Favorite local breweries and craft beers (Worcester, Burlington: bankrupt, live, store)

[western mass and love it]

Sloop Brewing in East Fishkill Ny is fantastic. Two Weeks notice in West Springfield. Back East in Bloomfield CT. Connecticut Valley Brewing in South Windsor. All great IMHO, but all definitely worth checking out v

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by tysmith95

I find that the new trend of NEIPA's are less hoppy and bitter compared to west coast IPA's, but super juicy.

Yeah, NEIPA style is not bitter hoppy at all like west coast. It is about the juice, and in the good ones, there is loads of subtly.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Well, Tree House is still king, though not at the levels they were two locations ago. Tough to scale up like that. And too many milk stouts, I'm not a big fan of the lactic trend.



Henry and Fran in West Boyslton does some interesting and good things, I've liked some of their stouts they've been doing recently.


Vanished Valley in Ludlow is solid as is Greater Good in Worcester. I was pleasantly surprised by Stellwagon Bay. Night Shift is better than they were 3-4 years ago, definite improvements.

Milk Stouts are our favorite. We specifically went out there yesterday because they had not one, but TWO milk stouts available for sale. So we got our 16 cans.

I wish they'd sell growlers. The previous time I was there they had several other milk stouts, one of which was my favorite ever.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by Brave Stranger

I like dark beer. And since it's winter I'll stick with the heavy stuff to fit the season. An old favorite of mine that's been around, but might be new to some people: Ipswitch Ale's, Oatmeal Stout. Another one I like is Magic Hat's Heart of Darkness...their take on a lighter oatmeal stout. Sadly Magic Hat has religated Heart of Darkness to a very limited run.

New England Brewing Company: Imperial Coffee Milk stout. This is a massive coffee flavored brew. One of my favorites.

Where do I get this?

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Where do I get this?

At NEBCO. They rarely distribute most of their beers. It's all taproom. Some stuff used to get limited distro, and some kegs get out. But not much.



If you go, definitely visit OEC which is near there (20 min?) and one of the most innovative brewers around.

[lrfox]

Count me in “Tree House is king” camp. I wanted to not like them. I stood in line like a dumbass for 45 minutes before getting some cans and getting in line for pours. I wasn’t annoyed. I then tried and loved everything I tried from them. I still hate the line and the pretense, but it’s the best. Sometimes things are worth the hype.

That said Night Shift wins for variety as far as I’m concerned. If you’re there, walk down the street and check out Bone Up. They’re small, relatively new (2 years), and they put out some really good stuff. Jared and Liz, the owners, are often behind the bar serving and helping people order. Very cool, and very unpretentious.

If you like IPAs, check out Mystic. Their core lineup is very good. The specials are hit and miss- I tried their new Boston Creme Stout yesterday and it was waaaaaayyyyy too sweet.

Lamplighter is good, but they’re the definition of Hipster. Still, Rabbit Rabbit is one of my favorite beers in the area. Also Hipster and relatively new is Remnant in Somerville, very small, but everything I’ve had is excellent. I still have to try Backlash in Boston but haven’t made it their yet.

Out of the city, I think Canned Heat in Fall River is a very good, almost brand new (opened in October) operation. Pretty good variety for the size of the brewery too. Medusa in Hudson does some really good stuff too and has a nice variety.

Trillium is very, very good. They’ve hit a few bumps recently with the pay issues, and the Fort Point restaurant is definitely a bit over priced for the food. But stick to the beer and you’re golden. I like the Canton taproom better than the new one in Boston.

EDIT TO ADD

I’ve got a bottle of Lawson’s Fayston Imperial Maple Stout in the fridge. I can’t wait to crack it open on Christmas. Try them out if you get to Vermont. Waitsfield taproom opened last month and it’s beautiful. Alchemist is famous for Heady and Focal, but their stouts are excellent too if you manage to get your hands on one. A trip to the Stowe/Mad River Valley is a must for a beer lover. Side trips to Burlington (Frost), and Hill Farmstead are worth it too.

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Where do I get this?

The Imperial is difficult to find these days. Like Timberline 742 said they have pulled back on their distribution. You can find Lefthand's nitro milk stout around town easily & they are solid brews.

[FCMA]

As usual, my slant towards W Mass. Brick and Feather in Turners Falls makes IPAs that rival Tree House, but no lines because it’s so far away from population centers. Hard to get because they don’t distribute to stores. Vanished Valley in Ludlow is also at the IPA level of Tree House and Trillium. Fort Hill keeps making better product each year and is the best bargain with six-packs typically maxing out at $10.99. Lefty’s has a nice range of styles. Honest Weight here in Castle Rock makes great saisons and pale ales. BLDG 8 makes a good more West-coasty IPA and has recently branched in to other styles. Jack’s Abby is my most frequent beer purchase originating from other half (not that Other Half, Brooklyn’s excellent destination brewery) of the state.

As a side note, the rise of cans as preferred packaging is very welcome. I was SO done with the $10+ bomber era. No longer feel quite so ripped off.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Milk Stouts are our favorite. We specifically went out there yesterday because they had not one, but TWO milk stouts available for sale. So we got our 16 cans.

I wish they'd sell growlers. The previous time I was there they had several other milk stouts, one of which was my favorite ever.

Well, of course they used to. I'm keeping mine for when they come back.

Originally Posted by lrfox

Trillium is very, very good. They’ve hit a few bumps recently with the pay issues, and the Fort Point restaurant is definitely a bit over priced for the food. But stick to the beer and you’re golden. I like the Canton taproom better than the new one in Boston.

EDIT TO ADD

I’ve got a bottle of Lawson’s Fayston Imperial Maple Stout in the fridge. I can’t wait to crack it open on Christmas. Try them out if you get to Vermont. Waitsfield taproom opened last month and it’s beautiful. Alchemist is famous for Heady and Focal, but their stouts are excellent too if you manage to get your hands on one. A trip to the Stowe/Mad River Valley is a must for a beer lover. Side trips to Burlington (Frost), and Hill Farmstead are worth it too.

Trillium has been slammed recently for some of their practices. I've gotten away from them, but mainly because their IPAs all seem very similar to me, the yeast they use doesn't work for me so well, and their price structure.


I've not been to the new Lawson's, but I have a vertical going (4 years so far) of the bourbon barrel aged maple stouts... so I hope they keep doing some bottles and not just the cans.


Personally, I skip Frost. They don't do it for me. Foam on the other hand does, though I generally try to coincide my trips with House of Fermentology releases.

Originally Posted by FCMA

As usual, my slant towards W Mass. Brick and Feather in Turners Falls makes IPAs that rival Tree House, but no lines because it’s so far away from population centers.

This I can't agree with at all. Last two times I've been there I left without even filling a growler after tastings. Better than Lefty's, but that is not saying much.


Side notes, Element in Miller Falls makes a very drinkable gluten free beer. Not my thing, but I keep a bottle around for people with that diet. BBC doesn't make anything special (stuff like steel rail is drinkable enough), but they have an excellent brewery tour.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by timberline742

This I can't agree with at all. Last two times I've been there I left without even filling a growler after tastings. Better than Lefty's, but that is not saying much.


Side notes, Element in Miller Falls makes a very drinkable gluten free beer. Not my thing, but I keep a bottle around for people with that diet. BBC doesn't make anything special (stuff like steel rail is drinkable enough), but they have an excellent brewery tour.

Specifically at Brick and Feather I was thinking of Throw Me the Idol and No Use for Smugglers. To my taste, those two are superb NE IPAs. The others I wouldn’t compare to Tree House.