I'll be heading out to Amherst and surrounding areas this weekend for a couple of UMass hockey games. The plan is to definitely stop in at Amherst Brewing and High Horse, but does anyone have any thoughts on Abandoned Building Brewery and/or Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton? Thanks
Abandoned Building was pretty good. A little malty for my taste but to each his own. the brewery is in a mill and occupies a funky space. Never been inside Fort Hill, but it looks impressive from the road. I live in Northampton and while I go to Amherst, I don't know it as well. A few thoughts for beer bars and package stores that are worth wandering around: Moan and Dove in Amherst is located across the street from a great mexican restaurant Mission Cantina Dirty Truth in Northampton has great food Sierra Grille in Northampton has great food as well Provisions in Northampton Coopers Corner in Florence Anything else I am missing folks?
I really, really dig High Horse, so enjoy that. You could head up to a Greenfield if you felt inclined to check out People's Pint for lunch or dinner. They've got some tasty option, and usually have some brewpub only draft offerings. My FAVORITE place in Northampton is easily The Foundry. They've got 7-8 taps, but consistently excellent beer- Madame Rose was on last week, and they've usually got something local, some cool imported stuff, and lately have been serving .5 and 1L offerings of something German. The flatbreads and sandwiches are delicious and cheap, their wurst plate is a fantastic bargain, and the owners and bartenders are very friendly and very knowledgeable. Pro tip- get a Fireinzi to go when you're done- it's a shot of espresso floated over a shot of whole milk. Awesome.
Another vote for the Foundry, Sally and Sonny work to provide the best. Mission Cantina and Moan and Dove are also so good. A personal favorite is the Peoples Pint in Greenfield, great food, good beers. Cheers
All great suggestions. If u have time-- the student prince in springfield is an unspoiled gem of a German restaurant /bar. Amazing interior wood paneled bar w classic steins of all sizes lining the walls. Excellent selection of German beers on tap like spaten optimator etc. an institution.
1. Amherst Brew Company. Try a flight and a HUGE pretzal. 2. High Horse. Again, try a flight there, and get the garlic fries. Thank me later. 3. Mcladdens in Northampton. About 100 beers on tap and you can find what is on tap at http://mcladdens.com/noho As for where to buy beer, Spirit Haus in Amherst has some pretty good selections as well.
Also in the Greenfield area, hit Five Eyed Fox in Turners Falls. Great beer bar with beautiful atmosphere. Element in Millers Falls (Mon, Tues, Thurs-Sat) or Lefty's (Sat afternoon) in Greenfield have tasting rooms if you have time or inclination. If you feel the urge to go slightly further up, Brattleboro VT is now a three-brewery town with the opening of Hermit Thrush, complementing the classic McNeill's pub, and the newish Whetstone Station (sometimes gets HF Edward as a guest tap there too). the new Easthampton both have potential to make very good stuff in time. Abandoned's IPAs were solid and they had a very nice stout when I stopped there.
I am curious too! Where did you end up going? My place was mentioned above, and I am curious if you went and how was your experience?
Sorry, just saw that there were further responses. After the game Friday, we headed downtown to the previously mentioned High Horse for a small bite to eat and a sampler. I knew from previous experience that their IPAs were good so ended up with a sampler of Lady K, Another Lover, Soleil D'Or, and Barrel-Aged Biz. All were great, especially liked the Soleil. Enjoyed a bowl of chowder while I was there as well. Saturday we kind of got off to a late start and hit a couple of stores before heading to Easthampton to check out Abandoned Building and Fort Hill. Abandoned was pretty solid but really enjoyed their Night Shade stout. Headed over to Fort Hill after that and took the tour and sampled their lagers. Another solid place especially for someone that normally does not go for lagers. Didn't really have anymore time because we wanted to watch the Pats, but headed to Amherst Brewing after the second hockey game. I definitely appreciate all the suggestions, just gives us more spots to try next time we are out there...maybe in the spring for a lacrosse game.
Based on the beers that I've had at some of the beer fests in Boston previously, High Horse was the one definite place that I wanted to check out. Definitely did not disappoint.
went to The Hermit Thrush on opening day. Nothing to write home about yet, but definitely has potential. On tap at Mount Snow, but I am not trying it at $8 a pint.
I too was there shortly after they opened, felt the same way. I curious how they are coming along. I saw they are going to start canning.
