Boston’s beer stock has been hit hard by the wave of Scottish supporters in town for the 2026 World Cup. Thousands of fans traveling to back Scotland have caused an unusual shortage across the city, with Boston Lager from Sam Adams among the beers that sold out completely.
Boston Beer, the maker of Sam Adams, said its Boston store sold four times the normal amount of beer from Thursday through Sunday compared with a typical festive U.S. weekend. The company had to send an emergency shipment of kegs on Saturday morning and later increased inventory for the rest of the week. “We’ve never seen anything like it,” said Billy Decaine, the company’s chief operating officer.
Other pubs reported similar problems. At White Bull Tavern, nearly every beer style ran out, and the pub said demand far exceeded anything it had planned for. A local resident said the Scottish fans “drank the place down to the last drop,” while the owners called the level of demand “unbelievable.” Tennant’s, the Scottish beer, was the first to disappear, followed quickly by other drinks.
Boston has been painted in Scottish blue and white over recent days as fans celebrated Scotland’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years. The mood peaked on Saturday after Scotland beat Haiti 1-0, and the celebrations continued into the night. The next day, fans also took over Fenway Park for a “Scotland Day” event hosted by the Boston Red Sox. Organizers said at least 5,000 supporters joined the official Tartan Army parade with bagpipers on the way to the stadium. Boston is now bracing for another influx before Scotland’s next match against Morocco on Friday, hoping the beer will hold out.
