Favorite local breweries and craft beers (Tewksbury, Sandwich: beachfront, golf, company)

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by lrfox

There have been years of talk about a brewery bubble and corrections, but very little has really changed (more breweries open than close). It's played out more like the restaurant industry where there's consistent turnover, but steady growth. But now it seems like there might actually be a bit of a shift. In the last several months, Turtle Swamp, Milk Room, and River Styx closed up shop. Night shift stopped brewing out of their flagship Everett location (they've shifted to mostly restaurants, beer gardens, and contract brewing). I think there may be one or two more closures that are slipping my mind. Bone Up Brewing just announced today that they're closing.

The "new" breweries are mostly extensions/expansions. Long Live Beerworks opened a Boston location this year. Tree House fully opened their Tewksbury Location and announced a Saratoga Springs location coming next year. Untold Brewing announced a 3rd spot, and Vitamin Sea Brewing announced a new location (as well as several pop-ups). And Remnant opened a second location in the previous Atwoods space in Cambridge.

Bone Up, Turtle Swamp, and River Styx were fairly notable breweries in MA. Bone Up was among my favorites, but they didn't brew the trendier beers (IPAs/sours). It seems like their closure is at least partially due to a landlord dispute. Turtle Swamp and River Styx weren't among my favorites. I know we're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but River Styx was actually my least favorite brewery in MA. Lovely people, nice space, but the beer was not even just OK to my palate. But other people loved them. And Turtle Swamp. And all three had been open for a while. So I don't think it's just a "they couldn't cut it" scenario. The market is clearly changing.

Bone Up's closure is 100% due to their landlord, unfortunately. They're doing well financially and their income has nothing to do with the future of the bar. They even fairly recently expanded and had plans (and money laid out) for further expansion. The landlord been making things particularly difficult for years, but it came to a head last year which is why part of the building is half built out. I've been a regular since they opened and am typically there with other regulars who are all lawyers, so we've been getting details about the situation. The landlord let them totally fix up the place and then was difficult on parking (not moving the landscaping vehicles that were supposed to be gone years ago) and even tried to limit their access to a bathroom recently.

I had been planning a few big events there, including a surprise wedding in lieu of an elopement so my partner's mom doesn't murder me. I can't imagine doing it anywhere else.

While Liz (one of the co-owners) told us to expect an announcement a few weeks ago, I'm still absolutely gutted. The people are great and the beer is interesting after tons of IPAs. Their barrel aged stuff is pretty remarkable. I've never had a bar that operated like "Cheers" for me and am pretty devastated to lose Bone Up. I suspect that the whole space will be knocked down for condos because I can't imagine who else would want to move into the space, and there is never anyone at the mob front restaurant in the other half of the building.

EDIT: Realized I wrote about Bone Up here back in 2019. At the time, they were just *starting* to come into their stride by not trying to cater to the IPA crowd. In the past 3-4 years, they got really good as they really moved into their barrel aged, funky wheelhouse. We drove out from Marlborough pretty frequently as that was the general friend meetup spot, and even considered moving to Everett specifically so we could be closer. Waltham was a happy medium, and I drive right on by places like Mighty Squirrel and Nightshift (which has gone downhill and lost its soul from what it was in the mid-late 2010s) to get to Bone Up. Even have to walk past Nightshift given the parking fiasco.

[lrfox]

^It sounds like you’re more of a regular than us, but we’ve been going since year one and are there every month or so. Jared and Liz are two of the most wonderful people in the business. We heard exactly what you heard, and I 100% believe it. When the CrossFit left, it seemed like Bone Up was the only possible solution to filling that space. It’ll probably be apartments/condos.

Regardless of the reason, it’s the worst craft beer loss I’ve personally felt in MA (Mystic now ranks #2). I loved their beer, and they continued to improve it. I have several bottles on the shelf, and I hope to grab a few more before they close. Some will age pretty well.

And I’ve had the same thought about that restaurant. It’s been open for 5-6 years (at least) and I’ve never seen more than 2-4 patrons. Even at 7pm on a Saturday.

[charolastra00]

We went to the restaurant once and were served half frozen entrees. The Restaurant Depot special. Never again. You'd think they would have some kind of partnership with Bone Up or even Nightshift or Short Path, and that they don't tells me all that I need to know.

When I met my partner, he lived in a complex up the street and we were probably some of the first customers when they soft launched. In the first year or so, we were there every weekend and I've probably spent half of my birthdays there with friends. We've been back and forth with frequency, particularly living so far away, but Liz always always always recognizes us and comes over to say hello and chat.

A dance studio went in to the Crossfit space and we had a nice chat last weekend with one of the moms who came over to have a flight while waiting for her daughter. She said that they were already looking for a new space given how the landlord treated Jared and Liz. We both eyed the building going up across the street that definitely doesn't have enough parking for the neighborhood and the writing is on the wall.

[G1..]

Over in Great Barrington Mass the Barrington Brew House has a whole stable of fine products that are all brewed by "solar power"!


https://www.barringtonbrewery.net/


Our handcrafted beers are brewed in our historic barns in a 7 barrel system | Fresh, unfiltered & no preservatives | Powered by the sun | Brewer's Taste - Four 5 oz Samples / $11

Updated on Oct 19, 10:29 AM EDT
SIGNATURE ALES
NAME STYLE ABV IBU
Berkshire Blond Blonde Ale 4.1% 8
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Light refreshing ale with a smooth finish


Hopland Pale Ale Pale Ale - American 5.2% 25
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Copper colored ale. Highly hopped with bold aroma & flavorful finish.


Ice Glen IPA IPA - English 5.4% 42
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English style India Pale Ale - Malt background with assertive hop flavor and aroma.


Barrington Brown Brown Ale - English 5.5% 23
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Northern English Brown Ale. Medium bodied with a smooth dry finish.


Black Bear Stout Stout - Other 5.5% 13
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Dry Irish Stout - Dark and creamy with a rich, roasted flavor

Displaying all 5 items
SEASONAL TAP LIST
NAME STYLE ABV IBU
ESB Bitter - Session 5.5% 28
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English Style Pale Ale - More pronounced malt with balanced hop. Despite having bitter in its name, ESB’s tend not to be bitter in character.


Hop Brook N.E. IPA IPA - New England 6.2%
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New England IPA with Citra & Amarillo hops. Juicy tropical hop flavor with a hazy appearance - perfectly refreshing.


Raspberry Wheat Wheat Beer - Hefeweizen 3.9% 8
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Bavarian Wheat Hefeweizen with a touch of raspberry


Oktoberfest Märzen 5.5% 16
Displaying all 4 items
CASK CONDITIONED
Finished in & served from a cask: cellar temperature, naturally carbonated (no additional carbon dioxide)

NAME STYLE ABV IBU
ESB Bitter - Session 5.5% 28
More Info â–¸
English Style Pale Ale - More pronounced malt with balanced hop. Despite having bitter in its name, ESB’s tend not to be bitter in character.

Displaying 1 item

[MtPleasantDream]

I’ve been to the Tewksbury branch of Treehouse once and it was packed.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by MtPleasantDream

I’ve been to the Tewksbury branch of Treehouse once and it was packed.

Ive been to the original and we tried to go to the one on the Cape in September but it didn't open until late afternoon.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

there is never anyone at the mob front restaurant in the other half of the building.

Originally Posted by lrfox

And I’ve had the same thought about that restaurant. It’s been open for 5-6 years (at least) and I’ve never seen more than 2-4 patrons. Even at 7pm on a Saturday.

It has 266 google reviews and one of them states "The place is always slammed".

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by redplum33

It has 266 google reviews and one of them states "The place is always slammed".

I noticed that, but am pretty suspicious of the reviews TBH. A few look like they were copy and pasted from somewhere else, mentioning different towns. There are only 291 Google review for Bone Up which is pretty consistently busy.

I was there for hours on Friday and the popup joint at Bone Up ran out of food in an hour. I heard some of the guys siting at the bar in Bone Up mention they had ran into the restaurant to order some takeout and changed their mind when there was no one eating on a Friday night. They ordered takeout pizza instead. Even when we lived up the street and passed by at least once or twice a day, there never seemed to be many people there.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by redplum33

It has 266 google reviews and one of them states "The place is always slammed".

That has never been my experience. Obviously I’m not there every day. But when we go, it’s what would be considered peak times for most restaurants. It’s almost always barren, save for a handful of people at the bar. I’m also skeptical of the legitimacy of the reviews.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by MtPleasantDream

I’ve been to the Tewksbury branch of Treehouse once and it was packed.

I’ve been to all 4 in MA, and I think Deerfield is my favorite to visit. It never seems totally packed, the pizza is great, and the outdoor space is nice. Tewksbury is gorgeous too, but it has been packed when we have visited. I like to grab a beef from Anthony’s across the street when we go.

Honestly, all of the Tree House locations are great. Sandwich is the smallest and has the most challenging parking situation, but it’s tough to beat the beachfront location and those views.