Best place to buy beer on the north end of Cape Cod?

Not sure which way you're going to the cape but your best bet is to stop somewhere before the bridges. Craft Beer Cellar in Plymouth off of Route 3 or Muckey's Liquors in Lakeville off of 495 are two that come to mind

 

My opinion... get your car from Logan, hit the Seaport for Trillium cans and Fort Point Market's selection (among the best in the state) then just shoot down to the Cape and enjoy your bounty. Depending when you land the Seaport detour shouldn't add more than 30 minutes to your trip. And if you do have some extra time down the cape, check out Devil's Purse Brewery in Dennis, I've heard good things. Enjoy!

 

Definitely good advice.

If the timing is right you can also have a great seafood lunch/snack and a choice of excellent taps at Row 34 right next door as well.

Oh, and bring some quarters for the meters. Enjoy!!!

 

Agreed on all points here. I've been on the hunt for a good store on the Outer Cape for the past few years now. This year I'll be stocking up in CT and Mass before I go on our annual family Cape trip in July.

 

What day and what time do you fly in? Depending on that and your time flexibility, you may want to spend some time in Fort Point (like, a dinner at Row 34) in order to avoid serious traffic pain. Especially since you said next week and I'm wondering if that means for July 4th....

 

Try cedarville wine and spirits right off exit 2 off rt 3 before the bridge .....one of the best selections in the area

 

I would call that area "Outer Cape" around the locals.

 

I always thought is was "lower cape"

 

Pretty sure Lower Cape is Chatham, Eastham area. This guys talking about Ptown, Truro area.

 

If you like sip of sunshine Luke's carries Lawson's. Have to ask for sos though. Devils purse is really good and it's only a mile from my house, highly recommend the cuddy queen and the table beer. Moonshine is pretty good too they have a good selection such as night shift and Maine beer co.

 

Yeah, I've always considered the lower Cape to end somewhere around the elbow (Orleans or so). Wellfleet/Truro/Ptown are outer cape, with Eastham erring towards outer as well.

 

Definitely best to avoid dilly dallying at the Seaport if you're coming in at the time, but I would not be scared off of making a quick stop at Trillium and Fort Point market (which are literally right next to each other). Trillium won't have a line or anything either if you're worried about that. And you won't really have to worry too much about Cape traffic on a Thursday afternoon, though you will likely hit at least the beginnings of the general rush hour exodus which isn't exactly a picnic, but is only a few miles compared to what things will be like on Friday.

They are very close to the highway (as in a 3 minute drive without traffic) so as mentioned, even with traffic you're really only risking adding 30 minutes tops to your trip, especially if you have someone who can babysit the car while you run in so you don't need to look for parking (though there are generally meters to be found close by).

Unless your companions will crucify you for any side trip whatsoever, it's absolutely worth a stop. Best wishes for a great trip!

 

honestly, Trillium makes some of the highest quality IPAs in all the land. You really cant go wrong IMO.

Keep in mind that you can buy single cans so you can probably get one can of everything and try them all. The staff there are very helpful so if you have specific questions about the hops etc the are more then happy to discuss. I know time is of the essence but do your best to get Momma on board, you wont regret it.

 

Yeah, if you get to Trillium, there really isn't anything that isn't top shelf. It depends on exactly what your tastes are. Also, another mention for the market next door, though TBH, if you're looking for a couple cases or even 6 packs, there are other places further down Rt 3 towards the Cape that will have lower prices. Depends on what your timeframes are. There are also breweries off Rt 3 - Barrel House Z and Mayflower, for 2, there are others I don't remember offhand. Again, depending on your timing.
When you get to the Cape, I recommend Devil's Purse in Dennis, Cape Cod Beer (in Hyannis) and Hog Island in Orleans. All 3 make some great beer - I know they're all on tap in places in Wellfleet and P-town, not certain in between. CCB and DP have cans and bottles, not sure about HI.

 

Try the following:
Windmill Liquors Orleans - just off the traffic circle in front of the Stop & Shop
Town Center Package Eastham

 

There is a bottle shop right next to Trillium in the Seaport. You should be able to take care of all your needs between those two stops.

 

Heading to Chatham this weekend; any suggestions for restaurants or bars with decent offerings? Would love to try some of the Devil's Purse beers and other local offerings.

 

The Red Nun should have Devils Purse on tap. There is also a new burger joint down there (it is pricey for what it is, but the list was good the one time I popped in), I'll think of the name in a sec.

edit: Mom & Pops

 

Couple of suggestions:

Beach Bar @ Chatham Bars Inn – Has a few local offerings from Devil’s Purse, Cape Cod Beer, and Hog Island (Orleans), plus standards from Sam and Allagash White. All are like $7-8, but you’re drinking on the beach at a fancy resort, so it’s still cool.

Impudent Oyster – Usually has 3 taps going. Had Long Trail Green Blaze, Anchor Steam, and Devil’s Purse Kolsch when I was there last weekend. It’s one of my favorite bars in Chatham, dark wood and very popular with locals and those in the know. Dinner is expensive, but lunch is a good deal and the food is usually great.

Del Mar – Again, has some Devil’s Purse offerings. But usually ~10 taps overall. Nothing that’s going to wow you, but standard craft options. Food here is amazing, love the pizzas for something cheaper, but order off the specials menu. They also have an extensive whiskey list. Will probably need reservations for dinner, but if you’re 1 or 2 people, eat at the bar. Put your name in with the bartender when you get there. My favorite spot in Chatham.

Red Nun – Right next to the baseball field. Usually has more and better craft offerings, but is very tight inside and can be loud.

Squire – The old standby. Will have a line to get in after 9PM most weekend nights in the summer. The tavern side has become a popular 20-something hangout. Nothing special from a beer standpoint, usually Sam, Guinness, and 1-2 Cape Cod Beer options. Again, drink here during the day for some fun local color, but avoid at night unless you want to feel like you’re drinking in Boston rather than the Cape.

Bistro on Main - More upscale place, set back a bit. Been here twice in past year, don't remember the tap list being anything special, but I liked the bartenders.

Bluefins Sushi - Still haven't been since it's always full, but other bartenders recommend it as having a quality cocktail list.

If you need to buy beer, stop at Portside Liquors off exit 11, cor of rte 39 & 137. They’ve really stepped up their beer game in the last year. Had a ton of 14th Star Tribute and other quality IPAs in 4-pack format. All of it was fresh too.

 

I'd definitely second this. We were sort of intimidated to go there for a while but when we finally did it was good fun. Very nice setting and even though the larger setting is a bit snooty the bar is pretty "regular". The website recommends "Cape Cod Resort Attire" (whatever that is) but we always just show up wearing whatever and nobody gives us a second look. You can do the free valet parking at the hotel as well which is sort of a hoot if you drive a cheap car since literally just about every car is a Lexus or a Mercedes

That's good to know about Portside and I'd give another shout out to Chatham Liquors by the post office as well (it's small but has a pretty decent selection).

 

Thank you so much, this is perfect! Thanks to @jlordi12 as well.

Looks like Devil's Purse is canning now, might try to stop there on the way from Boston to Chatham to pick up some cans.

 

I'm guessing they're not the only place, but I can vouch for Chatham Liquors having their Kolsch in cans when I was there in early June.

 

You will find the kolsch and ESB quite easily in package stores. I haven't been into one in Dennis that didn't have both. The brewery has had kolsch, ESB and 2 others for a few weeks now. As of a couple weeks ago, the package store in the same plaza as the Dennis Stop and Shop had 4 offerings (at much cheaper prices than the brewery).

Brewery can get very crowded at times during high season. Space is super small. You are usually best mid afternoon during the week based on my experience.

 

Also, they were charging $20/4-pack for their latest DIPA. There are many better options at that price. Devil's Purse really benefits from weak competition on the local scene.

If you find them fresh, Wash Ashore's beers, while contract brewed, are quite good.

 

And $16 / 4 pack for their Cuddy Queen Pale ... which is a fine beer, but not at that price.

 

Yeah, meanwhile fresh Night Shift cans are $11 in places around Boston . Add in cheap 4- and 6-packs from the likes of Castle Island and Jacks Abby, and it's pretty tough to charge those kinda prices. Hell, even Sip of Sunshine is like $15 a 4-pack.

 

To your original point though, Night Shift and Sip are not readily available on the Cape. Jack's Abby obviously is. As you said, Devil's Purse lacks a lot of competition in the Cape market.

 

just back from a week in Dennis Port

been going to Devil's Purse since they opened, and made a few trips there this week. The best thing they do is the Table Beer series. Haven't loved any of their pales, IPA's, or DIPA's although the single hop series (stonehorse) has some winners, and the current one Comet, is pretty tasty. If you're remotely in the area, it's worth a visit. The beer is fresh, the beer is very well made, and at this point they've got a solid variety. Yeah it's a buck or 2 pricier than it should be, but it's the Cape, everything's that way.

As others have said, the Red Nun has a great tap list, and a new place Cleat & Anchor (formerly Rum Runners on Lower County Rd, across the street from Chapin's fish & chip) has a solid beer list too. We went to the Nun on Weds and I had some Kent Falls, Fiddlehead, and Mo.

I tried a couple beers from the new brewery in Orleans - Hog Island - and it was a fine but forgettable stuff. If you're hard lining it for 'local only', it's perfectly fine. But I passed some fresh and very competitively priced Castle Island and Nimble Giant at Luke's in Dennis Port to try the local guys and kinda wish I hadn't.

 

For anyone taking a trip soon, here are my thoughts from our weekend in Chatham.

Devil's Purse — stopped here on the way to Chatham after the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory tour. Small but cool space, BYO food. Tried the Comet single hop IPA and enjoyed it. Ended up buying a four pack of the DIPA (Hen and Chickens); was overpriced as others have said at $20, but it was tasty and fun to have something local to enjoy outside at our hotel.

Bistro on Main — had a drink here before dinner Friday night; they had Fiddlehead IPA on tap, which was a nice surprise. Nice bar, food looked good.

Bluefins — we ended up eating dinner here both nights (more on that below); good food, standard beer list (Be Hoppy, Sculpin, Allagash White).

Red Nun — we had planned to have dinner at Del Mar Saturday night, but after watching the sunset at First Encounter in Eastham (which was spectacular), we realized on the drive back that we were not going to make it before the kitchen closed at 9:30. So we started calling around and were told that the kitchen at Red Nun closed at 10. We got there at 9:15 and were told, sorry, kitchen is technically open until 10 but we are so backed up we won't make your food even if you order right away. It was beyond frustrating since we had called literally 15 minutes prior and they had to have known there were issues. Looked like a fun enough place, but after that experience there was no was I was giving them any business, so we walked over to Bluefins and at at the bar.

TL;DR — awful customer service experience at Red Nun, solid beer (Fiddlehead!) at Bistro on Main, good food and open late at Bluefins.

 

Thanks for the write up. Can I dodge the beer content for a moment and ask how the Potato Chip factory tour was? I didn't know that was a thing and I'm a sucker for any kind of "how it's made" experience.

 

It's short but fun if you're a fan of the chips (I love them). It's self-guided, you walk along a corridor with windows into the production floor. You can see the potatoes coming in and being cleaned, chips being fried, chips going up the chip elevator (very cool), being salted, etc. The packaging room is neat too. It's not much of a "tour" but if it's not too out of the way, worth a stop. It was like a 5 minute detour en route from Boston to Chatham, so definitely worth the stop for us.

 

Thanks for the tip. Last time I was in that store was probably 5 years ago and everything was old and overpriced. I assume the management changed when the name did.

Did you or anyone else check out the Shop Ahoy this year? They always seemed to have a better-than-average selection, at least by Cape standards...