->Manchester, NH->Dedham, MA->Manchester, VT

Castle Island in Norwood is worth the stop

 

Lord Hobo is off 95 in Woburn, if you're taking 93 down from NH. You could also swing by Gordon's in Waltham to hit a beer store instead. They've been getting Trillium deliveries, but no clue how long the bottles last in store.

 

I would try and hit Trillium and Castle Island. Then head over to the Yard House in Dedham for beers and food.

 

If you're willing to extend your drive by about 10 miles or so, take 93 all the way down from NH through Boston and stop at Night Shift.

 

If you take 93 out of Manchester and take 95 all the way to Dedham, you will pass a bunch of killer bottle shops within minutes of the exits.... Redstone in Andover Mass off 93, Redstone in Stoneham Mass at the 93/95 split...Gordons in Waltham off 95. I'm pretty sure you can pick up Night Shift, Trillium, Castle Island, and a bunch of other stuff at those stores, rather than the "all the eggs in one basket" brewery stop... IMO

 

You taking rte 3 to 495? If so CBC Westford is right off 495.

 

Redstone Stoneham is a great store off 95. Both RS and CBC will have Trillium, Castle Island, and many other MA distro beers.

 

Assuming the game ends around 3:00 and you can get out of there around 3:30, my itinerary would be to hit up Redstone (bottle shop) in Stoneham (probably get you there around 4:15), then plan to go down 93 through Boston instead of 95 head to Night Shift. They're busy on Saturdays, but that should put you there around 5:00; I think this is their post-afternoon crowd but pre-evening crowd lull, so it shouldn't be too crowded (@masterob8 would know better). That puts you toward dinner time, so you could do Trillium (bottles) / Row 34 (dinner with beer list) in Fort Point or head back to the Dedham / Trillium Canton area for dinner.

 

Hell to the yes on Castle Island. Their stuff is fantastic, and they just opened in December. I used to live in Norwood, and they're super easy to get to - right off of Route 1, basically behind a Petco.

You could certainly go to a bottle shop instead of trying for the breweries, as has been suggested... you'll get Castle Island's two flagships, Keeper and Candlepin. You'll probably also be able to get some Night Shift Bombers. If you're lucky there'll be NS cans, but they usually don't last very long... same with Wormtown's Be Hoppy. Trillium will be on shelves, and you may be able to get some of their regular hoppy stuff and definitely some of their non-hop offerings like Big Sprang and Free Rise.

I do think you're probably best off going to NS, CI and Trillium in Canton, though, as you'll get better selection. NS pretty much always has Santilli, Morph and Whirlpool available in cans, and likely will also have The 87 (DIPA) and Furst (a FANTASTIC Hefe) in cans. Trillium has much better selection at the brewery than you'll find on shelves, and Castle Island has a bunch of beers in their brewery that haven't really hit distro yet.

Incidentally, if you haven't had Night Shift's Whirlpool, do whatever you can to grab some when you're coming through. Pale ale/session IPA/APA/whatever you want to call it, it's an absurdly crushable and delicious can of goodness.

 

My buddy drove out to Trillium the other day only to find them closed until 4:00 PM, so check your hours.

 

Trying to route through Night Shift and Boston seems optimistic to me from a time perspective. Trillium and Castle Island make sense. There is a CBC in Nashua on the route as well as Westford. Yard House in Dedham is an option, but will be wicked crowded.

 

That is such a rookie move

 

I lived in West Roxbury for a few years and Blanchards on Lagrange is pretty close to the Dedham line and was always a great bottle shop. Haven't stepped foot in there in 5 years though...

 

Blanchards is pretty good. Five more min down Centre St brings you to Macys too.

 

So, bottle shops around Dedham (I just moved out of Norwood in December)... there's a couple of decent ones on Route 1A in Walpole - Walpole Wine and Spirits and Sam's Discount Liquors - both of which get Wormtown stuff. Walpole Wine & Spirits has a great staff.

Don't bother with any of the shops in Norwood.

Whole Foods in Dedham has a pretty nice beer selection, but probably not anything you can't get in VT (their best selling point is that they get Lunch every couple of weeks).

Further down Route 1 in Walpole is Palumbo Liquors, next to the Big Y. It's huge. Has OK selection - only place I've ever seen Sam Adams Utopias on the shelves.

I also used to go from Norwood to the CBC in Braintree... it'll take you 20 minutes or so to drive there, but should be worth the trip.

 

he is a rookie. Regular visit to Treehouse though, I admire his taste.