The ABBBP in New England

You're good, and you can drink pours at Canton so even better! Just be back on the road about 3, traffic on 95N on Fridays going North can be a nightmare starting by 2:00PM or so. Everyone goes up north here to the beaches of Maine and NH. I'd check out Publick House, best overall BA type option.

 

Hawthorne or Island Creek Oyster bar are my post-game go to spots. Small, but solid beer programs at both. And good food if you are hungry. Hawthorne gets some rare stuff from time to time, only place in the city I've ever been able to share a bottle of Fou Foune with my wife.

 

Trillium Canton will allow you to get 20oz per person for onsite consumption (5oz or 10oz pours) so if you're looking to sample and kill time before check-in, and will have a car anyways, why not make the trip to Canton. Also, cans are sold COLD, so while you certainly can purchase growlers for fresh consumption at the hotel, you can also pop cans if you'd prefer.

Secondary suggestion, probably dependent on when you get down to / leave Trillium - Castle Island brewing is 12 minutes away from Trillium and offers free samples of 4-6 beers, decent sized pours too.

From the hotel, there are tons of good food options, but for food & great beer, here would be my two recommendations. Caveat - I'm not as plugged into the Fenway-area beer scene as I used to be, so others will probably have additional recs for you.
Branch Line (Uber to Fenway)
Publick House (T to Fenway)

 

I'll leave the downtown spots to others, but if you want to consider dinner/pregame spots outside of the crush of downtown, as has been mentioned Branch Line in Watertown has a first-class taplist, nice outdoor space and is fairly close to you in Waltham. I believe they open for dinner at 4:30 -- but I'd highly suggest checking out the menu first. The food is amazing for the right occasion, but if you're looking for pub-type fare you may want to look elsewhere. The Publick House in Brookline is my personal favorite, but they don't open until 5 on Fridays. You could get some beers beforehand at Stoked Pizza around the corner (nice, small taplist), eat at PH right at 5 and then catch a car right down Beacon Street to Fenway. Brewers Fork in Charlestown also has a great taplist, great pizza, is about as far from Fenway as PH, and they're open all afternoon if you want to camp out at one spot for a while. Cambridge Brewing Company is another very worthwhile option -- solid brewpub food and very interesting beer, though they're not known for the hop bombs that you may be seeking at Trillium/Tree House/etc.

 

IMHO, Publick House is the best choice for food and drink, especially if you are there at open. If you are in that area before 5:00, The Abbey (across the street) isn't a bad option for a beer or two while you wait for PH to open.

 

Yea, being first in the door actually probably gives you the best chance to maximize your time at a bar. Instant beers, no crowds, kitchen prepped and ready so should be quick. I'd say do that.

 

Cornwalls is great pre/post Fenway. Doesn't get too crowded, good beer(check out the selection on untappd since their website isn't helpful), good prices for Boston, pool tables, darts, open till 2AM. On the more upscale side, The Hawthorne, Island Creek Oyster Bar and Eastern Standard are all amazing for food and drink(they are all in the same hotel).

 

To put it into perspective how much I like that place(and the Trillium anniversary party) I have to be in Boston on Monday morning for a small surgery with my baby daughter at Childrens. If we decide to get a room Sunday I'm trying to figure out how we can go there for a bite to eat and pint timing wise haha. My other choices would be Row 34 or Cambridge brewing as gems we miss. We have a Row34 up here in my hometown of Portsmouth but distribution sucks in NH. So as nervous as my wife and I are for Monday I still would love to relax a bit Sunday and that would be the spot.

 

No schedule for the Green Line - it comes every few minutes, just hop on and pay your fare. The C Branch has a stop right across from Publick House (Washington Sq.) but is fairly slow because it makes so many stops - you will get off at Kenmore and walk a few blocks to the ballpark. The D Branch is slightly faster and the Beanconsfield stop is a short walk away, plus you can get out at the Fenway stop and save yourself a little time getting to the show.

Trillium cans are sold cold, but I will warn you that they are typically sitting out for a little while before you buy them, so if you love icy cold beers you may want to stick them into a cooler with ice for a bit.

 

Time-wise, it may be a wash between the T and driving there from Publick House around 6:30. I'd guess you're probably looking at 25 min. or so either way at that time of day unless you get lucky with traffic/lights, or you walk further to get on the D line. If you're not stuck with Uber rush prices, the T may actually be around the same price for 4 as grabbing a car. I'm pretty sure you'll have to pay in cash on the T, since there is not a ticket machine at the C line stop right outside of PH to prepay. There is machine at the Beaconsfield D line stop. Trains come roughly every 7-10 min., and you'll have to walk a short ways to Fenway. FYI, we have Uber, Lyft and Fasten for options here, so you can save a little $$ if you get signup discounts for any other services you haven't used.

As someone else mentioned, the Abbey is decent for beer as well if you're early, though Stoked's list is usually more interesting (albeit smaller/more expensive).

 

This thread is making me wish I bought tickets to the concert!

 

Great decision to hit canton and enjoy some time in the area rather than trekking across the state.

Publick House is a great option, and you would never go wrong eating and drinking there. Another option, and maybe a great option for after the show is Lower Depths in kenmore. A 5 minute walk from Fenway, solid list and cheap food. Only caveat is cash only, but it's the bomb for sure after a show.

Best of luck and enjoy the weekend! Sounds awesome.