Hey all. My brother and I were fortunate enough to take a trip to New England last week to obtain some of the finest beers in the country. We were gone TH,FRI,SAT and SUN last week, and hit Treehouse, Trillium, Bissell, Allagash, and Foam over a 3 day span. Treehouse Brewing: This place is all that its cracked up to be. Amazing atmosphere. Even better beer. Before this, I was only able to get a few cans, so it was all kind of new for me. I was able to get 6 different cans, and in mass abundance. We got there on Thursday, at about 1:45PM. I think they had just opened before we got there. Parking was fine. There quite a few workers directing traffic, and they just pointed you where to go. Like at a sports stadium or whatever. They were also people in Razors that would take you up and down the hill, which was really nice. The line was past the turn, between the turn and the shed. It was a little busier than I expected, but not too bad. We got through the line in about 45 minutes, which was pretty amazing. You head in, there are about 10-15 people moving beer, on rolling tables. They case it up based on the full allotment, then adjust it if you do not want all the beer. We got our full allotments, and headed to the little gift area. This day, they had the Blue Willie glasses, so I picked up one of those, along with a black Teku, a bottle opener, and a few stickers. They all your standard fare there. Hats, t-shirts, hoodie, glass, etc. Then we headed out. A quick walk down the hill, and we headed right out. We went back the following day (Friday) and it was MADNESS. We got there at about 1:40PM, and the entrance to Treehouse was closed. So, we turned, and parked in the lot across the street (the pizza place), and waited to see what was going on. People were trying to cross the highway, and the cops at the entrance were losing their minds! People were not aloud to cross Route 20. So, we waited in the car for like 10 minutes, and saw that they were letting people in. So, we drive over to the entrance, and, of course, they again stop letting people in. So, we drove up and down the highway for about 15 minutes, trying to get lucky enough to get in. It was madness. Cars everywhere. People doing U-turns in the middle of the road. Honking. Yelling. It was madness. So, we finally get lucky enough, and get into the right turn in lane at the perfect time, and we get let into the parking lot. We again parked at the bottom of the hill, and walked up to get in line. It was mega cold. No sun. A breeze. It was bad. We waited in line for about 1hr 30min, and I was froze by the end. And I was dressed relatively warm to start. It was nuts. Then, we got our allotments, and headed out. We left with 2 cases of Treehouse beer a piece, which is astonishing to me. Trillium Brewing: We headed here before we went to Treehouse on Friday. We hit up the Canton location, as it was closer, and they do pours. We got there about 11:15AM, and it did look kind of busy, but that was deceiving. No issue parking, like going to the grocery store. We headed in, and they have the tap area, and the can/growler area completely separate. We got a few pours, and went and had a seat. There were about 30 people there. No lines. So, we just hung out, had about 5-6 beers (the Super Soak beers are AMAZING). Then, we went and grabbed cans. You can literally get like 10 cases of beer here if you wanted. We ended up getting 4 packs of everything they had, and got 2 cases of beer each. Didnt have to wait, just walked up, paid, and left. There was a food truck. Looked like some type of Mediterranean, but looked good. We didnt eat. Super chill place. People were cool. Not over crowded at all. Bissell Brothers: We headed up to Portland on Saturday morning for the SWISH release. Nice drive, Maine was a cool place. We got to the brewery at like 9:20AM, and there were about 100 people ahead of us. They have 2 lines. One in back and one in front. We were in the front line. Met some really cool people in line, and bullshitted with them until the place opened. There was a donut truck that had coffee and some fancy donuts. Again, we did not have any. After we left, there were 2-3 more food trucks (A lobster roll one, and a BBQ one for sure, maybe another). They opened promptly at 11:00AM, and the line moved very very quickly. We got our allotments, and were back on the road at 11:40AM. Very nice place. Great location and vibe. I wish we could have stayed for a but and had some food and brews. But, we didn't. We then headed to downtown Portland, and had lunch. We went to the Thirsty Pig, which was pretty good. Had some Substance on tap. Would probably recommend this. Menu was limited, but tasty. Allagash Brewing: As far as a brewery experience goes, this was 100% the best. Everything else was wait in a line, and get cans. This was tasting, tour, buy bottles, and have a few beers. It was a lot more wholesome than the rest of the breweries. We got there at 1:40PM, for our 2PM tour. It was very busy, and parking was limited. I think we lucked out, and got a nice spot. The taproom was very very busy, probably 200 people all around. Bar as super busy, but we were able to get a taste pour of their house beer. Then we waited around until the tour started. Tour was awesome, pretty standard tour. We saw their main brew house, where all of their non-sour beers are made. They also have 2 small pilot systems, to try recipes. Then, they have a brewing area that is 100% dedicated to sour beers. They have a huge barrel room where they age beers like Curieux, and other barrel aged beer. Then, they have a separate area for their sour program. Where a ton of beers barrel ferment. Very cool place. After the tour, we headed back to the bar area, got some bottles of beer, and headed out. I do have to say that Allagash has THE. BEST Belgian beers outside of Belgium (yes, I have been to Belgium). They do it amazingly well. If you like Belgian beers, it is worth the time. We stopped in to Foundation brewing (right across the street), and didnt stay, as it was PACKED. So, after this we headed to Vermont! Driving to Vermont SUCKED. It was super dark, and mega boring. But, it was all good I guess. We got to Burlington at about 7PM, checked into our hotel, and got an Uber to downtown. We headed to foam, which was busy, but not too nuts. Their beers are amazing, and it is a really cool place. There was a really awesome band that started as we arrived, and we chilled and listened to the band for about 30 minutes. We got hungry so we headed down the street a bit for food. We ended up at the Skinny Pankcake, and had some Poutine, Crepes, and a few cans of Focal Banger. They also had a folk band playing, and the food was awesome! Highly recommend! We were about out of gas, so we headed back to the hotel after this. But Burlington seemed amazing. We just didn't have enough time there. That was about all my dudes. It was amazing. I would be happy to answer questions about anything. I did a lot a research before I went, and it worked out well. If you are planning a trip to any of these places, I can give some tips and pointers. Let me know!!
Yeah, only went to Foam. Didn't have time to really head anywhere else. Got in late. And we had been doing 18 hour days of constant movement, so we were a little our of steam. Wanted to make it to a few more places, but we didnt. Maybe next time. Foundation looked great, but we were done with crowds. I hate the asshole to elbow situations that are just free for alls. And this place was nuts. So, we said fuck it, and took off.
I guess it's a thing to drive every where for beer? Hmmm. Interesting. I'm kind of spoiled here in the Boston, MA area. Portland is such a great beer and food place. Vacation near there every summer. Barreled souls, Rising Tide, Oxbow, Liquid Riot, so much, so good up there.
Yep, probably should have. But there are only so many hours in a day. This is so funny. Literally EVERY person we talked to along the way was like "Oh, hey. You should go to [INSERT BREWERY HERE]. It is really awesome too." I probably got like 25 suggestions along the way.
That is a pretty insane amount of miles to cover and lines to stand in for 3-4 days. Sounds like you had fun and got some great beer. If you come back you should consider spending some more time in Portland or Burlington which are both fun towns and great for food and beer. Boston ain't too shabby either.
I totally agree. My buddy and I hit 9 and 12 breweries, respectively, on overnight trips to Burlington and Portland. Both times left 7:30am Friday from Central CT. Back at 7pm on Saturday. If you want a list, I will post. Go to either place and stay, cut down the drive time, enjoy more beers. Nevertheless, a solid trip and a great description of OPs observations.
The Portland to Burlington drive is bizarre to say the least — and Missing Hill Farmstead after coming so close is your primary faux pas to me...like driving all over Saudi Arabia but forgetting to go to Mecca....
Sounds like a great trip. Frankly though you could spend an entire weekend in Portland/Portsmouth and then a weekend in Burlington and still miss a ton of great stuff. Make sure that Hill is on your list the next time you come back to. A trip I like to do is drive up to Hill Farmstead from CT, then go accross VT to The Alchemist and then into Burlington for the night.
Yeah. Hill Farmstead was originally on the list, but we decided to go to Maine. I too, feel like it was blasphemy... Yeah, in the future, we will probably go to Portland and Burlington. They both seem amazing. The travel was nuts. Got up at 5am most days. We kind of slept in one morning, not really though. Most days it was up at 4:30am, and done around 11pm or so. Was a lot of work, but yes, a ton of great beer!
Definitely plan to head back. Maybe with our wives next time. Seems like a lot of fun up there. I LOVE Boston. I was there a few years ago, before I got into beer. Went to Sam Adams, didnt go to Trillium. Newb mistake!
It's too bad you drove from Portland to Burlington at night. The trip through the white mountains is some of the best scenery in New England.
I KNOW! It was a little upsetting to miss the beautiful drive in Vermont. But, I did get to see some nice view the following morning when we left. Drive along Lake George. Beautiful views, beautiful homes. Very nice drive.
