Hi, I’m headed to Jiminy Peak this weekend and wondered if anyone knows of any good beer stores in the area. I know they have a John Harvard on site. Thnxs n advance.
Nothing really in the immediate area of JP, but one way or another, you’ll be passing some good shops on your way. Which way are you traveling? Or which other Berkshire’s towns are you going to be passing through? Great Barrington? Lee/Lenox? Dalton? I can direct you to the best stops if I know the route you plan on taking. There’s half a dozen or so places I would recommend, but you only need to hit maybe 2 of them to find everything, and it’ll depend on where your coming from. Cheers!
Looks like there are a couple of different routes you could take from Danbury to Jiminy Peak, all with only a 15 minute or so difference in time. If you head up the Taconic Parkway or Route 22 through NY, I can't help you there, and there's not anything in the parts of MA you'll be in. If you travel up Route 7 and pass through Great Barrington, I would suggest taking a stop at Plaza Package. Typically one of the best selections in the area, and the prices run from average to maybe a dollar or two higher than some other shops, but the choices make up for it. Further north, whether you're traveling up 7 the whole way, or going from Route 8 > Route 20 > Route 7, there's Spirited in Lenox. Great selection and the staff is friendly and helpful. If you stop here, be sure to ask what they have in the back, as they typically hold their "one 4-pack per customer" limited beers in the back cooler. Pontoosuc Package Store is right on Route 7 on the Lanesborough/Pittsfield line. They have a pretty solid selection if the other spots didn't pan out for you. There's a few other places in the area that are great shops, but would be more out of the way, and wouldn't be worth the detour if you can hit a couple of the ones I mentioned. Also, as far as food and bars go. The Forge in Lanesborough has fantastic wings and a pretty solid tap list, The Hangar Pub in Pittsfield has a killer tap list (with Amherst Brewing options always on tap) and great (boneless) wings and pub food, and Moe's Tavern in Lee is easily the best MA beer bar west of Boston not named Armsby Abbey. Hope this helps, and feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions. Cheers!
I was looking for some updated info as Im heading up to Jiminy in a few weeks. I was told about Kellys Package in....Dalton I think. Ive had some nice brew there. Also some liquor and cheeses. Huge props to Old Forge! Just adding to the list above.
If your stopping at Plaza Package, you can grab a beer and some grub at Barrington Brewery, just down the road. It’s a neat little hole in the hole brewery. Both of which are a stones throw from ski butternut too.
My original post from 2 years ago pretty much still holds up as written. But here's a bit of an update. Plaza's selection has moved to primarily 4 or 6-packs, and there's less of a large format selection. They also don't really have anything available for singles, so you can be stuck buying a pricey 4-pack if you want to try something specific. Some of the beer is a little old, but the amount of selection is still great. I'll add that Spirited in Lenox has gotten even better. Their selection and prices are the best in the county. They always seem to have the limited stuff (Bourbon County Variants/Great Notion drop/Rustic Brewing growlers/limited 3F lambic/etc.) and it's priced better than anywhere else. Also, the craft beer clientele isn't the same out here in the Berkshires, so plenty of sought after beer can be found here when it's long gone in other areas. The also have a great selection of wine/liquor is that's your thing, as well as cheeses and killer paninis for lunch/early dinner. Kelly's Package in Dalton is the best shop in the Dalton/Pittsfield area, and probably second best shop in the county next to Spirited.
