Castle Island Is Opening a Beer Garden on the Charlestown Waterfront

The Castle Island beer garden at Constitution Wharf overlooks Boston Harbor and the skyline. / Photo provided by Castle Island

As the final full month of summer kicks into gear, so too does Boston’s beer garden scene. Joining the likes of Trillium, Notch, Lamplighter, and more, Night Shift’s Owl’s Nest on the Esplanade debuted this week—and beginning this Sunday, August 5, Castle Island Brewing Co. will set sail in Charlestown.

After a public safety concern derailed the Norwood-based brewery’s plans for an open-air beer bar at Underground at Ink Block last month, Castle Island continued to work with real estate firm National Development to find an alternate location. The city just approved their plans at 1 Constitution Wharf, says Castle Island president Adam Romanow. The location is directly on the Boston Harbor and the Harbor Walk, and boasts views of the skyline and of course, Old Ironsides.

“We’re incredibly excited about this new location,” Romanow said in a press release. “Between the unbelievable views of the harbor and the city, and the proximity to the iconic USS Constitution, we could not be happier with where we’ve landed.”

The Constitution Wharf location is about a 15-minute trek along the Harbor Walk from North Station. It’s also bus-accessible, near water taxi drop-off points, and offers on-site parking.

Castle Island was set up and ready to go underneath I-93 for much of this summer, but never opened. Now, the company is bringing communal tables and seating to this waterfront parking lot. A 20-tap draft trailer is stocked with beers like Keeper IPA, American Lager, Hi-Def, and Candlepin, and rotating, limited releases like the single-hop, rotating hazy IPA series Social Studies, and Hawaiian Train Wreck, a sour ale with pineapple.

As the Constitution Wharf beer garden ramps things up, it will also offer select wines, and Castle Island hopes to host food pop-ups there, too.

But the immediate goal is to start pouring beer. The Castle Island Charlestown beer garden debuts this Sunday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. It reopens Thursday-Saturday from 2-10 p.m. and every Sunday through the summer and into the fall; it will be moored at Constitution Wharf, weather-permitting, through October.

1 Constitution Wharf, Charlestown, castleislandbeer.com.

The USS Constitution is part of the scene at Castle Island’s Charlestown beer garden. / Photo provided by Castle Island