Boston (3 days) + Vermont (4 days)

Exhibit 'A' cans. You should be able to get them at Fort Point Market, but don't miss them. Their Danko Rye IPA is exceptional, and there's not a lot of rye IPAs to be had, so it should be unique for you.

Fiddlehead is only about 15 minutes south of Foam, as I recall. Worth going to. Also the Shelburne Vineyard is right across the street and has great wine, if you're into that.

I'd look into whether it's worth it to take the Commuter Rail out to Framingham to go to Jack's Abby. It's a great place to get food, and their beer is, of course, excellent. They also now have Springdale Barrel Room, which is supposed to be fantastic. I just don't know how far the brewery is from the Commuter Rail station out there... I always drive.

 

Mystic and Night Shift are an easy Uber. Mystic is my favorite tap room in the area.

 

Agree on Exhibit A. Singlecut cans could be hard to find but they might be floating around. Occasionally we see Finback cans around here. If you see them, make sure to pick up some. Trillium is a no brainer. It's so easy to just walk in & out with tons of beer & it's the best around. Even down in Boston you can sometimes find some VT goodies like Sip of Sunshine & 14th Star Tribute. All good options. Also check out Craft Beer Cellar Fort Point.

 

Oh, and find some Frost Brewing bottles when in Vermont.

 

In Montpelier, go to Hunger Mountain Coop for bottles/cans. They get weekly deliveries of Heady Topper & Sip of Sunshine (not sure schedule though). They also sometimes carry Backacre, which you should get as many bottles as possible.

Also in Montpelier, check out Three Penny Taproom (one of the best bars in VT) and Mad Taco (awesome mexican food and good taps).

 

You've done your homework. In Montpelier, Hunger Mountain, Yankee Spirits, and Uncommon Market get Lawson's on Thursdays. HM gets the most; the latter two are around the corner from each other. Best bottle shop in area may be Craft Beer Cellar in Waterbury. Best in Burlington area is Beverage Warehouse in Winooski.

Don't miss Three Penny Taproom in Montpelier. My second favorite beer bar in the state (after Blackback).

Agree on Night Shift in Boston area. Great space and excellent beer. Haven't been to Mystic.

 

I would (respectfully) pass on Jack's Abby - for sure one of my favorite breweries and tap rooms to visit, but with an expecting wife and the young 'un, it may be more trouble that it is worth because you can find bottles and cans probably anywhere in Boston proper. I don't think I would want to compress the schedule any further to make it out to Framingham and back. And I am in the 12-step program specifically for my Jack's Abby addiction...so this is said with some reluctance.

There's only so much one can do and only so many hours in the day, and traffic/construction are unpredictable wild cards. Mystic (and Nigthshift) - agreed on the fantastic tap room(s) and relatively easy access once in Boston, but again you may run out of time. This is not a dedicated beer-grimage. I mean, your wife can't participate (if she normally would) and you will have your hands full with the toddler - seems the priorities are pretty clear in this case. Hitting the low-hanging fruit that fits in with existing plans seems the right course. Start chasing too many things and I reckon everybody will be miserable. Lots of good suggestions - figure out what fits in rather than trying to force things is what I think.

Just my opinion...

 

That's fair on JA. They're way out of the way, I just figured with the good food they're a nice family option if you have a few extra hours. Do make sure to grab any bottles of their Barrel-Aged Framinghammer you can find - I didn't love the Cordon Rouge variant, but the regular Bourbon one is always excellent, and the PB&J is really unique.

 

OH, also, at least one day swing by Union Square Donuts in Somerville for breakfast. Non-beer-related, I know, but absolutely worth it. The Maple Bacon donut is the one people usually gravitate towards, but their bourbon sea salt glazed donuts are pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten in my life.

 

I'm not sure I'd ship a bottle of Frost back home with you, especially with Hill bottles in tow, but I'd strongly advise getting one at a liquor store in VT. Frost always impresses me.

 

If you go somewhere that does mix-sixes in Boston, grab a can of Idle Hands Four Seam and Fort Hill Jigsaw Jazz. Also Wachusett Wally. I'm not sure if Fort Point Market allows you to do singles, but any Craft Beer Cellar will.

 

If you are planning a stroll in the woods in Stowe and picking up cans at the Alchemist I'd recommend Wiessner Woods. It's really close to the Alchemist. Doc Ponds is good stop close-by, if you are looking for a place to eat after.

Maybe you know this but Fort Point is a really popular place to bring kids to. There's the waterway, children's museum, Boston Fire museum, and some historical stuff all packed in there. Easy to distract them while you hit up Trillium/FP Market/Craft Beer Cellar

 

How good is Union Square Donuts imo?
Well, when I married my wife 4+yrs ago, we chose to go with a tower of USDs in lieu of a cake. Not only are the donuts succulent, but they're works of art.

Especially the maple bacon...

 

Sounds like you have it figured out. Focusing on Hill Farmstead bottles and Trillium cans is the way to go and a night of Cambridge Brewing and Lamplighter is tough to beat in the Boston area. Gingerman is a good bar near the Trillium Beer Garden and walkable from your hotel. Row 34 is a great spot for seafood and beer next to Trillium in Fort Point.

As for the Fenway area, Beer Works is fine. Cornwalls is my fav in that area. Good beer list, fair prices, pool tables, it doesn't get as crazy crowded as bars closer to the ballpark. Citizen Oyster Bar is good too.

 

For beer related stuff in VT, previously mentioned hunger mountain coop in Montpelier has a decent selection (and gets sip on thursday and lawsons bottles) but I personally prefer craft beer cellar in Waterbury. They will most everything available in VT, including sip, lawsons bottles, and heady but they have a tuesday delivery. They should have all or most of the BBC cans available as well. If you have any room in your shipper left after hill farmstead, stopping at River Roost in White River Jct would be a great couple growlers to send home. Its only about 5 mins off I89 and there won't be any line at all.

Fiddlehead is like 2 minutes down the road from Shelburne Farms, which is a nice family museum to walk around in and take in some VT history.

 

I'm a big fan of Finback personally. They are mostly good for hops. While they don't quite compare to Trillium, they are in that 2nd tier of great hoppy beers. On par with or IMO better than Night Shift & Singlecut.