HOPS n DOGS

On the south side of Boston, near where the commercial district meets the edge of Boston’s suburbs, is Dorchester Brewing Company. Dorchester is a warehouse-style venue with an amazing atmosphere, and its large brewing facility produces a wide selection of ales, sours, and lagers.

Like other warehouse-style breweries, the brewery is split into two. Most of the facility is dedicated to the actual brewery floor and workspace, all of which is viewable from the customer side through the large industrial windows. On the customer side, there is ample seating on the ground floor, a massive bar right next to the front door, a small, independent barbecue restaurant off to the left, and a large gaming/arcade area just behind the main bar.

What sets this brewery apart from many others is its large rooftop bar, beer garden, and patio. From spring to fall, the brewery is dog-friendly while the rooftop patio is open. There is ample seating on the rooftop patio with a large section having artificial grass and additional high-top seating to one side of the beer garden. It is important to note that while the rooftop is accessible from the inside, dog owners should take the stairs just outside the main entrance.

The rooftop beer garden is a huge glass event space with tons of additional seating and a smaller second bar. One end of the beer garden has a decent-sized fireplace and is set up for bands and other live events. The biggest selling point here is, of course, the view of the Boston skyline.

On this particular day, it was very hot, especially for the middle of September, so the rooftop patio came in extra handy as we got a nice cool breeze. But it was also one of the brewery's busier days as we happened to arrive on day one of their two-day Oktoberfest celebration. Ein took it like a champ and got to meet so many people, but it was extremely tiring for her. One of the larger disadvantages of this location is that there aren't many places to take your pup, even for a break. So if you have a pup who isn't very social or needs a good walk every now and then, this might not be the best location for them.

The brewery offers self-service water on both floors, and both locations also provide disposable water bowls in case someone didn't bring their own.