‘We’re gonna have about 10 more’: Scots and World Cup tourists discover that American craft beer isn’t so bad after all
Scottish soccer fans don’t need bluebird days to drink beer, but the many sunny days that Boston has experienced since the start of the 2026 World Cup haven’t hurt. The group of travelers who emptied Boston bars and liquor stores of much of their beer this week are still here ahead of the team’s second game at Gillette Stadium on Friday — and local breweries have been benefiting heavily from their presence.
Samuel Adams saw a crush of Scottish visitors this week, said Adam Cupples, Boston Beer Co.’s director of local brands and taprooms. The Boston taproom went through 91 kegs of Boston Lager in particular, which is about four times as many as a typically very busy July 4th weekend. The brewery was forced to make four emergency deliveries to restock its Boston Lager supply.
Night Shift Brewing, whose Dewey Square beer garden is conveniently located for South Station commuters, has seen its business triple compared to the same week last year, said Jessica Alario, a brewery spokesperson. On World Cup game days, business is eight times normal. The best-seller: City Summer, a taproom exclusive summer fest beer that’s easy to drink.
Across town in Hyde Park, soccer fans — Scottish but also Haitian and American — have been flocking to Roundhead Brewing Co. Owner Craig Panzer says more than 2,000 people came through the doors during the first week of World Cup watch parties.
“For a local brewery like us, that’s huge,” said Panzer. “The fans have been incredible. The Haiti supporters have been out in full force bringing amazing energy.”
Europeans tend to favor light beers like lagers, and they’re generally unaccustomed to the full-flavor IPAs that are a specialty of many American craft breweries. At Roundhead, the Pondside Czech Pilsner has taken the No.1 spot during the tournament, with Powerhouse Peruvian IPA right behind it.
On Wednesday, several Scottish fans in Samuel Adams’ Faneuil Hall taproom shared their thoughts about the local brew.
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“I’ve got a Samuel Adams right now, the Porch Rocker, and it’s lovely,” said Daniel O’Neill of Dunfermline, Scotland, referring to Boston Beer Co’s 4.5 percent ABV lemon radler. “So we’re gonna have about 10 more, see where we end up.”
Other patrons watching Wednesday’s Portugal-Congo match included Joe and Robbie McLean. Joe, who resides in the United Arab Emirates and Robbie, of Aberdeen, Scotland, started their day off with a Samuel Adams American Light. They’d admittedly just ordered a pitcher of Truly hard seltzer.
“They’re both nice,” said Joe McLean, “mainly because they’re cheaper and we can get more rounds in.”
Another visitor, who only identified himself as Liam, said, “I think American beer gets a bad rap, to be honest. It’s been pretty good. I actually like quite a strong beer.” (Samuel Adams Boston Lager is 5 percent ABV, compared to Scottish favorite Tennent’s Lager’s 4 percent ABV.)
Asked which beers they were hesitant to try, one Scot pointed to a blueberry ale, and most of them mentioned IPAs. Gary Telfer and Andrew Rourke, from Glasgow, both said they found IPAs too sweet, a possible reference to the saturated, fruity nature of the New England-style IPA. (IPAs are usually known for being bitter.)
While World Cup fans may have a hard time deciding which American beer is best, they’re less ambiguous about who will win the tournament.
“Scotland-England final,” Rourke said.
Joe McClean had a typically Scottish take: “Anyone but England.”
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