Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1342831
100 Pete Harkins, owner of Backbeat Brewing, is taking the same tack: He's sticking with tradition. "For beers, my dry Irish stout on nitro is on all the time. I don't ever run without it," says Harkins.Then I have an Irish red that's also going on nitro and I have an Irish pub ale. They're all going to be nitro beers." That's a trio of fresh, sessionable, and most of all creamy beers served up in pints or half pints, keeping with the spirit of good Irish beer. The addition of nitro gives Backbeat's slate a separate identity from Gentile's, which means more options for thirsty customers whether they're picking up cans or drinking while socially distanced. RiverWalk and Gentile typically do observe St. Patrick's Day. Gentile Brewing in particular embraces the day with gusto: "Traditionally we have a blowout," says Paul Gentile. "We put out some cask beer, we get someone in to make corned beef sandwiches—it's a whole thing." This year, instead they have chosen to focus most of their energy on the five-year anniversary, which falls close to St. Patrick's Day. Someday Harkins might tell a similar story, since Backbeat also has an anniversary date within throwing distance of St. Patrick's; the difference is that Backbeat had its grand opening in 2020, and they didn't even have the chance to say "Kiss Me, I'm Irish!" before businesses had to shutter at the pandemic's start. Harkins' solution? "We're going to celebrate for two of them," he laughs. Harkins wants to see circumstances improve enough that restrictions can be lifted by March, but he's a realist and isn't hyping up his expectations. "All I can hope for is to be full," says Harkins." Peter Harkins of Backbeat Brewing Company