New Hampshire for a week, any help?

River Roost in White River Junction for sure. Glimpse and Mas Verde are phenomenal. Good BBQ joint right next door with a solid tap list.

 

I’m guessing Schilling should be an easy get. Buy anything from them.

 

If you're heading to Alchemist, stop by von Trapp and Lost Nation. Both have good food too.

 

You should be just a few miles from Polyculture Brewing. Worth checking out.

You are also close to The Flying Goose which is a locally popular brew pub. Their beer has improved a lot in the last few years.

 

I’ll recommend something a little different. I would check out Harpoon in Windsor given how close you are. The outdoor space is really nice and there are other things to check out on the grounds. You have a distillery; artisan cheese and jelly spots; and Path of Life Gardens. I recommend a stroll through the gardens if a nice day. Basically you could spend a half a day there with ease.

 

Flying Goose in New London is the closest, obvious first pick. Kettlehead in Tilton is only three-quarters of an hour away - and you'll almost definitely find @SawDog505 sitting at the bar there. There's no place finer than Schilling to spend a hot, sunny, lazy weekday afternoon hanging out our the Ammonoosuc River - and less than an hour away from Hill Farmstead. And, as previously noted, Big Fatty's has one of the most reliably best tap lists in New England.

 

After or before Tree House, consider having a meal at Armsby Abbey in Worcester, 20-25 minutes away but very worth it. The food is always great and not very expensive compared to if was in Boston, and you can drink some Hill Farmstead (5 different beers available atm), Fox Farm, Brick & Feather, and a bunch of other great stuff. Greatest taplist around for sure. https://armsbyabbey.com/draft-bottles/ No chance you;d be disappointed, and might help inform the rest of your trip.

 

This. Awesome spot. Killer food and a taplist breweries aspire to have their beer on. Honestly I would rather hit AA than go to Tree House but if you’ve never been Disneyland is worth the visit.

Big Fatty’s and River Roost aren’t that far from Newport and on your way to or from a trip to Alchemist/Lawson’s/HF. If you’re going to go to Lawson’s (which you should) I’d highly recommend a way google maps won’t tell you to go. Drive north on 89 and get off at the Randolph exit. Take 12a and turn left on Warren Mtn Road right after the Roxbury Country Store. Take this all the way down into Warren. Grab a sandwich at the Warren Country store before heading north on 100 to Lawson’s in Waitsfield. The views of the Mad River Valley going over Roxbury Gap are phenomenal and it’ll be a true VT experience driving some windy backroads (that used to be dirt????). You’ll drive near where Shaun Lawson started brewing in his shed and the Warren Country store is as VT an experience as it gets.

HF is a trek from Newport but well worth it. Tap room is reservation only at this point so I’d check that before you make the trek. It’s a long ways from anything.

 

As @jhavs said, yes you'll be mere minutes from Polyculture. I believe they'll have their beer garden open Saturday, 7/24, from 12-5 with a taco food truck there. Flying Goose is another good spot as mentioned by @papposilenus and they have good views of Mt. Kearsarge.

There are 2 fairly young breweries in Springfield, NH, not far from New London. Hoptimystic and Protectworth. I have not had anything from either of them and I am not sure of their hours so you'd have to contact them to find out.

For shops you can hit Jakes/Irving in Georges Mills. They will be your best selection in the area. They'll have a bunch of stuff from VT including Lawsons, stuff from Maine, Massachusetts. They do not get Heady Topper but you can go to Fireside Beverage at Running Bear Campground in Windsor also and theres a good chance they will have it. They had Focal Banger but no Heady when I was there a couple weeks ago. They also get Foam, Burlington Beer and more of a selection of VT beers.

I grew up in Newport and visit 2-3x per year so message me if you have any other questions about the area.

 

I forgot to add, Jakes/Irving has amazing breakfast sandwiches as well if you're near there at that time. Also, there's a distillery in town on Main St., Widmer and Davis, if you're interested in that.

 

B.T.'s Smokehouse is a few minutes from Tree House on Rt. 20. Consider eating there. It is excellent. #1 in MA. You can BYOB (TH) as well. There is a location in Worcester, MA as well which would be on your way to Newport, NH. The Sturbridge location is 8.3 miles from TH the other way- 10 minutes.

Burlington Beer Company is up near HV/Alchemist/Lawsons. Solid.
If you head east across the state towards the coast there is Deciduous Brewing Company in Newmarket who does great work, and makes some creative beers.

 

In addition to @wasatchback recommendation, drive over Lincoln Gap if you have the time; reputedly the steepest mile of pavement in the US, and Sean Lawson used to live on the east side of the gap.

 

To piggyback on the VT gap recommendations, I would strongly suggest parking at the top and doing a little hiking north or south. The Long Trail is really special along the high ridges.

 

Spyglass in Nashua if you go up Rte 3 instead of 93.

Kettlehead in Tilton if you're headed towards Schilling (Littleton) or HF.

Modest Man in Keene is ~45 mins south of Newport.

 

Don't see a Spyglass thread but tbh I didn't look super hard.

How busy is it on a Saturday? If I were to swing by at opening, would it be easy to grab some cans and leave?

 

Never more than 5-10 min wait for cans.

 

NH distro is notoriously shitty. Your best bet, as always, is the half hour drive up 89 to WRJ, Big Fatty’s Crowler Pit and River Roost. Or, if you’re coming up 91, stop at the Brattleboro Coop on the way. If you’re as far south as Keene, Brewtopia has about the best bottle and can selection you can expect to find in the state.

Add Kettlehead to your places to go - for the food as much as for the beer. A few weeks ago mammasilenus and I had lunch at Kettlehead and then spent the afternoon hanging out on the deck over the River at Schilling. One of the few days it wasn’t raining.