Portico Brewing – Somerville, MA – New England Beer Buddy

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By New England Beer Buddy Beer Beer To Go Blog Breweries Craft Beer Craft Brewery Massachusetts Brewery New England Brewery Taproom January 23, 2024

I find myself to be a generally good guy. Making myself available to others when in need.

So, when my neighbors asked me if I could give them a ride to Logan Airport, did I agree to do so out of the kindness of my own heart?

Nope.

I thought to myself “Cool! I can go to the new Portico Brewing Taproom!”

For years Portico could be found on tap at specific restaurants or on the shelves at beer stores. Initially a contract brewer, the architecture inspired brand was formed by a group of friends in 2012. For years, Chroma (Red Ale) and Fuzzy Logic (Belgian IPA) were both a usual go-to for me if I found them on the shelves of my favorite beer stores or a bar had on tap. I was very excited when I learned that Portico would be opening it’s own standalone taproom in the Boynton Yards neighborhood of Somerville.

Before I get the experience, let me offer a helpful disclaimer:

If using GPS, the directions will most likely take you to 33 South Street in Somerville. This is a cannoli shell baker. They don’t have beer in there.

So, keep going down the road, just another block to 101 South Street, on the right. You can park right on the street or head over to the nearby garage.

When you walk in you immediately think “Wow. Look at the SPACE!” Plenty of seating at the bar and when you look around there are many, many tables and high tops for you to choose from.

When the weather is warm, you also have outside seating options. I found the Adirondack chairs to be rather comfortable.

The brewery itself has plenty of beer style options to choose from. From IPA to Stout to Pilsner to Hard Seltzer, to Sour, they pretty take care of whatever you may like.

The staff were very outgoing and enjoyed what they were doing. We were fortunate enough to have Anna as our beer-tender. Super friendly, very informative on the beer details and she made some great recommendations.

At the bar, it was also a pleasure to have Alex Rabe just a few bar chairs down. Alex is a co-founder of Portico and was great to discuss with him the story of Portico, what it was like to get the taproom up and running as well as other discussions about the local craft brewing industry. A good discussion we had was their focus on sustainability and making the overall operation as green as possible.

I found it great they had plenty of nosh options. Food is available on location via Johnny Pomodoro. We tried the garlic knots with the pesto dip as well as a slice of the pepperoni Detroit-Style pizza.

(*Note: As of 1/25/24 the food vendor has changed to Taqueria El Barrio)

To keep you busy while you’re enjoying your beverages, there are an assortment of games throughout the taproom as well. Shuffleboard, Hook & Ring, board games and even a Super Nintendo (which I would have loved to have played some Mario Kart but some kid hogged it!)

Overall, Portico was a very fun place to visit and I’m so glad I finally got to make a trip. There are great people working there and some incredible beers.

So, if anyone ever needs a ride to the airport…just let me know!

Location: 101 South Street, Somerville, MA, Boynton Yards

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