WBUR, June 2026
Tea is the beverage we usually associate with the patriots who protested and fought for independence from British rule. But did you know beer also played a role in the American Revolution? A lot of history buffs are aware of the connection. They descend on downtown Boston so they can travel back to the birth of America at landmarks including Paul Revere’s House, Old North Church and the Green Dragon Tavern. The legendary haunt was a must-see destination for Gary Gauger of San Diego. Standing outside the Green Dragon’s black and yellow doors he said it feels “kind of like going into Disneyland for the first time.”
Gauger is active in the Sons of the American Revolution, an organization for people with direct lineage to freedom fighters. The original Green Dragon was destroyed in the 1800s, but for devotees like him the rebuilt tavern is hallowed ground. Gauger said, “I have images of a room full of boisterous people raising pewter goblets full of beer – probably room temperature – and getting some of those brash ideas off the grog.”
