Massachusetts: You Can Play Pickleball At Harpoon Brewery
In Boston, you go to Harpoon Brewery for great craft beers, great homemade pretzels, and now, to play some pickleball.
The news gets even better. From March 21 – 29, you can try out the courts and play for free. Through Harpoon’s website you can already book your court time. Harpoon Brewing having pickleball courts is not just an effort to get customers onsite. Under their Hub Sports, they have established the Pickleball Social Club.
“Whether you’re an experienced Pickleball player crushing your DUPR rating or a new player who is looking to try out the sport for the first time, HUB Sports Boston has a Pickleball league for you!” Hub Sports says.
In fact, all experience levels are welcome. “At the Harpoon Pickleball Social Club, we provide a multitude of featured leagues across our two different league divisions, Rec League and Juicer League,” they explain.
What About The Beer At Harpoon Brewery Pickleball?
Great question, and it’s one Harpoon has already thought of. They suggest the Harpoon Rec League and Juicier as beers you may enjoy after a nice round of pickleball. Both are packaged in cheerful Harpoon-branded cans..
Coincidentally, Rec League is also where pickleball players with some experience can enter to play in some friendly competition. While the league is still casual and fun, it is suggested that interested players have a decent knowledge of the pickleball scoring system.
As for the beer by this name, Harpoon Rec League is a hoppy IPA. It is on the lighter side at 100 calories per can and 4% alcohol by volume. Its slogan is “Get In The Game.”
If you’re a serious pickle-baller and looking to really test your skills, Harpoon offers an even more advanced league.
Juicier is where those who are highly intermediate or advanced go to test their skills. This league is also aimed at those with years of experience. Furthermore, it is expected that players can easily participate in long volleys.
After working up a sweat in the Juicer league, you might as well grab a Juicer Harpoon beer. This craft brew is a hazy pale ale IPA aimed at those with more experience. A can of Juicier beer has 7.2% alcohol by volume.
You can view the full agenda of Harpoon Brewery’s Hub Sport Pickleball events here. You can grab information or register for upcoming programs such as “Friday Night Flights” or the instructional league.
Harpoon Brewery is located at 306 Northern Ave. Boston, MA 02210.
Massachusetts Brewery Is Crushing It With Their Merchandise
“We have been given the name of Merch King Kong by our peers,” Dino Funari, founder of Vitamin Sea Brewing says. That is because this brewery has some of the most recognizable merchandise in Massachusetts.
Chances are you’ve seen (or have) a hat or t-shirt that sports the branding “VSB,” “South Shore,” “Sea,” an ocean/sunrise vector, or a duck on it. That’s all Vitamin Sea Brewing. In fact, some of their items are so popular they fly off the shelf as soon as they are stocked. Furthermore, you can’t buy them online. They are all purchased onsite.
Weymouth, MA
Vitamin Sea Brewing opened in February of 2019. Their taproom (and headquarters) in Weymouth features twelve taps covering a wide range of craft beer styles. IPAs and stouts are also available to purchase in cans. Some of the beers vary per season, while others are more standard. The Summer IPA, currently on tap, for example, is hopped with Citra, Cascade, and Columbus hops. In addition, on tap number 12, you will find Seas and Desist Blueberry Lemonade. This is Vitamin Sea’s take on hard seltzer.
Their location has a beer garden feel where outdoor seating is available, and they typically partner with food trucks onsite at least three days per week. If you go inside VSB’s Weymouth home base, you will find a colorful wall of t-shirts adjacent to the bar and rack of hats, jackets, sweatshirts and more along the right-side wall.
The Merch Line
“Our marketing strategy happened organically. Well before we opened, I was handing out hats, t-shirts, pins, and stickers to get the word out. And it paid off. We’re constantly asked to advertise monetarily, but we see more value in getting our merch out to people or groups (musicians, athletes, media personalities) with their own audiences and fan bases, which introduces them to our brand,” Funari explains, about VSB’s intent to create such merch.
They have one of New England’s more recognizable logos. Whether you are walking in downtown Portland, ME or attending the Levitate Music and Artist Festival in Marshfield, it is likely you will see the Vitamin Sea round logo or duck along the way. People are proud to represent the passion that Vitamin Sea pours into everything they do. Wearing their gear also shows pride in where you are from.
Here, Funari will take us inside the taproom to provide some insight into this killer Vitamin Sea Brewing merch.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
