Boston Flora

Tag: Samuel Adams

  • Wednesday, August 27, 7:00 pm – Boston Beer: A History of Brewing in the Hub

    Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, will host Norman Miller, author of Boston Beer: A History of Brewing in the Hub, on Wednesday, August 27, beginning at 7 pm. Free, but please rsvp at www.portersquarebooks.com. 

    Since before Patriots like Paul Revere and Sam Adams fermented a revolution in smoky Beantown taverns, beer has been integral to the history of Boston. The city issued its first brewing license in 1630, and breweries like Haffenreffer Brewery and American Brewing Company quickly sprung up. This heady history took a turn for the worse when the American Temperance Movement championed prohibition, nearly wiping out all of the local breweries. In 1984, the amber liquid was revitalized as Jim Koch introduced Samuel Adams craft brews to the Hub and the nation. Shortly after, Harpoon Brewery emerged and became the largest brewery to make all its beers in New England. From the planning of the Boston Tea Party over a pint at Green Dragon Tavern to the renaissance of the burgeoning craft brewing scene, join author and “Beer Nut” Norman Miller as he savors the sudsy history of brewing in the Hub.

    Norman Miller grew up in the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed and plastic pink lawn flamingos: Leominster, Massachusetts. Despite being a late bloomer as a beer drinker, he has been writing the Beer Nut column for the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Massachusetts, and the GateHouse Media family of newspapers since 2006, as well as a blog of the same name.

    Currently, Norman lives in his childhood home in Leominster with his dog Foxy, his cats Trouble and Tweak and his prized possession, Beatrice the beer fridge, which is always stocked up with Boston beers.

  • Saturday, August 17, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Brew at the Zoo

    Don’t miss the Fourth Annual Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, August 17, beginning at 5 pm at the Columbia Road Entrance to the Franklin Park Zoo. Brew at the Zoo is a “beer tasting” event that features stations hosted by local breweries and restaurants – as well as an opportunity to stroll amongst the animals in the zoo’s signature Tropical Forest Pavilion, which is home to ring-tailed lemurs, ocelots, Baird’s tapirs, a pygmy hippo, free-flight birds and many other species. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit Aussie Aviary, a seasonal free-flight exhibit featuring brightly-colored budgies.

    Participating breweries include Peak Organic Brewing Company, Blue Hills Brewery, Long Trail Brewing Co., Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head Brewery, Foolproof Brewing Company, Harpoon Brewery, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Cambridge Brewing Company, Clown Shoes Beer, Slumbrew, Watch City Brewing Company, Narragansett Beer, Mayflower Brewing Company, Bantam Cider Company, Woodchuck Hard Cider, The Traveler Beer Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Down the Road Brewery, Battle Road Brewing Co., Beer Works, 3 Beards Beer Company, Do Can Brewery, Newburyport Brewing Company, Paper City Brewery, and Rapscallion. Food will be provided by American Flatbread, Amir’s Natural Foods, California Pizza Kitchen, Food Should Taste Good, Harrow’s Chicken Pies, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Ole Mexican Grill, Olecito, Popeye’s, Upper Crust Pizzeria, Utz Quality Foods, and Costco Wholesale. Music will also be provided by DJ BK.

    Given the popularity of Franklin Park Zoo, Brew at the Zoo promises to one of the most unforgettable beer tasting events in Boston! Proceeds from Brew at the Zoo will support the operation and continued growth of Franklin Park Zoo, its education programs and conservation initiatives.  $60 fee.  See www.zoonewengland.org for more information.

    http://www.zoonewengland.org/view.image?Id=1565

  • Sunday, December 13 – Hancock Holiday Home Tour

    The Lexington Historical Society announces the Hancock Holiday Home Tour, which will take place Sunday, December 13, featuring beautiful homes on Hancock Street and Hancock Avenue in Lexington.  Advance sale prices for the tour are $15 for LHS members, $20 non-members.  Day of Tour: $20 members, $25 non-members.  To register, call 781-862-1703, or email office@lexingtonhistory.org. Below is a description of a Hancock Street house which should whet your appetite.

    The Hancock-Clarke House, built in 1737, is 1/4 mile from Buckman Tavern, on Hancock Street. On the evening of April 18, 1775, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, prominent leaders in the colonial cause, were guests of the Reverend Jonas Clarke in the parsonage. Fearing that they might be captured by the British, Dr Joseph Warren of Boston sent William Dawes and Paul Revere to Lexington with news of the advancing British troops. Arriving separately, they stopped to warn Hancock and Adams, then set off for Concord. Today Dawes is all but forgotten, but Paul Revere’s midnight ride has been immortalized by Longfellow.

    The Hancock-Clarke House was the home of the Reverend John Hancock and the Reverend Jonas Clarke – two ministers who served the spiritual and secular needs of Lexington for 105 years. The Reverend Hancock’s grandson John, a frequent visitor to this house, was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first Governor of Massachusetts. Succeeding Hancock as minister in 1752, the Reverend Jonas Clarke, who reared twelve children in this parsonage, was an eloquent supporter of the colonial cause. The Reverend Clarke’s fervent sermons were a source of inspiration to the citizens of Lexington during the crisis with Britain.