Sonia, 24, is a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Public Health. She lives in Cambridge, MA and typically commutes via public transit. Outside of school, she enjoys seeing friends, looking after her plants, going to museums, and tasting new wines and craft beers.
While scrolling her Instagram feed during lunch, she sees a post about a new craft brewery in Boston called Verdant Yard. She’s immediately drawn to their horticultural bent - the brewery is located inside a greenhouse. After going through a skin-contact wine phase this summer, she’s eager to taste the mellow bitterness of hops and malt.
She’s frequented all the craft brewing scenes in Boston recently, and has been craving a new experience. Verdant Yard seems different from the typical Americana or industrial aesthetic of most tap rooms. It seems softer, refined, lush. Verdant. She can almost smell the gentle aroma of plants and hops wafting through the air.
Sonia ventures to Verdant Yard alone. She wants to try it out before inviting friends to know if it’s worth a trek, or merely a gimmick of great interior, low quality product. It’s hard to find brands these that are committed to both excellent design and craft, inside and out. She googles the address during her last class and plans her commute there. It’s located in Somerville, not too far from her location now.
As she walks up to the entrance and locates the hostess, she is immediately embraced by the warmth of the sunlight through the greenhouse glass and the colors plants reaching far and wide. Enamoured by the scent sweet honeysuckle, she is seated at a shady picnic table next to an arrangment of hostas.
Sonia locates a QR code on the table and scans it to view the menu. She is immediatley taken aback - the landing page isn’t a sterile and low effort “how to order”, rather it is a video of a the wind gently moving a linen picnic blanket under the shade of a majestic tree. It feels akin to the webpage of a holistic wellness retreat, not a brewery. She admires the video and clicks “Start Ordering.”
She browses the menu with considered engagement, she’s never felt more comfortable looking at a mobile menu before. One of her favorite beers are blonde ales. She selects the Ale filter, hoping to find one. She does. The beer is called Honey Dew. She setttles on it as she is charmed by the description and aromatic profile.
She doesn’t need to click on a menu item to see its descriptions, as the Verdant Yard menu is organized with a small photo and a brief, appealing description. This is no longer the domain of double IPAs described as an assault on the palate or flexxing the amounts of hops used. It feels more like shopping a curated list of wines.
A staff member soon arrives at her table with the drink. She thanks him. Before tasting, she admires the color and the uniformity of the pour. She then sips the beer. It's amazing. Just like they described. Fruity, refreshing, and clean. This is a perfect summertime drink, she thinks. As she deliberates what personal letter grade to give to the drink, she takes a moment to look around and admire the environment.
She navigates around the menu to revisit the description of the ale she’s drinking. She notices that she can log her tasting notes for her drink - a fitting element for someone who admires drinking for pleasure like herself. She writes a short but concise review, "Super refreshing and smooth. Honey, fruity, zesty. Perfect for the sumertime. B+" She takes her time to finish her drink before going home for the night.
