I'll be in the Boston area this weekend (Framingham on Sunday and Boston/Medford on Monday) and am looking for a good bottle shop to stop at while I'm there. Where should I go and what should I look for (non-IPA)? I know it's a long shot, but do I have any chance of finding any Alesmith Speedway (of any variety) on the shelf? I'm from Texas and would love to bring back some good stuff! We get Clown Shoes and Sam Adams in Texas, but that's about all I can think of from the New England area. Thanks in advance!
Downtown Wine and Spirits in Somerville had Speedway as of Wednesday. Pretty typical to see it on the shelf there, as well as lots of other good locals.
Seen it in WMass. $16 6 packs. I like Alesmith, but that is a high price point for a mixer out here. Sculpins are $14 and that was previously the high water mark for a shelf West Coast IPA.
Kappys in Medford should have a good selection for someone coming from TX. Speedway should be available in any decent craft beer focused liquor store. Not hard to get at all in MA. In Boston, Boston Wine Exchange has a pretty good selection as does Golden Goose Market.
Make time to visit Julio's in Westboro, MA. Well worth the 15-20min trip west of Framingham. I know your looking for Alesmith. But Jacks Abby opened a new beer hall. Easily considered one of MAs best breweries.
Unfortunately, I won't have time for that. I'll only have 15-20 minutes to stop into a bottle shop and pick up a few beers. the rest of the time will be spent with my girlfriend and her family. I'll definitely stop at one of the spots mentioned. Thanks for the tips!
Speedway is pretty common on the shelf around here. Give a call to a couple of places and you're likely to come up with some. Atlas Liquors and Kappy's are probably your best bet in the Medford area. There are also a plethora of Craft Beer Cellars locations in the area, a couple are right off of I-90 and I-95 so depending on which way you're crossing from Medford to Framingham you could pop off the highway, hit a shop, and hop back on.
Much smaller selection, but great choices at Boston Bottles in the North End. Since you'll probably be in the NE anyways if you're doing touristy stuff, it'll be an easy stop. If you don't see something, ask...sometimes they keep the good stuff in the back for people "in the know". Good luck and have fun!
Didn't sit on shelves a few years back. There was a stretch where it sold out day it came in, then it went dry for a good 6-9 months. Since then it's been a shelf beer. Great beer, but it's only an occasional treat. I rarely buy big bottles and when I do it's typically Belgian or not such a big beer.
Speedway sits on shelves b/c it's a non BA stout that costs $16 a bottle. plenty of comparable alternatives are much cheaper. Founders Imperial Stout costs $11 for 48 ounces.
