Here's an idea...use Beerfly!

Yup, it works great. Also the search function is amazing and powerful for digging up the hundreds of "going to portland" and thousands of "going to vermont" threads.

 

Don't get me wrong. Beerfly is a great resource and I use it a heck of a lot, but when you are passing through (i.e. on a road trip) and don't know the lay of the land all that well, a shout out to the regional forums is really helpful. It's hard to tell how close or how far off the beaten path some places are.

 

Until (if) there's a map feature, I usually look up the top 10 to 20 places on Beerfly on google maps and create a custom map out of them. That combined with the offline maps feature on android phones will keep you on the right path even in places where there's no service... how I got around VT/ME/NY this summer with the spotty t-mobile coverage up there.

 

Beerfly is great if you're going to a city where places are likely to be relatively close and public transit is available but has it's limits if you're going to a state like Vermont where everything is spread out. It helps to use a combination of beerfly and google maps in this case, but still if you're not familiar with the towns and roads, maps will only tell you so much. Good local knowledge is a valuable resource. That being said, not everyone needs to start their own thread for their trip. It seems that at any given time of year there is always a thread in the first few pages of the NE forum covering VT trips and Maine/95-corridor trips.

 

Beerfly would be great if it was integrated with Google maps or any mapping system really. If I'm in NYC and staying on 57th, it takes some effort to sort through the reviews to find something within walking distance of my hotel. Same with many large cities. A lot of great reviews and places to visit, but if you're staying at the Marriott for business, you're generally looking for the best place close to your hotel. Maybe I'm missing something, but a basic mapping feature would be awesome.

 

How's that? Just curious why you're so adamant about not helping out other people.

 

If you're looking for results in a specific area -- especially in larger cities -- all you need to do is narrow your search a bit by entering a ZIP code in Beerfly. Works like a charm. Here's an example for a search around Times Square (10036 zip code), and a more specific one for Cambridge, MA (in the 02141 zip code -- East Cambridge).

Regarding the original post, I don't mind requests for specific guidance (like, "which beer bar in XXXX area has the best food?"), but it's annoying when someone asks, for example, for a list of the best beer bars in the Back Bay, without bothering to look at Beerfly or, more important, doing a quick search of the forum to find previous posts on the same topic. If you're too lazy to use the search function, I'm not going to bother replying.

 

The zip code thing often doesn't work. CBC and Lord Hobo have different ones despite being down the street from each other.

Using both beerfly and google maps and entering different places in yourself is the only way to do it. Before going to a different city I spend half an hour figuring out the lay of the land and learning which places are in which neighborhoods. Worth what little effort it takes.

 

I completely agree for the most part. I've traveled quite a bit relying mostly on Beerfly.

That said, Beerfly is better in some areas than others. The most popular spots are usually well covered, but the hidden gems aren't. In the Boston area it is quite thorough, but that's not always the case. So I can see where people from other areas might come on here asking for help with a trip to Boston, not realizing that Beerfly is comprehensive for this area.

 

fo·rum
/ˈfôrəm/
Noun
A meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
An Internet message board.

 

I expect nothing less than that sort of curmudgeonly Yankee hospitality in my native New Hampshire, and I assume it's the same in Vermont and Maine. It's not rude to ask people to do a little legwork before posting the 100th thread about where to go in Burlington or Boston. Beerfly, like anything else, has its faults, and it's often more of a first step than a complete resource, but the threads where people ask specific questions about the areas they're visiting are much easier to answer and much more interesting than just a blanket question about the best bar in a city with a good Beerfly directory, let alone all of New England.

 

And if I stay at the Eastside Marriott and do a zip code search, I get this. Not very helpful. Again, the addresses are all saved on beeradvocate and they provide links to google maps with each. Why not make the search function mappable/integrated with google maps?

 

Nothing wrong with asking a local about the changing craft brew scene prior to going on a trip. Things change, there is a place near me listed as a brewpub that hasn't had a system in it for a couple of years. Places open, get new brewers, close, get better, run specials, get worse. How is this any worse than asking what peoples preference for drinking when they are mowing their lawn for the 29th time? Off the top of my head I can think of one place that got good ratings and I wouldn't go near it now with a ten foot pole. Things like "don't trust the GPS" or the that pizza place one town over are priceless and what this website is, or should be about.

 

Nobody is expecting you to give suggestions, or at least I certainly don't when I post in a region form for advice, but its helpful to have the locals opinions on shops. I've been to plenty of highly rated beer stores that, granted, had a large selection but didn't have what I was looking for off the beaten path. I've found stores that were within a half hour drive that had exactly what I was looking for, but I never would have gone without doing hours of research and phone calls to find out they had what I wanted. I understand your desire to grab the rare beers or limited seasonals before someone drives through and you certainly should do that before a visitor does but if stuff is just sitting in an out of the way location and nobody has bought it, then tell the tourists where they can go to get what they want.

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.. after doing even a bit of research. Looking at Beerfly and searching the forums would reduce the number of such posts by, I'd say, about half. I mean how many of essentially the same "Where should I go in Boston" or "Can I get Heady in southern Vermont" posts do we need? If people did a quick search of the forums, they'd have some sense of an answer. Plenty of people do research and then post more specific questions. That makes sense; just posting an open-ended (and already answered) questioned doesn't.

As to the brewpub that isn't (I'm assuming you're referring to Maple Leaf), I wish that people would update such things when they find them. There's a button on every entry on Beerfly to report an update. People should use it to make sure Beerfly remains a reliable source.

 

This is fun thing, let's not take it that serious. Yes, the Maple Leaf which has been far surpassed by Apre Vous, something locals don't even know, is still listed as a BP but is no longer. I am not just talking about looking for Heady Topper this weekend, but what about someone going to Kalamazoo. Redundant at times, sure, but this is supposed to be fun. I updated the Maple Leaf and am not sure if it was carried over, it wasn't the first time I tried.