Visiting Boston, brewery recommendations?

I've been there a bunch of times and did the nose-to-tail pig night once; definitely great food at Craigie. Tasting counter looks like a very unique dining experience that is hard to compare.

 

Night Shift is an AWESOME place to hang out with some great beer and always a selection

 

Cambridge Brewing Company is a must. Depending on how far afield you want to go, my other favorite breweries in the area (factoring quality of beer and the vibe/space) are (in no particular order) Trillium (to-go only downtown; samples in Canton), Night Shift, Aeronaut, Jack's Abby.

 

Try out Castle Island in Norwood - just opened, you can get in on the first week's worth of beer. Also it's pretty easy to get from Norwood to Canton, where the new Trillium brewery is.

 

Any info or feedback on Enlightenment Ales?

 

Sadly, Enlightenment doesnt really exist anymore. It was housed within (and run by one of the brewers from) Idle Hands. Idle Hands was forced to relocate due to casino construction, and they have been shut down for a while. The brewer who ran Enlightenment took the opportunity to move to Denmark and currently brews at a farmhosue brewery there.

Edit: I do think that you can still find some Enlightenment stuff at beer stores around town if you want to try it. The same goes for Idle Hands, plus they have brewed a few batches at Night Shift. And if this thread sticks around or gets resurrected in the future, Idle Hands' new location is slated to open in Spring 2016.

 

Idle Hands released a few beers to bottle shops this week: Charlton Rouge Flanders red, Check Raise stout and their BA imperial stout, Vigorish. And there's still a bunch of Enlightenment bottles around town. I've seen it at Liquor World in Porter Sq this week

 

@rhino88888888 is correct. We released some of our Enlightened Hands Society beers to stores this week since we no longer have a physical location to sell them ourselves including Vigorish (Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout) and Swarm (Honey Barleywine).

In addition, this year's release of Charlton Rouge (Flemish Red) went to stores too and was the last beer ever packaged at our old brewery. It's a blend of 18 and 24 month old barrels and marks the first time we were able to blend this beer and it has made a world of difference. We're really proud of this one but sadly it'll be a long, long time before we are able to release Charlton Rouge again since we'll need to re-establish the barrel program in the new location.

The beer that we have been brewing at Night Shift is an American Stout called Check Raise. We bottled some of that too and you should find that on the shelves around town as well as on draft. Our next beer to come out of Night Shift will be a double pale that we plan to split between the two fermenters we have over there and give each a different dry hopping regime... one will receive 100% American hops (Azacca, Citra, Palisades) and the other will be 100% German hops (Saphir, Mandarina Bavaria, Hull Melon). Look for this one around mid-January (draft only).

There are still some Enlightenment beers on the shelves including Brut (Biere de Champagne). Ben wanted to make sure that this beer in particular was available for the holidays/NYE.

 

You can easily find some of their bottles at any decent shop right now. A couple of the brett saisons, Brut and I even came across Cosmos for $7 at Port Point Market, which is a steal. All very solid stuff, one of the best breweries in MA.

 

I think Armsby Abbey is mandatory if you're driving from Boston to TH for beer. I would argue that Armsby has the best food in the state outside of Boston, and without a doubt the most well curated beer list you're going to find anywhere in MA.

 

Hey guys, I will also be traveling to Boston next month. It's my first time on the east coast! Much like the dude who posted up above I figured I should hit up some breweries and make the most out of my trip. Treehouse and Trillium are at the top of my list, but I realize Treehouse is a bit out of the way. The questions I have are about the weather and driving conditions lol. I have an interview at Harvard and I am just not sure how I will be able to keep warm in formal attire. Should I just buy a nice heavy coat to go over my suit? And I am used to driving around CA, so is there anything I should know about driving around in snowy weather? Will my rental car have chains on the wheels? Lastly, what is the best bottle shop in Boston for getting local stuff? So I don't have to travel to each individual brewery to get a taste of the brews of your state.

Sorry about all the non-beer related questions...haha. Thanks for any and all help!

 

Definitely get or borrow a coat or overcoat to go over the suit. It has been oddly mild during December, but if winter eventually comes, you will be pummeled. In Harvard Square you'll see people wearing all types of coats from light to tundra ready. No need to go overboard, but do bring a coat / scarf. As to driving, no chains on the cars. That's something you see near Lake Tahoe on I-80 but not here. If it is snowing, just give yourself a lot of braking distance. For beer ideas, lots of other threads. If go to Trillium, stop in Fort Point Market next door. Small place but a varied selection. If you'll be based in Harvard Sq look at Uber rides to Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont (town next door to Cambridge) or Fenway.

 

Pretty much gave me everything I needed! Thanks a ton! I'm really pumped for this trip now...and feel a little more prepared haha.

 

Don't know what part of California you're from, but if you don't have experience driving around in snowy weather, I wouldn't attempt it for the first time in your rental car as you're here for an interview, etc. Again, not sure if you have Uber out there, but you should check it out if you're coming here. It's an app where drivers who are experienced (theoretically anyway) driving around the city will pick you up somewhere and drop you off somewhere else for relatively cheap.

Also, if you're staying in the city and you're interviewing at Harvard and you're not planning on heading anywhere outside of Boston/Cambridge proper, you probably don't need a car. Public transit here is much maligned by locals, but it'll do a pretty good job of getting you anywhere you need to go (and its as easy as plugging it in Google Maps, selecting transit and letting it do its thing). If you do want to make a Tree House run, you could always rent a car for a day or pick up a ZipCar (again, don't know if that's out where you are or not) and rely on public transit, Uber, etc. to get around elsewhere.

Hopefully this winter will be nothing like last winter. That having been said, parking was nearly impossible last winter due to the amount of snow. It's certainly not fun, so if you can get away with not having a car, I'd recommend it.

Feel free to reach out to folks if you have any other questions ... for a bunch of Massholes, we're all pretty friendly on this board (unless we're shitting on a brewery).

 

If you're renting a car, get one with all-wheel drive. But unless you are planning to travel outside of the city, you don't need a car in Cambridge.

 

Third the idea that renting a car in Boston is a bad idea, snow or otherwise. Driving is the worst way to get around the city, especially if you don't know the area. You can get to Trillium, Cambridge Brewing, Night Shift, Mystic, Aeronaut, Slumbrew, Harpoon Beer Hall and many great beer bars easily via public transportation. The commuter rail can also take you out to Jacks Abby. If you go to Trillium then stop in at Row 34 and Fort Point Market as well.

 

This is all good advice and I agree, I just feel compelled to point out that Uber was founded and is currently headquartered in San Francisco. It's probably even more ubiquitous out there than it is around here.

 

Don't.

 

This. Plus the commuter rail (or bus) from Boston to Worcester will get you within walking distance of Armsby Abbey, Dive Bar and Wormtown.

 

I've been away from Boston for 6 months, but this was always my favorite view: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zzQVS-K1uIyE.k09Ek3nknCU0