Favorite New England Bar

Ebenezers in Maine is amazing. Julian's is Providence is also a favorite, if not for the food alone.

 

Cambridge Common because it's 2 miles from my house, they have a great beer selection, usually something on cask, and have a ton of tap takeovers that are usually a lot of fun.

Armsby Abbey, because it's the best beer/food combo in the commonwealth.

Three Penny just because it's fantastic.

 

Next time you're at Redbones get the jerk beef and a Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Trust me.

 

3 Penny (VT)
Mule Bar (VT)
Publick House (MA)
Lord Hobo (MA)
Armsby (MA)

 

Cask & Vine in Derry, NH
Best food I have ever had, and they have a superb selection of beers, albeit, a small one (6 taps I believe). They're super knowledgeable and they have a store a few places down the street with a ton of stuff, a lot of the ones they have on tap.

 

I'm pretty CT-centric so it's the Williamantic Brewing Company for beer (since it is also a brewpub, and a good one at that!). The Cask Republic and Prime 16 in New Haven, CT also are up there for me.

 

Shotouts to the Outer Space in Hamden, CT for having the best draft/bottle selection of any live music venue in the state.

 

The Malted Barley in Westerly,RI. Great tap list and amazing pretzels

 

Old Dublin in Wallingford.

 

Some that immediately come to mind (excluding brewpubs) for a combination of beer selection, food, vibe and nostalgia, but there are so many good ones I know I'm forgetting:

Publick House, Brookline, MA
Atwood's Tavern, Cambridge, MA
Armsby Abbey, Worcester, MA
Strange Brew Tavern, Manchester, NH
Cask & Vine, Derry, NH
Black Birch, Kittery, ME
Novare Res, Portland, ME
Ebenezer's, Lovell, ME
Three Penny Taproom, Montpelier, VT
Farmhouse, Burlington, VT
Eli Cannon's, Willimantic, CT

I still really miss the Barley Pub in Dover, NH, which was one of my all-time favorites.

 

Armsby - Worcester
The Reservoir - Waterbury
Three Penny - Montpelier
GasLight - Portsmouth (not a craft beer destination, but Stoneface is always on tap and the deck is great in the summer)
Strange Brew - Manchester
Bukowski - Boston

 

This is a typo, right? Or did an Eli's open up in Willimantic that I'm not aware of? I'm on the complete other side of the state anyway, but I feel like I would have heard about that.

 

You're right--I had Willimantic Brewing Company on the brain I guess, but I meant to say Eli Cannon's in Middletown.

 

I'd also like to add Moe's Tavern in Lee, MA (Western Mass) to the list. Solid craft beer bar and has a craft beer store right next to the bar.

 

Whatever one I'm in at the time.

 

My neighborhood favorites:

Picco—awesome pizza, delicious ice cream, and an interesting and always changing draft list

Salty Pig—very solid draft list, great food, and a lovely patio for when the weather is nice

Coda—great food, amazing fries, and small but always interesting draft list. Like Salty Pig (same ownership), Coda gets KBS on draft. While other people fight the crowds for a pour before it kicks in 90 minutes elsewhere, I sat at a quiet bar with my financee while we enjoyed several pours each night.

 

Most of my visits are in RI, Mass and Maine so I can co-sign those I have visited including Novare Res, Armsby Abbey, Moe's Tavern, Publick House, Row 34, Julian's and Malted Barley.

Others I would consider adding:
When Pigs Fly, Kittery, ME: Well curated tap list (a lot of firsts/ticks for me happened here), also excellent pizza
Moat Mountain Brewery & Smokehouse, North Conway, NH: Well executed meats and beers. Can't go wrong with just about any style.
Sad that Track 84 is gone, but my alternate RI location to fill that void is Pour Judgement, with Malt and Norey's within short walking distance - the Newport craft pub crawl. Just the "house beer" PJ IPA made by Grey Sail is outstanding, nevermind some of the other goodies that pop up.

 

My local favorite is Nocturnem Draft Haus in Bangor, Maine. 16 rotating taps with a mix of local and national offerings. And 100's of bottles and cans as well. No non craft beer offered at this place.

 

If you've been to Ebenezer's Belgian Beer Fest it's hard to answer this with anything else!

 

Ginger Man Norwalk, CT
Eli Cannon CT
Cask Republic Stamford CT
Prime 16 CT