Not to date myself, but in a previous life I worked for Lotus Software during a time philosophy majors were killer coders (a degree in computer science was just becoming a thing) and Microsoft Windows was a burgeoning OS that almost didn’t fly. Lotus was based out of the office building connected to the Royal Sonesta hotel. The corrugated steel electronics store across Land Boulevard (Lechmere) was being transformed into the CambridgeSide Galleria, and much between that stranded East Cambridge outpost and Kendall Square was vacant lots, warehouse space and old factories gone silent.
It was something of a wasteland, with few after-work watering holes or places to nosh. You pretty much had to trek about a mile or so to get to the Miracle of Science or Middle East. A tad closer was the Cambridge Brewing Co. at 1 Kendall Square, a woven hose factory newly converted into an office space complex. CBC was the second brewpub to open in the Boston area (the first, the Commonwealth Brewing Co. in 1986, was also a “CBC”) but after a 35-year run, it was announced this year that Cambridge Brewing would close Dec. 20. Bittersweet to be sure, but also an impetus to get back and hoist one last pint at a place that had marked many occasions for me.
If you’ve never been to the CBC, it’s a rustic barroom built around the giant, sparkling vats fermenting the ale. On the main wall is Liz LaManche’s iconic who’s-who-of-Cambridge mural that boasts the famous countenances of Barack Obama, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Mark Zuckerberg, Liz Warren and Keytar Bear mixing with bar regulars and staffers, all looking merry and imbibing beer. The shaded patio is one of the best – and was the first – beer gardens in town, tucked away in the quaint maze of brick nooks in the locale now known as Alexandria Place, after the biotech real estate firm.
As with most beer halls, the food is up and down, but the fall closeout menu is solid. The best bets historically have been the blackened chicken sandwich, flatbread pizza, pressed Cubano and black bean soup. All those staples save the black bean soup are on the final menu, along with fall-appropriate eats such as the classic fish and chips, pickle-brined chicken and beer-marinated steak tips and the even more seasonal pumpkin ravioli and pork schnitzel.
When at a pub, stick to pub fare. On my last trip, before a screening at the nearby Landmark cinemas, I was quite pleased with that blackened chicken, a juicy filet served on a briochelike roll with crisp lettuce, ripe tomato and herb mayo.
But the reason anyone goes to the CBC is the beer. The Cambridge Amber and Charles River Porter that started it all are still here, as well as a seasonal Great Pumpkin Ale and the Letter to Jimmy Page (a nitro session) and Pulp Non-Fiction (citrus wheat). There are also daily cask specials. If you’re in a large party, you can get the beer in yards for the table; the 3-foot tall serving come with your own tap spout, a Happy Meal toy for adults.
Ownership is looking to retire, but it’s also true that decreased foot traffic has addled this rebranded complex post-Covid, and the original Andy Husbands Smoke Shop BBQ next door is shuttered. Long gone too is old friend and date-night destination the Blue Room. Cambridge Brewing was a great place for Tech Tuesday gatherings, and when the Landmark opened, a great go-to for a fast, festive nosh before a screening. It predated the Internet and saw the rise of the biotech and social media, and the amount of startup deals sealed with ale and burgers here must be countless. But like all good things, its time seems to have passed.
I hadn’t been to the CBC in a while and was happy I popped in. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend.
It was pretty packed for a weekday too. The atmosphere didn’t feel like a place winding down, but a place looking to go out with a bang.
Cambridge Brewing Co., One Kendall Square, Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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great writeup. I enjoyed the read. I had no idea the royal sonesta adjacent building housed lotus 1-2-3