Help from NEasterners

def do treehouse/armsby/jacks abby and portland if you got a car. they're pretty close in drive time. I think portland is an extra 20 or 30. real cool area though and lots of stuff in proximity. vt is cool trip and under 3 hours from Portland to hf, real pretty drive too along the way in a few spots. I did portland at night, hill farmstead next morning, stayed in waterbury, & home the next day. treehouse on the way. never really had a drive over 3 ish hours doing it that way. but that depends if u have 2 days in a row. and more so weather. you don't want to do that unless you have a good car in snow if it's bad weather at all. and heady on here isn't hard to find. you'll have no shortage of options though.

I'd also cosign OEC if you like sours. there's several things along the way and really unique spot. tons of to go bottles too at most times. they're open sat but you can call ahead and they'll usually sell you bottles or prefilled growlers if they're around. if you did that area, hit me up. I know tons of places. cheers.

 

Also echo Fort Point Market, next door to Trillium. If you're in Braintree, then there's a Craft Beer Cellar just down the road, they tend to have a very good selection and you can build your own 6 pack

 

Yep, Craft Beer Cellar is a no-brainer if you're staying in Braintree. Fat Cat in Quincy is a solid local option too. They have good comfort food(huge portions) and a good draft list. Just be warned that it's a small place that can get real crowded during dinner hours.

Castle Island Brewing opened up a few weeks ago and is definitely worth checking out. Its about a 20 min drive from Braintree if you hit the traffic right. They don't have a taproom yet, but they give out generous free samples and have 16oz 4 packs available. All 4 of their offerings to date have been awesome. There's a British Beer Company about a mile south of there that has a good, but not great draft list and decent food.

Plymouth is about a half hour away and has a handful of options that are worth checking out. Flynns Irish Pub has awesome burgers and 78 taps. I've heard good things about Speedwell Tavern and Nosh Tavern, but I haven't made my way out there yet.

The subway station in Braintree, The Red Line, can take you into Cambridge and Somerville. There's some really awesome spots in that area. Meadhall and Lord Hobo in Cambridge are two of the best beer bars in the city. Cambridge Brewing Company has great food and solid beer. Redbones in Somerville has about 25 taps and is one of the better BBQ joints around. The Painted Burro in Somerville is a trendy Mexican resturant with a solid draft list.

If you like BBQ and end up going to Tree House, BT's Smokehouse is a must stop on the way back. Best BBQ in the state. The added bonus is that it's BYOB, so you can crack open a Tree House can while you're devouring ribs.

Medusa Brewing in Hudson is also a worthwhile trip. They have some really good hoppy beers that you'd expect from the area, but they also aren't afraid to brew Belgian, German, and English styles too. They have a BYOF policy, so you're best bet would be to grab a flatbread at Rail Trail Flatbread Company(a block away) and walk over to the brewery. Really solid draft list at Rail Trail too. If you aren't stuffed by the end of that, there's a really good creamery, New City Microcreamery, across the street from Rail Trail.

 

Also if you are driving out to Treehouse Armsby Abbey in Worcester is a must stop. Best beer bar in the state by far and and you can try Hill Farmstead without driving to VT. Julios and Jack's Abbey are both pretty close to the highway as well.. Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge is right next to BT's and on the way to and from Treehouse as well.

 

Others have had good advice. I think it really comes down to if you have a car, and what kind of free time you have. Trips out to Tree House, and up to Portland are really a full day. Most of the others can be an afternoon - Julios for instance, and hit Jack's Abby on the way back. Or Worcester (Armsby Abbey, 3Cross and Wormtown) or the Boston group is an after work type of thing - Trillium, Night Shift, CBC, Sunset, Publick House, Harpoon... The Sam Adams tour is actually pretty cool if you don't have anything else to do.

 

treehouse on sat you can be back by around lunchtime if you don't wanna devote a whole day if you really want to. I've done it before. about the same drive as her, opposite direction. but a day is so much more fun, especially if it involves armsby abbey!

 

Add another ringing endorsement of Armsby and Wormtown. You're doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't check them out. All the rage at Wormtown is Be Hoppy and justifiably so, but you may hit it while Buddha's Juice and Hopulence (both great DIPAs) are on tab, along with Blizzard of '78 which is an awesome coffee brown ale.

While you're in Woo, you can check out Flying Dreams, too. I can't speak much on it as its just opened and I've never been, but btw armsby and Wormtown, you'll only be about 5 minutes from it.

Big advocate of the Portland trip, too. I get that all the buzz is about Treehouse, but driving round trip 3 hours or so from Boston for what could be about 6 or 8 total cans doesn't make a ton of sense with a limited trip duration. Make sure you check the limits for the day before you embark. Limits in ME are far higher and will make the drive worth your while.

Have fun!!

 

Please bear in mind weekday traffic around our beloved state when making your journeys, and allow plenty of extra time for it. You will find the WAZE app helpful for real time traffic advice and optional route finding.

 

If Portland is in the running i'd highly suggest it, small city easily accessible beer scene. See THIS thread for some ideas....