Massachusetts Beercation Suggestions

Massachusetts is booming with craft breweries throughout the state and the list keeps growing and growing. Some of the top sought after beers in the country are coming from Tree House Brewing Co. and Trillium Brewing Co. who reside in the New England state. Each time we travel to Massachusetts to visit my mother, we get to explore these beautiful beer destinations. As a visitor, it’s quite hard – nearly impossible – to hit every brewery all in one trip. After all, it’s a beercation which is meant to be a relaxed and enjoyable vacation focusing on exploring new beers or savoring classic favorites. We’ve put together this list of things to do during your Massachusetts beercation that we think you’ll love. But do make it your own and configure your trip any way you like. There’s a link at the bottom to more breweries that might interest you. Cheers!

WORCESTER

Armsby Abbey

144 Main St, Worcester, MA 01608

This should be one of your top Must Visit places in Massachusetts for the serious beer drinkers. Folks rave about their food. Then rave about their beer list even more. 3-4 dedicated taps for Hill Farmstead along with selections from surrounding states, local breweries (ie. Trillium) and beyond. Crazy good offerings of Belgian and Farmhouse Ales.

We love that the owners and chefs are dedicated to sourcing their ingredients locally and changing up their menu frequently to incorporate seasonal harvests. I could definitely see someone starting here for lunch, exploring beers throughout the afternoon and then staying to enjoy dinner. Or do it our style and just graze all day with small plates and cheeses.

The Dive Bar

34 Green St, Worcester, MA 01604

Same owners as Armsby Abbey. It’s an ultra laid back environment – a hangout type of place. But don’t expect dive bar beers. Nope. It’s a small but well curated list of some of the best craft breweries. Sweet! Large outdoor patio and live music are a plus as well.

PRO-TIP: Dive Bar accepts CASH ONLY. There is an ATM inside if you’re short on bills in your wallet.

Wormtown Brewery

72 Shrewsbury St #4, Worcester, MA 01604

While you’re in Worcester, swing by Wormstown Brewery. You can expect a wide range of classic styles that are very approachable and a few hoppier options as well. Definitely try Be Hoppy IPA if you’re a Hop Head. Nice outdoor space for warmer weather months. Grab a pint or explore a flight and relax in their casual, comfy taproom.

CANTON/BRAINTREE

Trillium Brewing Co. (Canton)

110 Shawmut Rd, Canton, MA 02021

Trillium is crafting some lovely NEIPA Juice Bombs. Their’s are among our most favorite citrusy, low bitterness IPAs, DIPAs and Pale Ales. Their saisons, wild ales and stouts are top notch, too. You really can’t go wrong with anything on their tap list. The Permutation Series is magnificent. Just down right ridiculous good.

The Canton location is our go-to when it comes to snagging those Trillium beers. Plan to spend a good amount of time here tasting and tasting and tasting on your Massachusetts beercation. Don’t forget to snag some cans to go so you can continue enjoying your trip, long after you’ve gotten home!

There are two places to order from: The Taproom Bar (front area) and the To Go Counter (back area) which are at opposite ends of the taproom. At both, you can see into the brewery. Oh, those beautiful, stainless steel fermentation tanks and wooden barrels.

PRO-TIP: We highly advise visiting Trillium Canton during the week days. Saturday is usually packed depending on what is being released.

Widowmaker Brewing

220 Wood Rd, Braintree, MA 02184

Another brewery making a name for themselves in the NEIPA and Milkshake IPA category is Widowmaker Brewing. That’s not to say they’re not producing some pretty solid dark beers and sours. That makes a visit to their taproom a win when there’s a wide variety of beer style tastes in your group. Something for everyone.

They offer a variety of draft sizes (full pours, half pours and flights) so you can drink responsibly and figure out what are your favs. Then snag some crowlers or 4 packs to go.

FRAMINGHAM

Jack’s Abbey Brewing

100 Clinton St, Framingham, MA 01702

Lager perfection! Seriously. It’ll make you think again about dissin’ the lager beer style. 24 brews on tap. TWENTY. FOUR.

And, their taproom experience is spot on. Really well done. It’s huge. Plenty of seating in the casual but classy tasting room/dining space. Tons of options in the gift shop – apparel, glassware, bottles of beer, etc.. The food is fantastic – wood fired pizza, braised pork shank, mac ‘n’ cheese, meatballs – hungry now, aren’t you? The wild mushroom pizza was the best we ever had. Full of garlic goodness. Quite tasty.

The Springdale Barrel Room by Jack’s Abbey

102 Clinton St, Framingham, MA 01702

Attached to Jack’s Abbey but accessible from a separate entrance, Springdale is the flip side to lagers. It’s all about the ales. They have thousands of oak barrels filled with beer to be blended. Think wild ales, sour ales, IPAs, golden ales, stouts and more. “We are spending our waking moments playing with new yeast cultures, filling new barrels and testing out new blends.”

Exhibit A Brewing Co.

81 Morton St, Framingham, MA 01702

One of the new kids on the block, Exhibit A, is bringing their A-game with NE-style IPAs but they also have solid porters and stouts. Cans available to go. Make sure you try Cat’s Meow if it’s on tap. Juicy! And, if you’re more into West Coast style, then Hair Raiser IPA is for you.

PRO-TIP: Exhibit A has a tiny taproom and no kitchen, for now. You should eat at Jack’s Abbey first then head here. But don’t let it’s tiny space deter you. This is a ‘must stop’ if you love IPAs.

CAMBRIDGE/SOMERVILLE/EVERETT

Cambridge Brewing Co.

1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139

Need a break from those hoppy IPAs that seem to be everywhere during your Massachusetts beercation? Crave something a little more classic? Definitely give Cambridge Brewing Co. a visit. Stouts, amber ales and pale ales abound in this brewpub.

We tend to like the brews coming out of their bottling project. These tend to take classic styles and infuse them with a twist in ingredients.

Cambridge Brewing Co. is in a beautifully restored old mill. Lots of exposed, vintage brick. And, there’s an outdoor beer garden space to enjoy your beers on (weather-permitting). This will be a good place to also get a bite to eat. They have lunch, brunch and dinner menus with items made from fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Aeronaut Brewing Co.

14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA 02143

Funky, artsy and just plain fun brewery. Some really great hoppy pale ales, IPAs and DIPAs coming from these beer scientists. We were hooked with the piney, resinous Year with Dr. Nandu IPA and have sought their beers ever since. Hop, Hop and Away is a must drink! Completely crushable, low bitterness and juicy india session ale.

Would recommend visiting an evening during your beercation as they often have musicians and various events scheduled.

Lots to explore here including the Hub connected to the taproom. It’s a space with a farmers market feel where food and non-alcoholic beverages can be purchased from partner vendors.

Night Shift Brewing Co.

87 Santilli Hwy, Everett, MA 02149

Whirlpool and Morph are two of our go-tos when it comes to Night Shift beer. What’s neat about Morph is that it’s slightly different every time you taste it. In the taproom, each numbered batch uses a unique combination of hops – hops experimentation at its finest! While batch #47 uses Columbus, Citra and Topaz, batch #48 includes Columbus, El Dorado, Rakau and Wakatu, for instance.

We love that flights, small pours (aka tasters) and full pours are all a thing here at Night Shift. When hopping from brewery to brewery during your Massachusetts beercation, you want to pace yourself! They do have cans and bottles to go which is nice as well.

While food trucks are scheduled for almost every day of the week and other small snacks are available for purchase at the bar, you can also bring your own food in to enjoy.

PRO-TIP: Parking is limited. Definitely heed these instructions… “Please park either in our private lot to the left of our building, or along the street (except on street-cleaning days – heed the signs!). Please DO NOT park in the large, dirt lot to the right of our building – this is a privately owned lot (not ours) and you WILL get towed if you’re there long enough. Thanks, Night Shift Brewing Co.!”

WOBURN/STONEHAM

Lord Hobo Brewing Co.

5 Draper St, Woburn, MA 01801

Another brewery in Massachusetts making great hoppy beers that you’ll want to make a quick stop at. Don’t expect bells and whistles with the brewery experience. It’s small and is takeout only (growler fills and cans). But they do offer samples so you know what you’d like to take home with you from your Massachusetts beercation. I love their beer names: Boom Sauce, Consolation Prize, Hobo Life, Glorious and Steal This Can. Humorous and sassy!

Red Stone Liquors (Stoneham)

115 Main St, Stoneham, MA 02180

A nice little bottle shop for craft beer lovers. They get some interesting stuff from Massachusetts breweries and other harder to find selections throughout the country. We picked up several bottles from the Almanac Farm to Barrel series which aren’t available in our area of Pennsylvania. There’s also a Red Stone Liquors in Andover, MA, if you find yourself in that location throughout your MA beercation. Checkout Red Stone Liquor’s website for what’s available or on their individual location Facebook pages. They often announce “this just in” arrivals.

CHARLTON

Tree House Brewing Co.

129 Sturbridge Rd., Charlton, MA

Some of the best NEIPAs and Double NEIPAs are coming from Tree House Brewing Co. Some are more dank like traditional version 1.0 NEIPA. While others are more the new breed of NEIPA beautiful juiciness. Julius, Alter Ego, Haze and Green are all magnificent and in high demand. They are very hard to get since availability is extremely limited even though they opened up a huge new facility in Charlton, MA in 2017.

The new Tree House digs has the capacity to crank out 240 barrels of beer a day. Sweet! They have done a lot over the past year to improve the experience for their daily visitors including reducing “wait in line” duration, if any line at all. They’re pumping out more cans than ever before and they now have guaranteed onsite draft pours on Saturdays. NO GROWLER FILLS, though.

Be sure to check out all the release details, retail sales days/times, purchase limits and stay in the know with real-time updates from the brewery:

OTHER VISITING PERKS:

huge pavilion outside with plenty of space to enjoy your beer purchases.

picnic tables and lots of standing room

large parking lot

merch for sale

food trucks on occasion

kid-friendly

dog-friendly

BOSTON (FORT POINT AREA)

Trillium Brewing Co. (Fort Point Restaurant & Brewery)

50 Thomson Pl., Boston, MA 02210

Just opened in Fall 2018, you’ll be wowed by Trillium’s three story building that has not only a brewery but now, finally, a restaurant. The menu features modern New England farmhouse-inspired food. Be sure to check out the bone-in ribeye steak, crispy fried chicken thigh sandwich, braised pork and beef bolognese, caramelized onion dip with kettle chips, poutine fries and the many other mouthwatering options. We dare you not to drool reading the menu!

The space is super spacious with a first floor that houses a large taproom and the second floor is more of a dining area. Weather permitting, be sure to check out the outdoor patio and third floor roof terrace.

PRO-TIP: If you’re driving into Boston and starting at Trillium, do “all day” parking for $25 at 321 Congress St. You can easily make a day of exploring this area of town. Plus, you’ll want to have coolers of ice in your vehicle to keep your unfiltered purchases at Trillium nice and cold.

Row 34 Restaurant

383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

Right next door to Trillium is Row 34 Seafood & raw bar. Lots to choose from: fresh caught seafood, small plates, burgers, sandwiches, light fare, ceviche, etc. The service is great here and super quick. Prices are reasonable. And, they also have a brilliantly crafted beer menu. Some friends of ours just recently visited and also raved about the seafood and ceviche – so much so they went there for both lunch and dinner!

Fort Point Market (Bottleshop)

Atlantic Ave & High St, Boston, MA 02110

More than just a fresh produce and organic food market, this place is also quite the beer store. Expect rare find beers and those sought after whales along with the easily accessible brands/varieties.

PRO TIP: Search the bottom shelves and hang out near the front door for fresh beer drops in limited quantities. The fresh beer disappears quickly.

Craft Beer Cellar (Fort Point)

34 Farnsworth St, Boston, MA 02210

Always a well curated line up of craft beer. What’s nice is they post on their website the new beers that came in and what’s currently best sellers.

PRO TIP: Although it’s just a quick walk from Trillium, be sure to bring something to carry all those beers you will inevitably buy. We suggest luggage with wheels then preemptively fill with lots of bubble wrap to protect your liquid investment. (wink)

Trillium Beer Garden (Rose Kennedy Greenway Park)

Corner of Atlantic Avenue & High St, Boston, MA 02210

A short 10 minute walk from Trillium’s Fort Point location, the beer garden in the Wharf District Park (aka The Greenway) is open all summer long. Expect Trillium drafts only and a few select wines for on-site consumption only. No growler or crowler fills.

PRO-TIPS: If you’re hitting up the beer garden for happy hour on a Wednesday through Friday, we recommend arriving around 3:30pm before it opens at 4pm as a line could form to get in. Word is spreading that this is a hot spot for good beer, so it gets quite busy. Note that you can bring your own food. Oh! And it’s dog friendly.

James Hook & Co. Seafood

15 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210

Fresh caught/live Maine lobsters, New England clam chowder, lobster rolls, and more for enjoying lunch in their restaurant or for takeout. You should totally get some grub to-go and bring along to the Trillium beer garden to enjoy while you sip those crazy good beers during the summer months.

MORE BEER GARDENS & POPUPS

Trillium got the ball rolling. And now there seems to be new beer garden and pop-up beer event announcements in our MA beercation news feed almost constantly. Night Shift, Aeronaut, Tree House, and others are getting in on the trend. While we can’t possibly keep up with all the beer gardens, our friends at MassBrewBros.com has created a sweet map to keep you informed.

MASSACHUSETTS BREWERY MAP

With 200 breweries in the state and more in planning, it’s hard to keep up with all of them. There is always something new to explore and experience during your beercation.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Beercations aren’t just about brewery visits. Take advantage of special beer-centric events that happen during the time of year you schedule your Massachusetts beercation. Here are just a few ideas you might want to check out: