Heading up to Framingham tomorrow to finally get to visit what may be my favorite brewery currently. What else am I doing in the area to make this beer trip worth it? Restaraunts/stores/other breweries/etc
The short answer is not a lot. The best bar for beer IMO in Framingham is British Beer Company. JA does a bunch of events near them at The Tavern, but it's pretty divey. I've only been there for a JA event but my impression is its not a great bar for beer otherwise. There is a Beerworks and a John Harvard's nearby; I've had good experiences at the John Harvard's. There is a great Greek restaurant (Aegean) and a well known Chinese place (Sichuan Gourmet), plus the area right around JA has some good inexpensive Brazilian food, but nothing with much a beer selection. There are some okay stores in the area - Warehouse is good and I have hope for the new one near JA - but nothing you'd necessarily drive out of your way for. I'm sure someone will recommend you keep going and hit Julio's in Westborough.
Ah, gotcha. The tour isn't as important to me is actually going to their tasting room. I've been on a lot of tours, they all start blurring together.
Our tasting room is currently undergoing a transformation and is not quite finished. We have made a lot of progress and hope to be done in about 2 weeks. We are staying open during the remodeling so please excuse the appearance. The good news is that we are making great progress and hope to be done with almost all of the work in 2 weeks.
I'll agree with what's been said above, with one caveat: The Tavern in Framingham actually isn't bad relative to the other options in the area, and it's only about a mile from Jack's Abby. Yes, it's a dive bar, but the french fries aren't bad (haven't tried the other food), and they devote all four of their tap lines to Jack's Abby (which, frankly, is awesome, because this is just a little bar that could easily stick with macros). I think they always have Jabby Brau, Hoponius Union, and Smoke & Dagger on tap. The other line is reserved for a Jack's Abby seasonal. If you're just looking to get a quick Jack's Abby beer or two, give it a try. With the brewery just up the block, you know it's gotta be fresh.
The Tavern is an excellent source of calories: Deep Fried Love: 1 Pound of Bacon $8.45 Basket of Pepperoni $6.95 Bacon Wrapped Pop Tarts (2) $6.95 Bacon Wrapped Pickle $2.00
Wow and you get 2 of them for less than $7. It reminds me of something I heard about chocolate covered bacon - "Now you can die happy . . . and sooner"
Paul at The Tavern will wrap anything in bacon in fry it. For Abby's birthday last year he wrapped cupcakes in bacon and deep fried them.
Prezo in Milford is not too far 20min south west off 495. Great pub food and always a solid tap list might have Be Hoppy on tap
WEll, clearly the people who have responded have not tried Pupusas Y Tacos Doña Sofia -http://www.yelp.com/biz/pupusas-y-tacos-doña-sofia-framingham-2 It's right around the corner from the brewery. With over 45 positive reviews on yelp, its a treasure cheap eats find. They have two locations, the larger on Rt 126 by 135 serves beer and is a lot bigger. The smaller location is like a tiny diner with only a few seats . Two people can gorge on handmade papusa with spicy vinegary cabbage slaw for under 15 bucks.
Nice time at Jack's yesterday. Grabbed two baby makers, the pork beer, numb swagger, a kiwi, and a growler of Hoponious. Took the ride to Julio's to grab some more bottles, and then finished the day at Armsby. Great beer day!
