Anything missing from this NE roadtrip plan?

Update... I have returned from my New England voyage and had an absolute blast, much of it due to the guidance provided here, so thanks again to everybody for their tips and suggestions.

I am going to try to provide some details about each day in a few posts later, mostly as a reference point for anyone else who is interested in this kind of trip since I know it gets asked a lot.

First things first, here is the majority of the haul:

 

Day 1:

Left PA just after dawn, 5 hour drive to New Haven. Plan was to hit Sally's, but the line was down the block when I arrived a few minutes after opening. Decided to try Modern instead, and got in there after a 5 min wait. Sat with 2 locals who offered me a seat to avoid taking up a whole table myself, and they proceeded to entertain me with tales about The Bronx, Italy, and Connecticut while offering tips on my trip. They insisted they pay for my meal on top of this all, really good/fun guys! Pizza was great, but not so much better than other good pizzas I've had that I would go out of my way for it again. Fun experience though.

Drove to Fox Farm, tried half pours of: Double Burst, Leeway, Cadenza, Gather. Left with bottle of Cadenza, 2 cans of DB. All four were tasty, not totally sure Leeway works but was interesting. Really enjoyed Cadenza. Very beautiful place, reminds me a bit of some PA spots at least in setting, everybody working there was so kind and helpful.



A lot of discussion here on how I should handle the next part of the trip and believe me I debated it myself. I was staying in Hartford, so the plan was to just see how the day was going and decide on the fly.

Ultimately decided I didn't mind backtracking a bit in order to hit Counter Weight. Lovely facility, lots of dogs out front which I always love, so I setup there. I wanted No Hope on draft, but they had run out earlier that day, so I had Cities & Years, which was extremely solid. Then got a Smashed burger from the food truck that was decent, and the bartender convinced me to try a Wheat Beer (Passerine) which is a style I tend to avoid, but he was right that this one strayed from having the typical wheat profile. Was very solid, not much else on the tap list interested me and the to-go selection seemed pretty weak as well, with only about 6 varieties. Met some nice dogs, and had some good convos with some CT locals who had connections to the area I'm from. Picked up a t-shirt for a gift on the way out.



Was originally planning to have dinner at Bear's BBQ in Hartford as it was near my hotel and had heard the rec from several people, but the food truck smelled too good to resist so called it an early night after a long day of driving. Not a bad first day!

 

Day 2:


Placed my Tree House order at the hotel while watching the F1 race and having a coffee. Got to TH right at open and holy **** did it live up to the hype. Most impressive brewery I've ever seen in terms of logistics and layout, and the service and beers did not disappoint either. Waited in line for a draft for about 10 min the first time as everybody was waiting for them to start serving. Love the setup though, runs like clockwork. Got the Glass + Pour deal, but opted to just get the beer in a plastic cup and keep the glass clean, and they offered to wrap it up for me at the merch counter which I took advantage of after getting my pour of Julius + Peach. I read that their fruited versions were the way to go when on-premise, and I was not disappointed with my choice. I understood the hype and why this brewery blew up almost immediately, delicious beer and loved the peach taste that was super prevalent.

Mind you I have no idea what any of their beers tastes like prior to this but it's so apparent when you get certain beers that just beg you to keep taking that next sip. I had thought I might just do the one and bounce with my cans, but was just enjoying the vibes so much that I had to get another pour and tried the Very Green + Pineapple this time. I was not able to pick up much Pineapple but I loved this beer as well, great dank-ness to it.

Finished up enjoying the perfect weather and then got in line for my pickup order, which came out to a full case (6 4-packs: Julius, King Jjjuliusss, Very Green, Very Hazy, Summer, and Juice Machine) plus I wanted to try their coffee so got a bag of the Monochrome beans. Not breaking any news here, but I can't overstate how much I adored this place, it is everything I was promised and then some. I hope none of you are jaded by easy access to this place, it's special.

Next stop was Notch in Brighton. There was a food truck at TH but I decided to try to get a late lunch at Notch after seeing they had perogies on the menu. Took about 1hr20min to get there, traffic was moving but the roads were packed. Gives DC traffic a run for its money, especially for a Sunday. I see why people like Notch and why so many recommend it, but honestly it's not nearly as much my vibe, and coming off of TH I think it skewed my feelings a bit.

Notch was relatively empty when I got there, not sure if the afternoon Red Sox game had anything to do with it. Probably less than 25 people were there altogether on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so I had my choice of where to sit. I was sad to learn they did not have the perogies, so I settled for a bratwurst sandwich, which was solid but nothing I couldn't get a dozen other places, and the beer felt the same to me.

I grabbed a Tenner, and while the beer was fine and enjoyable, it didn't seem all that special to me. Fun place to come hang out with friends I'm sure, and a very cool setup they have in that building, but this just doesn't really rate as a beer destination to me personally. . The staff here probably seemed the least interested in actually being there of anybody I ran into all week, so the vibes were just kind of lame all around. Hope this take doesn't get me in trouble



My plan was to pass by Lamplighter and see if I could find a parking spot nearby, but just head to the hotel if not. Traffic down there was crazy, not just cars but pedestrians. I just was not up to it, wanted to lay down at the hotel for a bit before dinner. Hoping to maybe find some cans tomorrow for Lamplighter, but it was always a maybe at best.

Dinner was Row 34. Place was maybe 25% full, which in this case was awesome. Sat at the bar and had a feast. Got the lager steamed mussels which were delicious, the bread they gave with it was perfect for sopping up the broth and they gave me a pile more of it to keep me from drinking straight out of the plate/bowl. Decided to try the Tuna Tartare next after reading good things online, and I didn't think it was great, felt like it lacked some seasoning to me but was pretty refreshing I guess. Not a terrible way to divide up the meal, which I finished with a little basket of fried oysters which was also fantastic.



Decent tap list, I don't see much Jester King so I was excited to try the Nocturn Chrysalis which I really enjoyed, and then had to try the Trillium Vicinity which I loved. They had a bunch of other NE stuff I was curious about, but many were places I was going to be visiting later in the week.

 

Day 3:

Least eventful beer day of trip, stayed in Boston that day, but had to switch hotels from Cambridge to the Fenway area. Had an early breakfast from a nearby Tatte Bakery, then explored a bit of Cambridge. Made the 10-minute drive to check in at the other hotel before lunchtime, then took the 5-minute walk to Boston's Timeout Market.

Grabbed some delicious tacos for lunch from Taqueria El Barrio, and washed them down with drinks from the nearby Trillium outpost. Tried the Strata Fort Point, nothing groundbreaking but certainly my kind of beer. Then tried the Daily Serving with Peach/Apricot, don't recall this having much of anything besides a super sweet fruit flavor but hey I like fruit juice.

Had a bit of time to kill before an early dinner at Sweet Cheeks, so just hung out and explored some shops in the area and until it was time for BBQ. And the BBQ did not disappoint. Those biscuits with the honey butter were to die for. Had some brisket and ribs, maybe not the greatest bbq I've ever had but i have zero complaints, The meat and sides were all great. The place was dead when I got there, but started to fill up as I was leaving and game time loomed.



Went back to the hotel to finish checking in (room wasn't ready earlier), and by then it was nearly game time. 5-minute walk to Fenway, the experience was just as I hoped, the moment really landed when the team took the field. Had a Bud Light from one of the guys walking around, couldn't find anything appreciably better available nearby.



Really happy with my seat selection along the first baseline, about as high up as you can get in the red seats before you get to the older-looking seats. Easy walk back to the hotel afterward, a very fun day in a beautiful city, luckily had flawless weather.

 

Day 4:

Got breakfast again from a different coffee shop nearby in Fenway area, a really great smoked salmon/egg/avocado sandwich. Also stopped by Blackbird Donuts and grabbed a couple, but was not impressed by them and ended up barely touching them.

Got on the road a little later than planned because the valet/parking situation was a mess, and then Google Maps somehow took my 2-hour trip up the coast and sent me west for a 3-hour trip through backroads instead? Headed straight to Fort Williams Park for a lobster roll from Bite Into Maine while taking in the views. The lobster roll was impressive, and the views were even better, spent time after eating just exploring the paths and snapping some pics, and grabbed a shirt from the store for another gift. Glad someone suggested this place, really gorgeous spot.



Next up was Bissell, which was a very nice spot, I dug the aesthetic of the building and the people working were very cool. The place was relatively dead, maybe not surprising for 3pm on a Tuesday. I will say, I read a lot of things on BA about kids being a bit out of control there and despite it being very slow, there were still 3-4 young kids making a hell of a lot of noise running up and down the steps. Didn't bother me, but was funny given what I see people say.

Tried Substance and Nothing Gold, the former was very good and got better as it warmed, the latter was good but maybe a bit generic tasting to me, a bit underwhelming. Grabbed a hoodie for myself, loved a lot of their merch, and also picked up a bottle of their Amaranth which sounded great being described as similar to a Flanders Red. Wasn't impressed enough with their IPAs to grab anything else given the limited trunk space, which was surprising to me, but I really liked this place and I'd love to come back and try more sometime.

Checked into the hotel to lie down for a few and figure out dinner. Was trying to hit Novare Res this night, so I was looking for a dinner spot in the area. Went back and forth in my head between a few places that all sounded amazing from recs on here, but ultimately decided on Bar Futo, and this might have ended up being the best decision I made all trip. WHAT A MEAL that was. The server helped me out a bit describing the sizes of the plates, so I went with the pickles, the pork belly, Big Mac, and the chicken katsu. Every bite of this meal was perfection. I'd come back to Portland just to eat here again. I had an Oxbow Surfcasting which was a nice compliment to the meal.



Made the brief walk to Novare and found the place completely empty. Think there were about 3 people sitting outside, and not a soul seated inside, so I pulled up a seat and started perusing the draft list. The indoor section of this place actually reminds me slightly of a bar I've been to at Penn State, except obviously, NR is operating at a much higher level.

A few people did eventually start to file in while I sat there, but the place remained 95% empty the entire time I was there, maybe just the way it goes on Tuesday nights this time of year. I ended up trying the Liquid Riot Novare/Slab Cuvee, which was just okay really. Nothing else really jumped off the menu at me that night, outside of some very expensive Belgian bottles that might be cool to split with someone, but this wasn't the night for that, especially not rolling solo.

Thinking about that Flanders Red earlier got me craving one and seeing Rodenbach Grand Cru on the menu (in bottle), I went for that next. Kind of a basic choice in such an epic beer bar, but it used to be one of my favorite beers and I never see it around my way anymore, so was nice to revisit an old favorite when nothing else sounded appealing. Considered having a 3rd, but just wasn't inspired by anything else. Cool spot for sure, would definitely be a regular there if I lived locally.

 

Day 5:

Miserable rainy morning, first bad weather of the trip. Wanted to hit the LL Bean store and outlets up in Freeport before going to Maine Beer for lunch, so grabbed an early breakfatst in the hotel restaurant which was nothing special and overpriced as you'd expect. Should have scoped out breakfast joints better. Hit the road in the rain and made the brief drive north, and spent the morning spending some money at a few different stores. Rain started getting worse and I was getting hungry, so I started heading back towards MBC.

MBC was jumping by 11:45 AM when I arrived, and only got busier the longer I stayed. Found a seat at the bar and ordered a flight of Peeper, Thank You, Lunch, and Dinner, and a Pepp pizza. Staff was great here, pizza was solid, and the beer was great. Thank You was probably the least memorable, Peeper really tasted great at first but the more I drank the more average it seemed, but Lunch and Dinner were both fantastic, obviously. Got a box for the leftovers of the pie, and grabbed a couple of bottles of both Lunch and Dinner to go. Love the aesthetic of this place, just feels so clean and modern, and I love what they stand for there as a company. A+ spot.



Headed back to Portland, and directly to the Bier Cellar. Man what a store, I would have probably bought way more stuff here if I wasn't already sitting on a case and a half of beer with Vermont stops still to come, so I tried to be very particular in here despite the urge to grab everything. Ended up getting a small selection of IPA singles from some of the Maine places I won't be getting to like Belleflower, Goodfire, and Lost Pine, plus a sour from Oxbow and picked up a couple of cans of that Apres cider to give away as a gift after hearing multiple people here and around town say how good it is (not my thing).

Next, I headed to The Shop for some Oysters and a little mid-afternoon snack. What a great spot, another killer rec from BA, got 2x4 oysters of various kinds and the smoked trout dip and had a ginger beer with it. This is probably the cheapest I've seen oysters anywhere on this trip, and they were all fantastic, this place feels like an absolute must-stop anytime you're in the area, I will be returning. Great indie rock playlist rocking that day too.



I had planned to go down the street and check out Oxbow and then if I hung around long enough, maybe try to get in for an early dinner at Terlingua, but I was feeling quite full and wanted out of the rain for a bit so I headed back to the hotel to regroup, change into some dry clothes, and relax for a bit. This one and Lamplighter are the only regrets that I missed on this trip, but knew I'd miss a few. Maybe should have tried harder to get to Allagash, but there's always next time.

Remembered later that one of the main reasons I had wanted to get to Oxbow was to get the Duckfat frites, so I decided dinner was going straight to the source at the main Duckfat location. Was able to get right into Duckfat via the solitary open bar seat, despite a line out front (it pays to fly solo sometimes) and this was yet another place that absolutely lives up to the hype. Fries were perfect, had the Cubano with them which was solid but I struggled to choose it over the Reuben (and still second guess my choice), and then I washed it down with a Sacred Profane Pale Lager, which was excellent and went super well with the meal. Maybe not apples to apples, but I'd take that Pale Lager over the Notch stuff I had the other day, no question.

Explored the area a little bit more, and ended up having a Lone Pine IPA on draft somewhere that had the US Open on TV back near my hotel. Then called it a day. Didn't do too much late-night exploring in Portland, would definitely like more time in this town, really loved everything I saw here and felt like I was just overloaded with choices of things I was interested in.

Two more days to share later and then I'll stop boring you all

 

Day 6:

Skipped breakfast in favor of an early lunch at Parker Pie Co. This was the best drive of the trip, especially the New Hampshire leg, with some breathtaking views. Arrived not completely sure I was in the right place, but was warmly welcomed upon entering the front of the store and seated at the bar. Another meal where I was the only patron in the building, but this is such a great spot and a killer recommendation by the BA forums. I was getting a little pizza'd out so I went with the meatball sub (which in hindsight isn't all that different from pizza), and it was perfect. The side of fries was way larger than I could handle, but the sandwich and the fries were top-notch. Didn't really intend on having a beer at 11:30 AM but decided to try their Pilsner for something relatively light to start the day. Such a ridiculous tap list for any place, let alone such an unassuming spot out in the country like that. Another place that feels like it would be impossible to skip if ever back in the area.

Back on the road, and drove the 20 or so minutes to Hill Farmstead, which again confused the hell out of Google Maps briefly. Already a nice crowd by the time I got there but no line to get a pour. Grabbed an Edward, a beer I've heard about for so many years, and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Savored it out on the porch on a perfect afternoon taking in the warm sunshine and slightly chilly breeze.



Given the distance to get here, I considered staying a bit longer, but I still had a few more stops and I felt like I had successfully taken it all in. I grabbed a 4-pack of Abner and Edward, and a bottle of their Pear Harvest to go and got back on the road, headed towards The Alchemist.

I had already visited a lot of legendary spots on this vacation, but hitting two giants of craft brewing like HF and Alchemist back to back is still a bit of a mind-blower, like strolling through the hall of fame for American brewing. Got a hand pulled Heady of course, and grabbed a seat inside. Absolutely crazy to me that they give you that pour for $5, as I've been spending $10-13 on some pours all week. And then just $13 for 4-packs when I've paid $20-23 in other places that aren't making beers even in the same stratosphere as Heady/Focal.

Would have been cool if they had more choices on draft, but I grabbed a 4-pack of Focal and Heady to go. If all I came back with from this trip was a case of those two beers I'd have been happy, I guess I'm still an Alchemist fanboy.



Drove another 20 minutes to the Hotel near Waterbury to get checked in, chill out for a bit, and figure out dinner. Was a tough choice between Pro Pig and Blackback, but ended up at Blackback. The menu all looked great but ultimately decided on a Korean Pancake and the Meatloaf sandwich, and both were phenomenal. Ordered a Single Cut Softly Spoken Magic Spells (big fan of SC but rarely find it fresh nearby and never on draft), which was also excellent. The servers were a lot of fun here and took time to share some good stories and conversation with me even as the place was getting quite busy, I would have loved to stay longer and sample some more of their draft list but I had one more stop.

The last stop of the night was Freak Folk across the street. Asked for a Cult of Billy: The Jester, but the keg kicked and all I got was about a 1oz taste of it. The server recommended I go with Double Galaxy instead, a very tasty Strata-forward "Double Pale Ale". Waterbury is another one of those towns that seem to be spoiled with great beer and food options, and in this case, all within a few hundred feet of one another. The only issue is there seems to be zero Uber/Lyft service available, so being solo and having to get back to my hotel a few miles away, my night was basically over after FF. This was of my favorite days of the trip, just all bangers all day.

 

Day 7:

Nothing was jumping out at me for breakfast options, so I opted to check out the free hotel breakfast downstairs. Nice looking spread, but pretty awful tasting, maybe my first misstep food-wise of the trip, but hey it was free and this has been a spendy trip. Needed something light anyway because of the way the day was planned: another early lunch so I could do an early dinner at HoTW.

Headed over to the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, which blew my mind with their selection. I thought the Bier Cellar in Portland was impressive, but I'm not sure it has anything on this place. Unbelievable selection, I was truly a kid in a candy store here, spent probably 45 minutes and still feel like I breezed past some things. Grabbed a bunch more singles of New England stuff I never got to try but had made a note to look out for, as well as some sours/wilds (found some OEC thankfully) and a few bottles of my beloved Grand Cru. Seriously great store.

Drove back south to get to Burlington Beer Co. right as they opened, and was the first and only customer in the joint for a few minutes. Ordered the Smashed Burger on the rec of several people, with a side of fries and their little garlic aoli. Great burger, great fries, devoured them. Burger had those great crispy edges you want, fries with the sauce were excellent.

Beautiful spot they have here, was almost a shame they weren't busier, a place like that deserves a bigger crowd. Might be due to the beers just being kind of so-so? I had the Uncanny Valley and a Beekeeper. Both drank a little sweeter than I prefer in an IPA, but they were quality brews, nothing really wrong with them. This is a great spot in my opinion, assuming they must get busy a lot of the time but never really did while I was there on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Strange. I didn't enjoy anything enough to grab to-go, the car is pretty much full at this point anyways after Winooski.



Headed to the hotel to check-in and get my bearings in downtown Burlington, had a great view of the Lake from my room and I'm just steps from Foam here, so really a perfect spot. Walked around the Church Street marketplace checking out the sights and sounds, grabbed an ice coffee and some beans to go from Vivid, took in some live music, and enjoyed the beautiful weather, absolutely perfect day, low 70's and tons of sun.

Didn't have reservations for Hen of the Wood but saw they accepted walk-ins, and folks recommended getting there a few minutes before they open. It was a 2 min walk from the Hotel, so I headed over about 15 min before they opened and only found 2 people waiting ahead of me, and they were only so early because they thought they opened at 4 instead of 430. Chatted with them while a few other folks walked up prior to opening, and we all got seated shortly after at the bar. Had a Focal Banger and the Parker House rolls to start while waiting for the kitchen to open at 5, then I went with an Heirloom Tomato dish, the house pappardelle, and a side of their green beans.

It was one of the best meals of my life, and I only realized afterward I had somehow avoided ordering any meat. Was not intentional at all, everything just sounded so good and managed to taste better than it sounded. Not breaking any news here, but that place is special. Everyone seemed really excited to be there and I saw and heard a lot of satisfied reactions around the room. I had a can of Heady for my 2nd drink and headed out.

Sun was starting to set on Lake Champlain, and it seemed likely the best place to enjoy that was going to be just over the hill at Foam. I tend to agree with a lot of people that Foam just has a weird taste these days, definitely don't recall feeling that way about the stuff I initially tried from them 5 or so years ago but the last few I've tried just weren't right. This time was no different, ordered a Youth Lagoon (a band I love) and it just was not balanced at all compared to all the great beers I've been drinking this week.

Maybe it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb if you aren't drinking world-class beers all week, but definitely one of the worst drinks I had this entire trip. But the view on the patio outside was unbeatable, the sun right setting right in front of me on an absolutely perfect evening. Got one of their sour offerings next, Blushing. Sipped on that as the sun finished going down, a good ending to a nearly perfect week.



Just a quick 8.5 hour drive back home the next day and the trip was over. I'm sure I missed some obvious stuff along the way and could have done more or less in some spots, but I really feel like I achieved 99% of what I set out to do, most importantly just enjoying myself and the time off work! I could absolutely see this becoming a semi-annual kind of trek, with some revisions and adjustments in place to suit my initial findings and fill in the gaps I may have had this time. Definitely not the last time I'll visit this part of the country.

Thanks again to all the folks here in this thread and others who have shared their knowledge and experiences to help me plan and shape this trip, I had a blast. Cheers!