Notch Brewing (Brighton Biergarten)

Notch Brewing's Brighton location is a year-round biergarten, taproom, and brewery at 525 Western Avenue, anchored by a 2,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that seats roughly 250 people at communal tables with winter heaters and summer umbrellas. Founded by Chris Lohring, Notch is a session-beer specialist known for Czech- and German-style lagers, and it has extended that low-ABV focus into a genuine brewery-made non-alcoholic program: 0.5% ABV beers brewed in-house, including an NA Craft Pils (bright, crisp, refreshing), an NA NE-Style IPA (tropical, juicy, full-bodied), and an NA Dry-Hopped Blonde Ale (citrus, spicy, bright). According to Northshore Magazine, Lohring said the brewery spent roughly three years experimenting with techniques to preserve flavor while removing alcohol, drawing on Notch's 13-plus years of expertise crafting low- and moderate-alcohol session beers. The taproom also pours Notch Hop Water, a sparkling, hop-forward zero-proof option made with Citra and Centennial hops and blood orange juice, alongside mineral water and GUS sodas. The NA beers have proven popular at both the Salem and Brighton taprooms, appealing to guests who want full-flavored, alcohol-free social drinking. Set in Brighton near the Charles River and Allston border, the biergarten makes the NA lineup easy to enjoy on tap in the same setting as Notch's full beer program. Because Notch brews its own NA beer rather than stocking outside commercial NA brands, there are no third-party NA labels to note here.