Visiting Boston, brewery recommendations?

Depends on your definition of "close"
Wormtown. Mystic. Medusa. Jack's Abby.

 

I have not been and so I can't speak to the beer (maybe someone else can chime in) but Aeronaut in Somerville would be another close option.

 

If your counting Tree House as close to Boston than you got a large radius to cover with plenty of breweries.

 

Aeronaut has a large, interesting space coupled with mediocre beer. Would recommend passing.

 

If you're driving out to Tree House, hit up Jack's Abby along the way.

 

Yeah about an hour and a half away and you'll probably have an hour wait if you want growlers. I usually budget about 4 hours. Would highly recommend Armsby Abbey on the way back for some HF.

 

I'd allow for two hours each way, depending on where you're coming from in Boston and traffic.

 

I'd vote for Mystic also if you are already going to Night Shift. Fantastic saisons and blended beers. Cambridge Brewing Company is also worth a visit. They just released Cerise Cassée, one of their best sours, and they should have bottles of YouEnjoyMyStout available, another one of their best.

If you are into cider, Bantam Cidery is also close to Night Shift and always has some tasty and unusual ciders available in their taproom.

 

I second a stop at Jack's Abby

 

I think 'mediocre' is overly harsh but it's true they don't have a "must try" in their lineup yet. It's probably not worth a special trip but if you found yourself in Somerville you could hit them and bantam cider as a quick one two punch.

I'd echo others that mystic, jacks abby, and Cambridge brewing company are the other big three you should make the most effort to hit.

Everything (from those six) except trillium and treehouse can be found in stores to at least some extent, so that could help you narrow things down a bit if time and travel become an issue.

 

If you are just looking to stock up on beer I wouldn't necessarily say a stop at Aeronaut is essential, as most of their beers are draft only. However, if you are looking for a cool area of the city to hang around in, you should definitely make your way to Union Square. You've got Areonaut, Slumbrew and Bantam cider all in close proximity, plus the Independent for beer, Backbar for cocktails, and Bronwyn for killer German-centric food and beer.

 

Regarding Aeronaut: The new restaurant, Tasting Counter, housed in Aeronaut's "Food Hub" incubator space has been named 2015's best new restaurant in Boston by the Boston Globe and Boston Magazine. Has anyone gone yet? I believe they offer a multi-course beverage pairing featuring all Aeronaut beers.

 

If you're going to Tree House & you don't care about growlers try your best to go on a Wednesday. They only sell cans on Wednesdays & the line moves really quick. Get there around 11:30 AM on Wednesday & you're likely out the door with 16+ beers by 12:15.

 

I'm probably going in January but definitely doing the wine pairing since it's $180 per person for weekend reservations.

 

Enjoy. I'll probably do the same when I go. Or maybe the non-alcoholic pairings. I bet they do some fun stuff with that.

 

If you guys are willing to pay that much for a meal, do it at Craigie on Main. Probably the best meal I've had in my life was a pork tasting menu my wife and I did there.

 

Head south of the city and hit Trillium & Castle Island

 

As you can tell by the posts in this forum, Lord Hobo in Woburn is a "must stop" - probably best brewery jn 'mass, if not the world, right now .....