Hi All, Going to be in Brookline/ Boston for a birthday party this weekend. Won't have time to get to Tree House or Trillium, but would love to pick up some local stuff to bring home that I can't get in New York. Any recommendations in or around Brookline to check out? Thanks in advance!
Brookline proper isn't great for bottle shops. The only one that is decent is Coolidge Corner Wine & Spirits but be sure to check for dates as they have some dusty bottles in there. If you make the quick trip into Allston, Blanchard's has a pretty good local selection. Also Walsh's in Brighton Center has a good selection. Best shops in the area are actually outside Boston: Marty's in Newton and Craft Beer Cellar Belmont/Newton will have the best selection. Also it's worth noting, if you go off peak hours and only buy bottles you can be in and out of Trillium in 5-10 mins. The beer is worth the short drive/t-ride in to the city.
Awesome, thanks! I might try to hit Trillium on Saturday then, since my friends will be going to the Foo Fighters concert, though it might be messy since we are doing a bar crawl beforehand. Which of their beers do you recommend? And how long of t-ride is it back to Brookline (i'm staying at the Marriott in Coolidge Corner)?
If you can figure out a way to get to Trillium, do it. If you like IPAs, see if you can find any of the fancy stuff from Brewmaster Jack. Hoppiness is a Warm Pun, Little Brother, and anything in the Hop Essence series (particularly the mosaic) are really good. Bottling dates are on a sticker they put on the cap, unfortunately these do sit warm for a while in some stores. Mystic and Night Shift are fairly widely available and worth checking out. There's still some Enlightenment bottles floating around. If you can find a bottle of this year's Rite of Spring (batch #4), definitely check that out if you like a brett-heavy saison.
From Coolidge Corner to Trillium is gonna be roughly 45 minutes via T/walking. alternatively about 15 minutes by Uber - maybe take Uber back as you'll be carrying a bunch of bottles. Blanchards has a huge selection and is only about a 20 minute walk - ok if you have a backpack. another place to check out would be Wine Press down Beacon Street - that's your best local place to get Nightshift. the 2 local places would be CC Wine and Spirits and the super dingy looking Food/Liquors shop at the bottom of Summit - but again they keep old IPA's there. Mystic bottles though
Not sure what your travel plans are, but if possible, the best thing might be to hit up Marty's and/or Craft Beer Cellar in Newton on the way in or out. Only a few minutes off I-90 and great selection at both. Or if you do end up going to Trillium, just hit up Fort Point Market next door. They have pretty much everything you could want there too.
Wine and Spirit also has a decent selection of Allagash including Confluence 2015. You can also take a short T ride to Wine Press, as of a couple days ago they had Night Shift Whirlpool and MBC Another One.
Thanks, everyone!! Much appreciated. Haha, this just makes me want to go more! I might have to suck it up and not got too bombed during the day and venture there on Saturday evening. Hopefully I can convince some friends to take an Uber with me.
Their hours are 12-6. If you can go before your bar crawl, that would be the optimal route. People are replying "Go To Trillium" despite your request because if you're in the city and want some awesome hoppy beers, you should go grab some of their stuff.
yeah, Trillium is easily the best hoppy stuff available in the city. on par with Heady / Hill Farmstead / Treehouse for sure. but if you just want locals like Nightshift then I think heading to Wine Press is your play.
You should also check out Comm Ave W&S on the corner of harvard and comm ave or Brookline Liquor Mart on Comm Ave just past Comm Ave W&S. Reservoir W&S at the end of the "C" line is also good. I will second the store at the bottom of Summit Ave that is close to your hotel as I know the previous buyer was awesome and created a great selection while he was there....
Publick House in Brookline is close to Coolodge Corner (opposite direction from Fenway), and is a damn fine beer bar. Not exactly the best idea to start a pub crawl with a bunch of 10%abv Belgians, but not the worst either... Have fun!
If you're "stuck" in Brookline, don't sleep on Bay State Food & Liquor on the corner of Beacon & Summit. Have had a better selection in recent years than CC Wine & Spirits IMHO.
