Visting Boston Area Breweries

Is it really that big? I had a good time there but i don't remember it being that many. Granted that was 2-3 years ago so many there have been updates?

 

No--see below.

Yes on Ipswich--no tours, now confirmed. No on the other three. Pretty Things does brew at BBB, but it's not the same company. Cisco has been independent, unless something happened in the last 6 months that I don't know about. Cisco brews and bottles on the island, but canning contract is Upstate NY. I had some Grey Lady in cans and find it not fully comparable to bottles. I could be wrong, of course. If you spot Cisco Island Reserve beers in bomber or 750s (memory hole on which), get some, as they are both pretty good and rare off the island.

There are several breweries in the Berkshires, actually, so if you're coming from Upstate, you can hit a few right after crossing into MA (Exits 1 through 4). Then it's pretty much wasteland until you hit Worcester.

Know nothing of bar scene. Been to a bar twice in the last 6 years--once in Salem, MA, and once in Hartford. But be forewarned that Boston bars tend to be expensive, even by NYC standards. I just picked up a 6-pack of Flower Power for $11 at a local store. Given that it's Ithaca, what's the point of having it at Foxboro for someone from NY State?

Note that distributors are different between MA and RI, so some local selection may differ and Pawtucket is closer to Foxboro than Boston. Some breweries in RI as well and it's a small state, but the stretches of highway can take a long time there. You may want to avoid Rt 1N and I-95N before 10am from Foxboro and Rt 1S and I-95S between I-90 and Foxboro between 3 and 6 pm. Rush hour is really bad on that stretch because of multiple lane drops and construction and it starts early in the day. Going in the other direction is not so bad. I-495 has a shorter rush hour although intersections with major roads can be really bad for a while.

Not sure about Trillium, but all the other stores/pubs/breweries are in the BA database. Harpoon's 43 taps at beer hall have been mentioned. The place itself is quite nice, although it may seem deserted when not full. The 43 taps is really an overkill as most serve the same dozen or so beers. Whatever they serve on tap is also at growler multitap at the register. Of these, RDR IPA and regular IPA are pretty standard and likable, but are widely available. UFO is a matter of taste and is also a local staple. The rest pretty much suck, except for the high-ABV specials, like Leviathan. Harpoon is an IPA brewery and they really haven't handled anything else particularly well. Even their bartenders agreed that BA ACBF special beer was pretty awful. But if you want a growler of Leviathan, this is the place to be. Of course, if you party in the city, driving back to Foxboro would be a problem (not advisable), although there is commuter rail (there is a Silver Line bus between Harpoon and South Station, where the Foxboro line originates, but once you get to Foxboro, it's a different problem).

Ah! Forgot about Slumbrew/Sommerville contracting with Ipswich/Mercury! Right, no tours. BBB is well out of the way in any case, so tours or no tours is a minor concern. Cisco is on the island, so you can forget about that.

Right.

I actually have no problem with that, given the variety of other options.

Julio's is generally positive, but can be hit-or-miss at different times of the year. Their prices have inched up over the past year, but they are happy to do mixed 6s and any 6 bottles (any size, any make, I believe) will get you a 15% discount. Singles (12 oz) have significant markup, but bombers and 750s and the odd singles that don't come in multipacks are a great deal that way (e.g., Belgians, if you can't find them at home). The problem with being known as having good selection is that they also get raided regularly, so the shelves can be quite empty. I've seen people from Ohio and Virginia shopping at Julio's and finding other things they can't get at home. And their prices on Jack's Abby is the lowest I've seen anywhere and the brewery is literally down the road. Last summer they had the largest selection of Mikkeler I've seen anywhere, but when I was there a couple of weeks ago they had almost nothing.

Of all the local brands, I'd say must-haves that you may not get elsewhere are NightShift, Mystic and Jack's Abby. I haven't seen Trillium in stores, but what I had at fests was pretty good. CBC, Clown Shoes, Pretty Things, etc., have some decent beers, but most of them are not worth carrying out of the state as you may have local ones that are as good or better (e.g., Flower Power). Unless you find something rare and special, not worth carrying out of state.

Much of the above is personal opinion. Others may disagree. In any case, I'll shut up now and go back to sleep.

 

D'oh! Forgot one more small thing. Although Ipswich was an early growler/craft distributor (before growlers were charged deposit!) and sells some very serviceable beer, I would also put it in "nor worth exporting" column... with one exception. If you want to applaud them for the effort, get some 5-Mile series bombers if you spot them--the idea of all ingredients being grown/made (except for the bottles, I believe) within 5 miles of the brewery is intriguing and is worth reinforcing. Jack's Abby also uses a lot of local ingredients, including their own barley supplier.

 

My mistake. I thought Cisco contracted out of BBB too. I do agree that their bottled stuff is of a higher quality than the cans, though I enjoy the cans as well. Second on the Island Reserves and the The Woods series as well. Both are really good finds to bring back.

 

This guide exists:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-boston-summer-13-edition.99268/

 

If you happen to make it to Harpoon, definitely stop at Trillium. The beer is pretty awesome.

 

Trillium still does not do tastings. I also found the people there pretty obnoxious.

 

The people who work there? Or the customers? I found the people who work there to be very considerate, honest, and good eggs.

They do not do tastings because they are not allowed by the city to do tastings yet. I am not sure of the holdup, but they are the first brewery to open in Boston in more than 20 years, so the permitting process is a maze.

 

the owners. when I was in there they were making fun of homebrewers who wanted to come in and talk about brewing - also making fun of people who dreamed of opening a brewery.

I had heard from someone else JC was pretty obnoxious as well, and my first experience 100% validated that.

(I don't work in the industry at all or have any ax to grind, they just rubbed me the wrong way)

 

Interesting...polar opposite experiences, and a small sample size.

 

I've only been to Trillium a few times, but I've had nothing but good experiences. I've never met JC personally, but have had several email exchanges with him and he's been nothing but professional and courteous. Always impressed by a brewer/brewery that will take time to interact with a customer especially considering how new Trillium is and how busy they probably are.

 

I used to live a mile from the Sam Adams brewery and have been many times for tours and open houses. I highly recommend it. They'll try to send you to Doyles when you get out, which I guess is a bit of a landmark. However, I would suggest that you skip it and try James's Gate or Canary Square. James's is a cozy place with a more rustic feel. Canary is far more trendy and has better food options imo.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/james-gate-jamaica-plain

http://www.canarysquare.com/beer

Couldn't find a good website for James's Gate, but my wife and I still go there after moving several miles away.

 

Never was able to get the Reserves or woods, been looking around for them. But I was on the tour last week and the brewer said 0% of non special beers are made on the island, not even the ones for local consumption.

 

Generally why I only drink Cisco beers at Cisco.

 

" VictorWisc" not a harpoon fan? Have you tried some of the 100 barrel series? I thought the leviathan imp. stout czenorbog was awesome this year. Yes they make a few ipa's, good if you like them. YRMV.

 

Leviathan is exceptional this year. I didn't say I was "not a Harpoon fan"--what I said is that beyond their IPAs , they generally suck (unless you happen to like UFO). Not quite the same thing. I've actually been a Harpoon fan for nearly two decades. But I've had some of their "experiements" at the brewery and can't say I was impressed. Glad to see Leviathan getting wider distribution though.

 

Munich Dark is fantastic

 

After a tour of Mystic Brewery on Saturday, just wanted to update this thread with a vote for making the trip to their site in Chelsea. They offer a generous tasting flight of all their tap beers, as well as a few bottle pours. (Full list is on their website.) The tap room is fun, the operators friendly and knowledgeable, beers are great, and the tour is a bargain. Held every Saturday at 1PM, a $6 fee gets you a really nice tulip glass, a tour of the facility, and a number of 2 oz. samples. (Alternately, if you don't make it in time for the 1PM Saturday tour, you can buy the glass alone for $6... or just go for the free samples, but to maintain adequate beer-related karma you should at least tip your server and/or buy a bottle or two to take home.)

It's pretty easy to get to the brewery from downtown Boston using the #111 bus, which runs every 10 minutes or so. Pick it up at the Haymarket Station and get off just after you cross the Tobin Bridge. Here's a map. Getting back into town is easiest via another stop. (If you're not familiar with Chelsea, best to have a smartphone with these directions, or print them out in advance.)

 

?? really