My wife wants us to take a trip to visit her family in Gloucester, MA for the 4th of July and she has agreed to a stop in Vermont either on the beginning of the trip or on the way back from Gloucester. Don't worry, I've spent over an hour reading through many of the old threads regarding where to find HT and SOS so I think I know the drill. I know you guys are sick of these "Trip To VT" threads popping up every week, but I have a question that I didn't see an answer to in any of the old threads. My questions are in regards to the holiday demand. The 4th of July falls on a Saturday, so we'd probably be in VT late Thursday the 2nd, spend the night in Waterbury and head down to Gloucester Friday afternoon. The other option is to arrive in VT on Monday the 6th in the afternoon and stay until sometime Tuesday. Is one of these two options better than the other? I was just thinking that on the days leading up to the 4th that demand might be higher than normal and perhaps it would be better to do it on the Monday/Tuesday after the holiday. I'm obviously willing to wait in line a few hours either way, but I wasn't sure if one was better than the other. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
HF isn't open on Monday or Tuesday, and that's the only thing where demand reaaally matters (ie no wait vs 3 hr wait). Monday would be easier to get a full case of Heady but would mean taking home no Hill Farmstead or Lawson's soooo...I highly recommend the end of week trip.
I don't really have much to add to the VT aspect, other than the fact that I have seen a lot of posts about demand spiking on holiday weekends for HT and the like. However, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the area surrounding Gloucester, but if you have time, you should try and come down to Salem and hit up the taps at Gulu-Gulu/Naumkeag Ordinary/Flying Saucer - they're all right next to each other and between them there's probably 30+ great taps. Down by the waterfront (15 min walk), Finz, Sea Level, and Scratch Kitchen will usually have a few good options as well. EDIT: Forgot to add that there's also the option of running down to Night Shift and Trillium, if you have a few hours.
As much as I like the Vermont beers have got to say with the beers coming from Night Shift, Trillium, Treehouse and others in Mass I'd save myself some time and travel and hit them up. And also some good beers in southern NH at Stoneface, Garrison City and soon to be open Decidious. These are only my opinions after many years of chasing beer here in New England.
If you take the side trip to HF out of the picture, your second option will be more stress free. You will able to enjoy places like Prohibition Pig Brewery & Lost Nation without the overwhelming crowds. If you came before the 4th you would not only encounter an abundant supply of vistors, but you would also encounter locals ramping up for the holiday. Don't sell your beer options closer to Gloucester short, there is some damn fine beer being produced and served in that area.
Option one without a doubt. Drink some HF and maybe Lawsons in the local bars, pick up HT and head on to her family.
The one thing I would look out for, and considering that the Fourth is on a Saturday, nothing may be affected, but whether delivery schedules are thrown off by the holiday. They shouldn't be, but it's a consideration.
OK, I'll look into those. We were in Salem a few years back for Halloween and had a great time! Those are both high on the list. I also want to pick up some Jack's Abby while I am there. OK, I definitely want to hit those two places in addition to dinner at Hen Of The Wood. That's a good point that I hadn't thought about. If that's the case, I'll try and adjust accordingly. I'll keep an eye on the Healthy Living and Hunger Mountain websites when it gets closer to that week and see if they post any updates.
Last year Lawson's had a farmer's market that weekend (Saturday the 5th). Since Saturday is the 4th this year, not sure if they'll repeat.
Don't we usually know the Lawson's Farmer's Market schedule for the summer by now? Wondering if they are considering just doing ticketed releases from now on like the Anniversary. Any news yet @youbrewidrink ?
