Date of Visit: November 23, 2021
We visited Massachusetts to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. We opted for a day up at ye olde stomping grounds on the North Shore. Our friend Natalie visited a couple weeks ago and told us that her husband Caleb is the assistant brewer at Backbeat Brewing Company.
To see Caleb and have nice beer, well. There's a thing to be thankful for.
We got there on what I'd consider the early end of things at 11:30am, but they actually open at 5:45am! Located across the street from Beverly Depot, commuters can grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee to go on the train.
Our friend Amy does not drink coffee or beer and she came to mind when I saw the tea selection on their website, so we invited her to join us for lunch.
For sure this is the kind of place that makes welcome all the varieties of people in the world from breakfast wanters, to imbibers wanting of non alcoholic items, lunch seekers, and craft beer lovers at any hour. Great ideas for the location in wonderful downtown Beverly.
A quick note, when Doug and I were first married we live here in town, brought our first baby home after delivering at Beverly Hospital. There are few towns I'd want to maybe go back and live in, and Beverly is one of them.
I started with the nitro Bobby O'Brien (pictured above/left) which is described on the website as an Irish Red.
There was no notable red to this - it was a pretty dark brown, photogenic for sure, and quite tasty. (I forget exactly what Geoff and Doug had on the first round because I was focused on taking in the menu for my next choice. Doug may have had the Czech Dark Lager if I recall).
We ordered lunch, Doug and Geoff got the mac & cheese with pulled pork on top, and Amy and I each got the chicken pot pie.
I got the Background Vocals Blonde Ale (pictured below) to go with the pot pie, and it was a very nice pairing. The pot pie was delicious, toasted nicely on top, and very hot. And the guys loved their mac and cheese too because it got inhaled by both of them without me getting a li'l taste.
One of the fun things about the brewery is that the Union Jack British Market that used to be located up on Rte 1 south in Peabody has relocated shop here. We had fun looking at all the chocolates and the cut-out of the queen. Amy went home with some Walnut Whip from Cadbury with promises of a review on it.
Next, I had Express Lane NEIPA (pictured left) while we all four split a toffee graham square as a treat.
The cookie was delightful, chocolatey and tasty, wonderful.
I maybe should have gone the way of a stout here with Coffee/Toffee/Chocolatey tones to go with but the Express Lane was really fun, and I do not regret getting it. Bitey, hoppy, flavorful, it was contrary to the sweetness of the desert, and wonderfully delicious.
Doug also had gotten the two beers on cask, the Bitter an Ale that isn't on the tap list on their website. We aren't sure it even has a name maybe? We both liked that one more than we liked the bitter.
But to be honest, the bitter was not bad, it's just that the ale was better.
This is a fun sentence to say out loud a few times.
We finished our visit up, said our goodbyes and went on our way to drive around Beverly, look at the water, head up to Ipswich where I always fantasy house hunt, and we didn't go to the Ipswich Brewery because we were having dinner somewhere else.
Next visit "home" to the North Shore we'll be sure to be back and check out the Old Planters (closed until April, according to the website) and Gentile Brewing (steps away from Backbeat).
Beverly, I miss you already.
Oh, and here is a picture of Caleb and me. I look awful as I was super tired from the travel up to this point.
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