Gettin’ Carried Away

When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you want to do? My second day in Boston, after I showered, after I brushed my teeth, after I combed my hair, all I wanted to do was drink an ice cold beer… at the Sam Adams Brewery.

The best way to get to the Sam Adams Brewery is to take the Orange Line towards Forest Hills and get off at the Stony Brook stop. The brewery is tucked away behind wild shrubs and run-down houses. You follow a maze of streets and eventually come to a small tent in front of a big brick building. Under this tent, while waited for our 12:30 tour of the brewery, we were given samples of two brand-new, unreleased brews. We were told to vote on which one we liked best in the 2008 Beer Lovers Choice faceoff. The winning beer would be on shelves sometime at the end of the year.

The first beer was Coffee Stout. I’m not a huge fan of coffee, but if this beer makes it to the public, I’d be tempted to take back a few in the morning. The hint of coffee is very subtle to the nose and to the taste buds. There is such a perfect balance of coffee, yeast and hops. If you haven’t figured it out, I voted for this beer. The second was Blackberry Witbier. It was pretty yummy, but too similar to Leinenkeugel’s Berry Weiss. Sam Adams doesn’t need a similar product on the market. Be unique, Sam Adams, please!

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What to do now? How about a baseball game? No trip to Boston would be complete without visiting the historic, almost 100 year old Fenway Park. And lucky for me, the Red Sox were playing my beloved Chicago White Sox

There are two things I recommend doing when visiting this ballpark.

1. Take the tour.
2. Eat a Fenway Frank… or two.

Although our tour of Fenway was shortened due to an early game time, the $12 we spent to see the ins and outs of this legendary stadium was fully worth it! We gained access to a private deck in right field, we got to see some of the Red Sox batting practice and we were told the secret of the Green Monster.

After the tour, we waited outside on Yawkey Way for the gates to open for the ball game. Once inside, I darted down to the White Sox dugout to take pictures of the players during their warm up. There is something so surreal about being just a few feet away from professional athletes. I’m always star struck and completely mesmerized no matter where I am in any stadium.

Before the game started, I decided to try a Fenway Frank. I normally do not eat hot dogs when I am at the ball game. I don’t like them at Comiskey or Wrigley, so why should I eat one at Fenway? Since these dogs bear a notorious name, I thought I should taste one. When I did, I tasted heaven. These are no ordinary hot dogs. Fenway Franks are the crème de la crème of hot dogs! What makes them reign supreme is that the dogs and buns are kept separate until they are purchased. The dogs boil in water and the buns await their presence. Once put together and handed over, this fresh, great American treat takes a very short trip to your stomach and it completely satisfies!

The White Sox lost. Sad day! Stay tuned for my third and final day in Beantown!