Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall — Restaurant in Boston

We came in here on a super hot day to escape the heat and try some of Boston's beers. On a Monday afternoon in 100-degree weather, it wasn't super crowded inside and we decided to sit at the bar indoors. (Outdoors may have been closed due to weather.)

I tend to like wheat beers and light lagers - very drinkable beers. For example - I drink a lot of Blue Moon. I'm okay with a sour here and there but one of those is usually enough for me. My husband can drink an IPA here and there but he's about the same as me in preferring wheats and lagers, maybe a pilsner. We like a beer to be smooth and refreshing. What we learned on our trip is that Massachusetts is very IPA heavy and Harpoon was a good example of what to expect around Boston: if you're not into IPAs, the beer scene kinda blows.

I tried the red, white, and blue corn lager first - too hoppy for me. Wish I had gotten a sample before ordering a whole beer.

My husband tried the Georgia Peach and it was amazing. We actually ended up getting cans to go. A simple beer, not too hoppy or heavy, and a nice sweet twang of peach throughout.

I then got smart and decided to try samples of beers before committing to a whole glass. By this point, the bar had gotten busier so getting a bartender took a bit of a wait. When she came by, I sampled a UFO (not White, but something like it) and wasn't a fan. I decided next time I could get her attention I'd try something else but it took too long and by the time she came over I ended up going with a UFO White because I'd had it before back home and knew it wouldn't be terrible. It wasn't great (now I know why I don't buy it often) but it was easier to get down than that lager.

We also tried a pretzel and it was ... interesting. Being from Philly, we are definitely pretzel snobs. But this was more like a double bagel. Very fluffy. We got the mustard and beer cheese sauces and both were pretty awful. The beer cheese was very gritty and the mustard was waaay too strong.

Overall: nice place to escape the heat but not a fan of the beer selection and if you want a soft pretzel with your beer... Go to...

We visited to redeem our Go City Passes for pretzels, taking a 45-minute bus ride with our young child specifically for this stop. As soon as we arrived, the woman at the front door was immediately rude after we explained why we were there. She told us they had a special event that day and would not be honoring Go City Passes (very rudely) — something that was nowhere on their website or the Go City app.

She then said, without anyone asking, that even if they were redeeming them, only the two adults in our party (21+) could receive pretzels, and we would be required to sit inside at a table to eat them. She stated we weren’t allowed to walk around or sit outside — despite there being an open, outdoor area and we were only asking for pretzels, not alcohol.

My family regularly visits breweries that are kid-friendly, and we had seen many reviews saying this place was too. Unfortunately, the woman working the door seemed completely out of her depth, making up rules on the spot and treating us with a bad attitude from the start. She repeated herself over and over, brought up unrelated topics, and made no effort to kindly explain the situation, help us find a solution, or even apologize at the least.

There was even a pretzel stand outside — we’re not sure why couldn’t they have just taken our names and let us grab them there later, or simply let us know in a respectful way that redemptions weren’t possible that day.

We had no idea this visit would turn into such an unpleasant experience. The atmosphere was not welcoming, the customer service was disappointing, and we left feeling frustrated and disrespected. We absolutely would not recommend this place to anyone — and honestly, we’d discourage others from going based on how we were treated.

Sam Adam’s was SO much more welcoming while allowing a child in for the tour (obviously no alcohol) and genuinely kind towards every person in our party without discrimination like this place. I would recommend that tour over this any day & Samual Adam’s Tour was very interesting and...

Reading all of these other reviews about sold out tours, I'm really glad that we came in early on a Saturday. The brewery opens at 11, and the first tour is at 11:20. Tickets ($5) are first come, first serve. My boyfriend and I arrived at about 10:50, and there were already about 10 people ahead of us. Each tour can hold 30 people, so if you have your heart set on the tour, it's best to get there early. Tours last for about an hour, including the tasting portion.

First, they'll take you through the history of how Harpoon and UFO came about, which by the way, I had no idea that the two were owned by the same company. Then, they let you taste wort, or green beer as they call it, which is unfermented beer. This was pretty cool since this was a first for me. Out of all the breweries I've been to, i've never had the chance to taste wort. It's not very good, but interesting nonetheless.

Then, they'll take you to the "tasting room" where they have all the beers on tap. I thought it would be a tasting room similar to Sam Adams, where you sit, and they explain each beer. Here, they quickly explain each beer, you get in line, and tell them which sample you want. You can try as many beers as you want, until the next group has to come in. Between my boyfriend and I combined, we were able to try almost all 20 of them.

After that, you can head to their restaurant area to get some more beer. There are three different flights you can try. It would have been nice if you could choose which beers, but these are already preset for you. Definitely try the salted pretzel, which is made with their IPA instead of water. It might be the best pretzel that I've ever eaten in my life - especially when paired with their beer cheese. You won't be...