LTK, Harpoon brewery tour and Picco

Yesterday was the last day of a very long weekend and it turned into an unexpected staycation due to pretty nice weather. Adam and I decided to go for a walk and explore areas of Boston we rarely end up at. This brought us to the Seaport district.

We realized that Harpoon brewery is in the area and decided to take their 3pm brewery tour. This left us with just enough time to grab a snack at a restaurant in the area. I suggested pizza and we both got excited. Unfortunately without any conventions at the time, most businesses/restaurants are closed, including Salvatore’s (a local pizza joint). With not too many options around, we settled on LTK (Legal Sea Food’s sister restaurant). The second the bar tender mentioned a bloody mary, I knew I really wanted one (yeah, smart choice, Elina, vodka before a beer tour ).

Then came out the super fresh rolls with a butter bean dip. The dip was not bad, but the roles were amazing. They tasted like they just came out of the oven! Yum

For our “snack” Adam and I decided to spit the mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. The chef made a special batch, sans onions, and I was very thankful for that. I could seriously drink that sauce straight out of the bowl! Instead I enjoyed it with the warm rolls (we asked for a few extra).

Next up: Harpoon Brewery tour!!

The tour was really fun! I loved learning about the process. We got to taste the wheat and barley used for brewing, as well as some pre-bottled IPA (it was cloudy, less carbonated and more alcoholic – still very good!). And then it was time for the beer tasting portion of the tour.

I started with the UFO (un-filtered offering) White. Harpoon started brewing this wheat beer 6 months ago, and it is now their 3rd best seller! [on the right is Adam's Harpoon Dark which I also tasted - yum!]

This UFO White I really enjoyed! It had hints of orange which made it a little special. Next I asked for the Ginger Wheat from Harpoon’s 100 barrel series (they let their brewers brew whatever they want once every 3 months, make 100 barrels of it, and that’s it! Talk about limited edition…)

It smelled like ginger but tasted quite lemony. Another good one!

Our tour guide/bartender mentioned that the Winter Warmer (has cloves and cinnamon) tastes like a gingerbread cookie, and combined with the hard Cider, tastes like apple pie. You know I had to test that theory

Winter Warmer:

Not quite a gingerbread cookie, but floral, fall flavors for sure. Combined with the Cider it tasted like candy to me (not apple pie). A little too sweet for my taste (I prefer the Cider on its own).

The tour + tasting was really a blast! I probably drank less than a beer altogether (I didn’t drink the samples in their entirety) but was definitely feeling tipsy (I guess that bloody mary was pretty strong!). I rarely drink beer so I was surprised how much I enjoyed everything I tasted. I think I like to taste them more than actually drink them all night long (except for cider, that’s like apple juice ). Adam and I are definitely Harpoon fans now, and I know we’ll be more likely to order it next time we’re at a bar (the kegs are usually about a week old when they get delivered to a local bar – that’s some fresh beer!!).

Feeling good (read: feeling the effects of alcohol) with a pizza craving still unsatisfied, brought us to our favorite pizza place in Boston – PICCO (pizza and ice cream company).

I got the small margharita with chicken and mushrooms

The dough is SO doughy and chewy, it tastes like heaven! The sauce has large tomato chunks (I like that over the smooth sauce) and the mozzarella is incredibly fresh. This pizza was to-die-for!

Adam got their fresh smoked pepperoni as a topping. We swapped one slice. Also yummy! I like how the mini pepperoni got all crispy in the oven. Best.pizza.ever!

We got home around 7:30; I promptly passed out on the couch around 8. I peeled myself off around 8:40 and got to bed, setting an alarm for bright and early, but that didn’t happen either. I slept for 11 hours and probably could have slept for another 11. I guess I was really tired!! Back to work now…..

Do you like being a tourist in your own city? Ever tried exploring new areas on a random Sunday afternoon? I highly recommend it!