbon imperial stout.

Brewery Silvaticus

Brewery Silvaticus crafts traditional European beers like Belgian farmhouse ales and German-style lagers right in Amesbury’s brick-front downtown. This dramshop with an outdoor beer garden on the Powwow River features small bites and rotating kegs, including the light and crisp Y Knot American lager and the Oblivion black lager with its notes of coffee and pumpernickel.

Backbeat Brewing Company

Trivia nights, live music, and hearty snacks and sandwiches keep patrons engaged at  Backbeat Brewing Company in Beverly. The mercurial draft list includes brews like the Hoppy Wife Hoppy Life IPA and the Rock On dry Irish stout.

Twisted Fate Brewing

Twisted Fate Brewing is a nanobrewery (even smaller than a microbrewery) producing beers so limited the on-tap list is published weekly. Visit the Danvers taproom to sip a Mature Winter Squash Ale, brewed with pumpkin and pumpkin-pie spices, or a New England hazy IPA dubbed A World of Dreams.

Photos: Courtesy of Brewery Silvaticus; Courtesy of The Tap Brewing Company, Haverhill; Courtesy of Newburyport Brewing Co.; Brewery Silvaticus by NBCVB 

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This blog is an excerpt from our digital guide “250 Ways to Explore, Discover, and Celebrate North of Boston”. To view the full guide, click here.