Best Beer Available in MA/NH

My suggestion (albeit probably unhelpful) would be just to go with what you like in terms of styles and branch out from there. And although the ratings on this site are helpful, by no means are they an end all guide to good, delicious beers. If you are exploring beer beyond it's inebriating effect on you, you're already headed in the right direction.

With that said, what part of MA or NH are you in? That might narrow down exactly what you have immediate access to and what would be a day trip in terms of availability. I'm from RI originally, so I have pretty good knowledge of all things New England (go Pats).

 

Jacks Abby stuff. Hoponious, all of their DIPLs, BA Framinghammer (should be out this week or next). All great. Good place to start.

 

Throwback and Blue Lobster in Hampton, NH. Smuttynose is just up the road in Portsmouth along with a bunch others downtown.

 

In Dover, try Downtown Discount. It's right on Central Ave in downtown.

 

I'm from Billerica. Georgio's in Billerica has one of the better selections in the area. Lincoln Liquors in Billerica is decent too but can be hit or miss. There is the Craft beer Cellar open in Westford now that (while pricey) has a good selection of brews you aren't going to see around too much. Harrington's in Chelmsford has an okay selection but the staff, atmosphere and pricing keep me out of there. Burlington Wine and Spirits is a very nice store. They have a great selection and competitive pricing.

If you gave us an idea of what styles you like it would make it easier to give you 'must try' options.

 

For saisons, Pretty Things Jack D'or is a must in the area. Mystic has a couple of nice ones as well. For Imperial IPAs Wachusett Larry is a good buy, along with the new crop of Victory IIPAs. Jack's Abby has Mass Rising out right now and while it is a Lager it leans much more towards the palates of IPA drinkers. The regular Bourbon County Stout is still hanging around in some stores, if you are into bourbon barrel aged stouts. There is a ton of great beer in the area I'll try to think of other suggestions for you.

Mainly I would try as much as you can and figure out for yourself what breweries, styles, characteristics are for you. That's most of the fun when starting out.

 

Keep coming to this forum and when people post "Do you know if ______ has it the shelves yet" try that beer. So right now you should be looking for some Sucks, Hop Ranch, Limbo and Be Hoppy in cans if you wanted to expand your IPA profile.

Visit as many local breweries as you can and don't be afraid to talk to the brewers, generally they are nice people and will teach you a thing or two.

See if there are any tasting groups in the area or start your own.

Get friendly with your local beer store and if they have a good palate ask them what they are liking these days. I popped into Julio's last week and Chris recommended me this beer which I thought was really nice and I never would have bought on my own: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/911/3994/ Also if you keep going to the same place they will know you as a regular and will put stuff on hold for you.

Get on Untappd and see what other people are drinking.

Get thee to a good beer bar and every time you are there order something you never had before, generally what I do when I go to Armsby Abbey.

This is a great time for you, you are not jaded yet.

 

I would just try things. Don't get wrapped up in hunting down the highest rated beers you can get. Too many newbies on BA get stuck trying to only drink top shelf stuff, which leaves you nowhere to go but down. Slum it for a bit, then you'll really see how good the world class stuff is

 

I'm a huge hop head and try to seek out anything inside and outside of the state. As far as IPA/DIPA's go I would recommend Lagunitas Sucks, Be Hoppy (in tall boys!) and Wachusett Larry. Also Jack's Abby's stuff is great and well priced. If you want to get adventurous make trip to Tree House and Trillium for growler fills of their delicious offerings.

 

I gather from the context of your original post that you were looking for things on the coast in NH that you can't find in your area so you could make your "big must buy list". I can't imagine that you are going to find anything different there than you are in some of the better stores in your area.

 

Check out the local store for beer tastings, Craft beer cellar Winchester and Belmont have them as well as some others.

 

Agreed. I have had my eye on a couple beers that I'm intentionally putting off until I've tried more from their respective styles.

Ipswich has what I would consider very good beer at what you might consider "slummin' it" prices. I always seem to have some of their beers kicking around. Plus they're local per the OP and I'm sure you should be able to find it fresh somewhere. Cisco is another one that I like, bonus points in the summer for 12-packs of cans. Oh, and don't forget Allagash just a little farther up the coast in Portland. Stop in for a tour - at the end you get a nice tasting. If you're lucky perhaps they'll pour you a sample of Four.

 

I agree with what other commenters have said--don't just go for the highly rated stuff--you'll miss a lot of good beer that way. As for beer that you can get in the NH Seacoast that you can't around Boston, I'd recommend a few places:

• Earth Eagle in downtown Portsmouth brews some good hoppy ales, but the thing to really check out here are their gruits, which are very different than most beers around
• Portsmouth Brewery: get a sampler flight, which will take you through a wide range of styles. You could do this at any brewpub, but I'd especially recommend Portsmouth or the CBC in Cambridge

But in general, check out good breweries, brewpubs, bars and stores, try new things and ask the folks there what they recommend and why.

 

And it is always good to get some history about all this crap
http://www.amazon.com/The-Audacity-Hops-Americas-Revolution/dp/1613743882

 

This^
Plenty of great stuff around here, even the "off the radar" is good, and can be great. Mixed singles is your friend!

 

If you're in Burlington, check out Tavern in the Square over by the mall. I work across from the Wayside Mall and we hit that place for lunch one day. I was pleasantly surprised at their tap list. I don't think many of the staff will be terribly knowledgeable about the various beers, but just try whatever sounds good or the bartender says is popular.

Also, when Wegman's opens up, they'll have a decent bottle selection in there, too.