The 2026 World Cup was initially about soccer for Scottish travelers, but it very quickly became about beer.
During the historic tournament, the Scots used Boston as their home base, where they became known for showing up at different events in droves, singing and drinking.
‘Do they ever sleep? Do they ever get tired?’
Whether it was Fenway Park or the local pub, the Scottish fans drank multiple establishments dry. One example was the Black Rose, where a local fan remarked that the bar had never gone dry in its 50-year history. With the Scottish travelers around, however, the venue ran out of drinks “including water” for the first time.
Scotland played two out of its three World Cup games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts: a 1-0 win against Haiti and a 1-0 loss to Morocco.
During that time, the fans known as the Tartan Army — which refers to the tartan pattern, aka plaid — fell in love with one particular American staple native to the area: Samuel Adams.
In particular, the Scots loved Samuel Adams Boston Lager so much that the brewery pub ran out.
The company told ABC News in June that its flagship taproom went dry after the Tartan Army drank four times what is typically sold, all during Scotland’s first game.
“Do they ever sleep? Do they ever get tired?” one employee asked. This spawned an “emergency order” to prepare for the next game, and the rest is history.
Now, the new favorite is officially available in Scotland for fans to (responsibly) pound on their home turf.
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Plaid-ing out
U.K.-based online craft beer retailer Beerhunter is now officially carrying Samuel Adams Boston Lager on its website.
As an import, it’s obviously going to cost a few quid, currently listed on sale for £49.46 (~$56) for a 12-pack, down from its usual price of £54.95 (~$62).
“Samuel Adams Boston Lager became part of Scotland’s World Cup story this summer,” Ryan Smith, director of Beerhunter, told Scottish outlet the Herald.
“We saw incredible interest after the Tartan Army made headlines in Boston, and we’ve had customers asking us ever since when it would be available in the U.K. again,” Smith continued.
Smith said he was delighted to bring the beer back to Scotland while praising its tradition. The beer had become scarce in Scotland somewhere between 2023 and 2024.
“It’s an iconic American lager with a fantastic brewing heritage, and we think Scottish fans will enjoy raising another glass to some unforgettable memories.”
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Taylor Coester/Washington Post/Getty Images
A hoppy revolution
Of course, it cannot be glossed over how Samuel Adams himself was a British citizen who fell in love with the idea of the United States.
According to his biography, Adams often cited the Magna Carta of 1215 as a reason to protest British rule over Massachusetts. Barons in England had faced resistance for their taxation, and Adams found Boston’s struggles against taxes “all too familiar.”
Adams founded the Sons of Liberty, a paramilitary political organization that coined the phrase “No taxation without representation.”
While Adams and taxation may have been part of what separated the British and the Americans at one time, the beer that bears Adams’ name is seemingly what has brought them back together — at least the Scottish portion of them.
Beerhunter also lists Samuel Adams American Cherry Wheat Beer, Summer Ale, and the Beers of Summer variety pack on its website.
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