Kayla (COM intern) here. A few weeks ago, Lucia sent me to Harvard’s Schlesinger Library to research beer in New England. Entering a room whose walls were lined with every article of culinary literature you can imagine was pretty exciting for someone who loves to read and write about food. So for a few hours, I really enjoyed sinking my teeth into (sipping on?) some New England brewing history.
I learned that Samuel Cole opened America’s first tavern in 1633 near Faneuil Hall. In the late 1600s, Harvard college even operated three on-campus brew houses to serve the student population. Isn’t that crazy? There were breweries at Harvard!
While early New Englanders brewed beer with whatever they had on hand — barley, corn, pumpkin, parsnips, oats, spruce, birch, and sassafras — we’ll be debuting something a bit more elegant this Thursday: a malty Scotch ale from Berkshire Brewing Company. We’d love for you to join us for the launch, where you’ll also get to taste another traditional New England item, free for all who join. Can you guess what it is?
