Friday, February 17, 2012

Chocolate and Beer Tour

Speaking of beer and chocolate...guess what I did on Sunday?

I went on the Chocolate and Beer Tour of Beacon Hill & Back Bay with two of my good girl friends, which is hosted by our other good friend, Bill Hall.


This walking tour takes you to several well-known spots in Boston. Basically, you get to eat chocolate, sip beer, and visit some of the coolest spots in the Beacon Hill and Back Bay areas for only $35 per person (price of beer is not included due to Massachusetts law). 

The tour starts out at Beacon Hill Chocolates, where we tried a dark chocolate ganache truffle and an almond truffle (neither are pictured below). Since this was the meeting spot for the tour group, we had plenty of time before the tour officially started to browse this impressive local shop.





Our second stop was at Charles Street Liquors, where we sampled several brews, including Geary's Hampshire Special, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and Sixpoint Deisel. 




After spending some time perusing and tasting Charles Street Liquors' beers, we walked on over to The Sevens for a pint.


There, we had their Sevens' tap, which was Harpoon Munich Dark.


Once we got several beers in our stomachs, Bill took us through the Public Gardens (with some history lessons along the way) and to The Rattlesnake for another pint. There, Bill suggested ordering an appetizer. He sold the food at The Rattlesnake so well that we decide to order a plate of nachos to share among the table. 



These were by far the best nachos I've ever had. The chips were clearly homemade, as was the cheese sauce, and the toppings were fresh and plentiful.

One beer Bill recommended buying back at Charles Street Liquors was the Dogfish Head Noble Rot. Brewed with grapes used in making white wine (i.e. viognier and pinot gris), this was one refreshing and flavorful beer - and, thankfully, it was on tap at The Rattlesnake. If you're a white wine lover like me, then you will love this beer. 


Our second to last stop on the tour was Max Brenner, the ultimate chocolate destination in this part of Boston. There, we sampled some luxurious warm capsules of white, dark, and milk chocolate, along with some ice cold, creamy chocolate martinis. 


The girls!
We also had plenty of time to peruse the Max Brenner gift shop, which was really impressive. We even got a chocolate sample while we browsed!

Our final stop on the tour was at Buhowski Tavern, where I enjoyed an Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter


Overall, the Chocolate and Beer Tour was informative, fun, and oh-so-tasty. I mean, can an afternoon filled with chocolate and beer really be that bad? It was also a great way to experience stores I'd probably never walk into otherwise. Now, I already plan to go back to Beacon Hill Chocolates for Easter candy!

What's your favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?


Disclaimer: Although I was fortunate enough to go on this tour free of charge (I paid for my own beer), the opinions expressed in this post are honest and 100 percent my own. 


11 comments:

  1. Beacon Hill Chocolates and Charles Street Liquors were two of my favorite neighborhood businesses when I lived in BH. Your blog post made me smile today. :-)

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    1. Michelle, I am so glad to hear that!

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  2. Isn't Beacon Hill Chocolates so cute? Sounds like a really fun way to spend a day.

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    1. It's adorable! I definitely don't make it out there enough.

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  3. the nachos at rattlesnake look phenom. i love their food. what an awesome day.

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  4. I love the Rattlesnake! I had the best quesadilla there. :-)

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  5. I would totally want to go on this tour, but would want to replace the beer with bubbly!

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  6. I went to Max Brenner's all the time in Sydney, their iced coffee's/milkshakes/hot chocolate are phenomenal.

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  7. I went to Max Brenner's a couple times while in Sydney, their iced coffee's, milkshakes, and hot cocoa, are all phenomenal.

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  8. This sounds like a perfect way to spend the day! How long did the tour last, start to finish?

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    1. Great question, Molly! It was four hours long.

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