Never had any NE brews before. Was contemplating this trip. Wed - Arrive at Tree House around noon or after for can release Drive to Night Shift Then Trillium Stay the night in MA Thur - Drive to Other Half for cans (~noon) Back to MD for dinner Could this work? No doubt there's breweries I'll miss.
To save yourself extra driving after being in a car 8+ hours I would note that a lot of Night Shift beers like Whirlpool, Awake and others can be found in stores in Boston, including Fort Point Market next to Trillium. If I was going there I would want to do it after I ditch my car at my hotel because they have a lot on draft and its a fun place to hang for a few hours. I would say Cambridge Brewing is the other must stop and there are a lot of other good spots in its vicinity(Kendall/Inman Squares).
Has Other Half released another can date on a Thursday? They only release cans once every two weeks, usually on Saturday. These cans haven't lasted past that first day in quite some time, and you'll likely have to get there before open for a big release.
IMO I see no real news to travel into Boston for Night Shift or Trillium. As above post said many of NS beers can be found in stores. Also Trillium has a location in Canton MA. Also Jacks Abby has a new taproom. Wormtown and Cold Harbor, Medusa in Hudson. Save a buck or two and venture in the Burbs.
I went to other half a year ago and they had 10 or more beers on tap. Tried 6 or 7 of them that we're all stellar. It was slightly busy I knew there should have been more people there but they blew up
@crow121 - We do sell our beers in stores around the city but our taproom always has more selection/one-offs/limited beers than any store. 24 beers on tap right now, 6 canned options and 7 bottle options, plus 8 growler choices. Just depends on what you are looking for. Our always updated list is here: http://www.nightshiftbrewing.com/on-tap
If you're planning on driving from MA to Brooklyn for other half then I'd suggest hitting night shift and trillium first. Treehouse is off of Route 90 which will take you out to NY.
Don't tell anyone else but it's actually faster to get to Tree House at quarter-past eleven. Then you'll be near the front of the line and be out of there by twelve-thirty. Otherwise, you'll end up standing out in the weather for fuck-knows how long. But don't tell anybody else.
thanks. apparently there was a special release on a thur, but most of their releases are on Sat. guess they're off the list
can't tell if you're serious of kidding. there's always the first wave for any releases, but seems like tree house's first wave of release is getting significantly longer in time
I used to drive DC-Boston a few times a year (from/live in Boston area, did college in DC). Your initial trip has you passing through NYC metro area around morning rush hour Wednesday, which I would recommend avoiding if you can. The Trillium Fort Point location is pictured on the website: http://www.trilliumbrewing.com/ -- that's literally the entire location that you can see on that picture. Also the tulip glasses, you can't do that. Bottles and growlers to go only. For the drive that you're making, absolutely go to a Trillium location (Fort Point or Canton) rather than banking on bottle shop selection. Hit up Fort Point Market for other bottles after, as others have said. Same story for Night Shift selection at the taproom versus bottle shops. If you end up also visiting Cambridge Brewing, the two other places in the Kendall / Inman area to definitely check out tap lists at would be Meadhall and Lord Hobo. Enjoy the trip.
Totally serious. I usually get there around 11:10 or so and am within twenty people of the door. But I haven't been since December.
Any suggestion on how to avoid rush hour? How long could I be sitting in traffic? Looking at a map, would a better route be go up 22 in Jersey and cross over to 287? Or would a better option be show up at Tree House around 2pm and hope cans remain?
If your timing is flexible, I would just leave later and plan to arrive to Tree House around 2. If the days are flexible, I would make this a Thursday/Friday trip and just plan to be in line at Tree House that same time for a 3 PM open. That should have you in and out pretty quickly, and selection will have the additional Thursday runs. If you've been tracking the Tree House thread this week, this Thursday was not a normal Thursday. It is usually much less busy. I don't know when the earliest a Wednesday canning run has sold out is, but 2 PM Wednesday should not be a concern at all. They set limits based on amount produced / popularity such that they will last through the day normally.
Narrowed down the trip to Tree House (really hoping for Green and Julius), Trillium and Night Shift are the absolute stops. Still contemplating Jack's Abby, Cambridge Brewing and Aeronaut. Staying in Cambridge for the night. Unfortunately nothing will be open the following Thursday morning to check out. Here's hoping the weather is ok. Thanks for the suggestions. Feel free to send more. Hopefully I can set up an IP trade or two.
If you are going to hit up Night Shift then Mystic is a must as well. Hit Jack's Abby on the way in to Boston ... Sounds like when you get to the Boston area you should ditch the car and Uber it around.
thanks for all the help. left Wed morning, back home Thur afternoon. went to tree house, trillium, night shift and jack's abby. really wish I stopped off at armsby abbey for their hill farmstead kegs (maybe next trip). there were no lines at tree house and trillium, which was outstanding. only one casualty though. dropped my new tree house tumbler glass when unpacking the car. it was a sweet glass too.
