Bukowski’s Tavern
Last night, I went to Bukowski’s Tavern in Back Bay, which is a perennial favorite. There’s another location in Inman Square, though I’ve never been there. I don’t go to this bar nearly as often as I want to. If you’re in Boston and you haven’t been to this bar, then you must go sometime, especially if you in any way think of yourself as a beer drinker.
This place has an amazing beer selection that could easily number a hundred. There are beers from all over the world with their respective glasses, and the bartenders really know their stuff. If you somehow drink them all, then you get your own mug that hangs in the bar.
Now, a full 24 hours later, I’m trying to remember what in the world I drank. They were all new selections for me:
- Schneider Weisse Edel-Weisse: This is a weizenbock that has a bit of spice with a springtime flavor. It’s bottle-conditioned, so I was surprised when the bartender poured out most of the bottle and then shook and swirled the remaining beer and poured it in. He claimed that was the correct way to have it, and I didn’t disagree, as that was one beautiful head.
- Schneider Aventinus: This is another weizenbock from the same brewery, but it’s darker and sweeter. It had yet another great head made by shaking the dregs of the bottle and pouring it on top.
- Einbecker Ur-Bock: This was rich in color and slightly sweet. As you can tell by now, I was definitely keen on spring, so I had three separate bocks. It was a rainy, slightly cold evening, but it was spring inside.
- Magic Hat Circus Boy: I’d been meaning to try this for a while, and they had it on tap. It was refreshing and slightly bitter. It was good enough (and at the right price point), that I had two.
The only downside to drinking all these beers is the cost. One bottle of any of these could easily buy you a whole lot of Budweiser, but it’s totally worth it. Next time, I’m definitely going for a lambic. The sticker shock was just a bit too much for me last night. It was something like $12.95/bottle.
April 24th, 2006 at 1:44 am
I’m officially jealous. You got to try some Schneider products that I haven’t, and their Hefeweizen is my absolute favorite so I’m sure I’d like the others.
I’m going to be in Boston in July, so I’ll make sure to visit Bukowskis.
April 24th, 2006 at 11:34 am
Nice post; my favorite haunt, by far. I actually finished all of the beers on my ‘drink card’ in less than two months, which probably means that I put the manager’s kids through college or something like that….at the very least, it certainly points to an unhealthy affection for beer. My mug is #242, and my dead author is Lester Bangs. I don’t go there so often any more as I have an infant son…while I could certainly play the part of the absent and psychically tortured father, that’s a cliche I’d rather not subject my son to. Besides, before my wife became pregnant I was there pretty much every day after work as it’s on my route from the office to the T at Hynes/ICA. I shudder to think of what expense this incurred on me, both physically and monetarily.
If you haven’t checked out the bar’s eponymous author he’s worth the read for the grungy beatnik pleasure of it, especially while enjoying a Schlitz or another of the tavern’s numerous entries in what they call ‘Nana’s Cannery Row.’ This has some timelessly awful classics…Gennesee (sp?), Ballantine’s, etc. A couple of my friends are huge fans of the bar’s $3 Brubaker bottles. Given the price, it’s a great bargain and you get a neat little rhebus puzzle on the bottlecap.
A fun game at the place is to make your friends pound their beer every time someone walks to the back to find the bathroom.
Next time you’re in the place, if you see a tall guy with glasses at the bar drinking out of mug #242, give me a shout. The name’s Justin.
“To all my friends, a drink…”
April 24th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Nyah nyah!
When you’re here, you should also try out Sunset Grill & Tap, which is in Allston. They have something like 500+ beers. It’s absolutely amazing. Bukowski’s has less, but it’s closer and I enjoy the atmosphere.
July 19th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
So, I went to the Bukowski Tavern in Inman Square last week with my work crowd. We were all in Boston for a trade show, and had eaten at the East Coast Grill and Raw Bar next door, which serves an impressive-looking Zombie in an actual pineapple.
Bukowski was pretty good, but more heavy on bottled beer than I’d like. Still, I did get a (bottled) Schneider Weisse as well as an unimpressive local brew (on tap) whose name I forget.
Years ago, I went with grad-school friends to the Sunset Grill & Tap. That was a fun evening - what I remember of it.
July 19th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Nice. Schneider has become one of my goto beers at Bukowski’s. Yeah, their beer menu is heavily geared towards bottled beer, but that’s understandable if nearly all the beers are hard-to-find imports. Sunset Grill & Tap is just absolutely amazing when it comes to selection. It’s just mind-boggling.
The next time you’re here again, you should try out The Publick House. I forgot to mention that. The Linwood Grill also gets good reviews, but it has a smaller beer selection and I’ve never actually been there.