Seasonal beer gardens around the Boston area may be winding down soon as the weather cools, yet the past few months have seen a few faves from around Eastern Massachusetts expand their operations to better serve thirsty locals and visitors alike. One of the state’s most-lauded craft brewers, Trillium Brewing Company, debuted a brand-new 20-acre facility in Canton this past July not far from its main brewing hub. The new operation, which replaces the tap room at its older Canton location, features a full-service restaurant helmed by former Harvest chef Tyler Kinnett, an enormous and scenic outdoor area overlooking the adjacent Blue Hills and, of course, a wide array of innovative and award-winning brews. Notch Brewing, a popular purveyor of low-alcohol ales and lagers based in Salem, also branched out in July when it unveiled a second brewery at Brighton’s new Charles River Speedway. The new Notch locale offers full pours and beer to go, and also boasts a 200-seat biergarten that plans to stay open year-round. Food options are still forthcoming, although beer drinkers have full access to the Speedway’s food vendors and are allowed to bring in outside eats. Last but not least, a more recent addition to the Boston scene is Norwood-based Castle Island Brewing Co.’s South Boston outpost, which finally puts the hop-centric ale brewer in the same neighborhood as its namesake landmark. Besides the brew, Castle Island’s second home serves a unique and local specialty courtesy of the in-house operation Bardo’s Bar Pizza: South Shore bar pizza, a thin-crust pie that has a cult following in these parts. As if drinking the beer wasn’t enough, these creations incorporate Castle Island’s brews right into the crust.
