Mainers: What beers do you seek out when you are in MA?

I always look around for:
4 packs of Ten Fidy
21st Amendment
Jack's Abbey
Pretty Things
Port/Lost Abbey

 

The Bruery. Especially limited/special editions. Add "!" to suit.

Firestone Walker. Again, limited editions especially.

The really small/local super-micro breweries. Night Shift, Enlightenment, Mystic. Jack's Abbey would be in the same category.

Shelf beers: Port, Lost Abbey, BBC, Great Divide, Avery.

Often in MA around the holidays, so I'll run through all the seasonals in the store.

With so much better distro in Maine lately, a lot of the ones I used to buy (Founders, GI, Uinta, Green Flash, Lagunitas) are here now.

 

beerinmaine had a great list - very well done sir.

OP Craft Beer Cellar is a great place and the ladies there are fantastic - you also may want to check out Redstone in the Woburn area - it's right off 93/95 and the selection there is top notch (the guys there are really cool and have helped me out (a fellow north of Mass guy) more than a few times.) I try to stop there at least once a week on the way home from work. Amazing selection and they really put an emphasis on fresh beer, especially for the styles that demand it.

 

If you are coming down 95 South, check out Leary's in Newburyport. Great selection and right over the state line. Don't bother signing up for their beer mailing list...I've done it twice and still have not received any beer email.

 

for locals:
Jacks Abbey
Pretty Things
Night Shift
Mystic

for not local available in MA not in ME:
Pizza Port/Lost Abbey
Boulevard
Firestone Walker
Bruery
Hoppin Frog
Ballast Point
Troegs

Damn this list could keep going and going... Maine distribution leaves a lot to be desired. But hey, at least we dont live in New Hampshire !

 

I am also headed to Boston area on business this week. Which brews are "must pick ups" while there? I've read good things about Jack's Abbey.

 

Oskar Blues, mostly, and Mass locals that I can't get in Maine like Cambridge Brewing. Maine is getting some good CA beers lately, but hasn't caught up with my favorites from Colorado (GD, NB, OB, Odell).

Which MA local brews are worth picking up? I see so many when I visit but hesitate to buy bombers if I'm uncertain of the quality.

 

Pretty Things-everything
Port- hoppy stuff if fresh
Oskar Blues- ten fidy
Left Hand-milk stout
Great Divide- random, mostly yeti and variants

 

+1 for Night Shift.

 

I always bring some Mystic and Jack's Abbey back from MA, along with anything else that looks interesting. Brought a couple of Night Shifts back last time but haven't opened them yet.

 

Blue Lobster is worth the trip alone ! Just drank a 2L of Red Sky at Night today... Never been to Leary's but if your looking for a place to eat stop at the Alehouse in Amesbury (great draught/bottle list and decent food) and if your up for a longer trip... Redstones is a great bottle shop right off 95 but its probably an extra 20 minutes than the place in Newburyport.

 

Blue Lobster is gaining a lot of popularity in the area. I only live a few miles from them and frequent Community Pizza quite often. I thought $30.00 for a growler was a bit much.

 

As well it should...

That $30 is including glass which those growlers are not cheap. I enjoy the fact that they do 750ml's fills as well and the flagships run like $7 for an great pale like Gold Claw... considering Maine Beer is swinging 500ml bottles of MO for $6 a piece I think its pretty spot on prices. Heck the Imperial Amber at $19 for the hop monster it is was a steal in my mind. I was over at Earth Eagle and they were charging $8 just for the glass on the 32oz bottles...

 

The high price is due to BL being a small brewery, not a reflection of their "premium" product. So, basically it's $12.00 for a growler deposit? Overall I like their product and will continue to support them.

You should see the growler $20.00 will get you at Victory Brewing, it's something worth keeping.

BL is lucky to have Community Pizza there to support them, he has a lot of overhead being in that location and not serving food makes BL a simple watering hole. There was talk of them trying to work out a deal with Community Pizza to make appetizers for them and delivering through as hole in the adjoining wall.

This is just a hobby for the owner, his other business supports this hobby. I give him credit for doing what he loves.

 

I've met both the owner and head brewer there on a couple occasions and the beer coming out of those lines is nothing that "screams" hobby brewery.. I would take Gold Claw over Headwaters Pale any day, not to compare them to Victory, but you threw that name out there. Victory is a much larger scale and I know the growlers that Victory uses have the wide top chimney style... but BL a hobby brewery. Come on ! There is a lot of those in New Hampshire but I would say from the four beers I've tried from BL they are laying a new ground work for quality brewed New Hampshire beer. In fact its the first beer brewed in NH that has gotten me to make the trip from Portland... and 'Ive tried a lot of NH beer.

 

Please don't get me wrong, the term of hobby was used because Mike (owner) has a business that is his main source of income. The use of the word hobby was not to reflect poorly of his operation or product. But in essence even Mike referred to it as his "hobby". I met him prior to the opening of BL, we sat and talked beer for about an hour.

 

So is Blue Lobster just filling their own growlers? I know Maine has the dumb law that a brewery can only fill their own; didn't realize NH had the same deal...

 

Yes

 

I hate Maine's antiquated growler laws, wish it was like NY. With all the up and coming breweries it would be great if they had it changed like NY's craft beer exchange at gas stations.
http://craftbeerexchange.wordpress.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/dining/27growl.html?_r=0

 

I don't have much info at this point but people in Augusta are working to change growler laws currently.

 

Yes I know a lawyer friend who is currently trying to change the logistics behind this law and possibly allow growler fills through retail locations... wouldn't that be sweet !

 

Gotcha ! I guess I have a bit of stigma behind the word hobby being and artist myself... I agree that Mike is excited to do what he loves and Dave the brewer lives and breathes beer so I got a little defensive because they definately have a passion for what they do... Looking forward to great things coming out of that unassuming storefront

Damn the Red Sky at Night is very very tasty !
Ive been heading down there quite often... maybe we will run into each other sometime and knock a few back !

 

In addition to the above, I seek out Cascade in MA... But you are not a sour person, so stick to the others.

 

That was one of my favorite things about Oregon.

 

Have only had their stout (forget the name) and Stalkholm Syndrome Wheat IPA, but I was very impressed. Definitely the most promising of the newer breweries in the seacoast region.

And agreed, the only filling our own growler law is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. However, when you consider the markup many breweries charge for glass, you wonder if they even want the law changed.