Three or Four Day Tour

Flying into Bradley is a billion times easier.

 

Jam packed but easy driving chunks, plenty of solid food on the way:

Salem for Notch ~> Privateer distillery in Ipswich ~> Sylvaticus and Barewolf in Amesbury ~> Novare Res in Portland

If you decide to go the HF route (check to see if they allow out of state IDs), you could always stay in Littleton NH near Schilling and cut the drive from Boston.

Remember to stop at Lost Nation for 750ml formats and food from HF to Burlington

Then you can also take 91S on your way back to go through the Northampton area. Potentially hitting Orange and Maynard moving East.

 

I imagine you're doing your diligence to sell your friends, but I don't think they're going to be as excited as you for this trip if you're much more of a beer geek than them. Something to consider.

 

Maybe this will teach them to take more of a role in planning next time! I don't want to come across as negative. I think you guys can put together a great trip. I can't see how you can go wrong with drinking great beer and having good food and enjoying good company.

 

How could I forget Von Trapp (for the Hospitality) and Jasper Hill (for the cheese)

I know you are also sold on the Boston Portland VT area, but if for some reason you can't find lodging, doing an NYC/Hudson trip could be just as rewarding.

 

Assuming you're flying into Logan, splitting time between Boston and Portland make sense. They're both walkable cities, most of the notable breweries are accessable via Uber/Lyft or public transit, and they're relatively close to each othrr. I'm with those above who recommend a pitstops in Salem or Portsmouth when traveling between.

If you're looking for Hill Farmstead without the 4+ hour drive, Armsby Abbey in Worcester usually has one or more of their beers on tap (assuming Armsby makes it through the pandemic). You'd pass by Worcester on the way from Boston to Tree House, so you could make a day of it, but it'd still require an hour drive (minimum) each way and a DD.

 

I don't understand why well known is an issue. There are numerous distilleries in New England. Most, if not all make a very fine product.

 

If I could only go one place for a beer/food tour it would be Portland every time.

 

yea, but I wouldn’t tell someone to go to a craft brewery if they were touring distilleries in Kentucky

 

There are also many distilleries right in Portland if that’s your thing. Maine Craft Distillers near Oxbow, Stroudwater right next to Bissell Bros, Liquid Riot and a few more..

 

Better suited for rum. Privateer with their Distiller’s Drawer releases are outstanding.

https://privateerrum.com/

 

As others have said, I would focus on one or two locales and enjoy yourself. Yes, there are tons of great breweries in MA, VT, ME, etc. but, IMO, you'll have more fun enjoying a few spots and great food vs. trying to Pokemon catch them all.

 

I am planning a similar trip, and plan to hit Boston, Burlington/Waterbury, and Portland.
The driving, while a concern, is entirely doable if you are early risers.
Get up, get in the car, get to the next destination by noonish, or 2 if you makes some stops.
If not early risers that does change things, but you only need one guy to be ready to drive, the others can crash in the car

 

Also relevant to the discussion is if you intend to try to bring home beer or are you just focusing on the experience of trying everything?

For me, there are two solid options ...

1. Fly into Bradley, make your way to Tree House and then head to VT. Make Waterbury or Burlington your home base or spend a couple nights in one and then a night in the other. Depending on cost, just fly out of Burlington home or head back to Bradley on last day. As beautiful as Tree House is, you are limited to 1 or 2 beers on site when they are under normal operation so if you aren’t looking to take beer away, this might not be the best option to try to fit in.

2. Fly into Boston (or Portland) and spend most of the time in Portland. It can easily fill several days of drinking enjoyment and is super easy to navigate. As mentioned, you can hit many places on your way North if you start in Boston.

I’ve had great times picking up friend from Chicago at Bradley and doing option 1 and I’ve had great times (admittedly driving from CT) and visiting brother-in-law and doing option 2. Can’t go wrong!

 

Between flying in from Washington and all the driving around you’ll be doing, 3-4 days is not enough time to see New England. I would suggest coming here for at least one week. However, if 3-4 days is your timeline, I would recommend spending most of that time in Portland. It checks so many boxes. Beer, spirts, amazing food!
Cheers!