With the beginnings of the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston in the 1980s, some claim that New England is the birthplace of America’s craft beer movement. The good news is that many places in the United States are now brewing locally, reducing the negative environmental impact of transportation and, in the right hands, better beer and fun bars and beer gardens. Here are 10 of New England’s most beautiful places to visit.
Lawson’s Best Liquids – Waitsfield, Vermont
Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, Vermont — Photo courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Unquestionably one of America’s finest beer makers, this destination brewery in the Green Mountains began in nearby Little Warren and expanded with a new facility including a bar, beer garden and retail store.
An extensive menu including apps such as hummus, sandwiches and salads, mostly made from local ingredients, is offered alongside the rotating list of draft beers. These range from the flagship IPA Sip of Sunshine – a perfectly hopped, lemony and bitter brew – to the petite cuvée Triple Sunshine, a triple hopped IPA aged in tequila barrels.
Uniquely, the Warren site, which functions as a test kitchen, offers a three-bedroom Airbnb rental for long-distance enthusiasts.
Jack’s Abby Beer Hall & Kitchen – Framingham, MA
Jack’s Abby Beer Hall & Kitchen, Framingham, Massachusetts — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
About 20 miles west of downtown Boston, Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers is a specialty brewery that makes lagers and only lagers. Yet the recipes this family-owned brewery brings to the craft beer scene cover many bases, from the hoppy Hoponius Union, which combines citrus notes with a subtle bitterness of West Coast hops, to the malty amber lager. , Shipping Out of Boston (his name a play on Boston’s Dropkick Murphys song).
However, the expansive tavern and beer garden also serve beers from its other brewery, Springdale, an experimental test kitchen and barrel aging tavern next door, where IPAs, traditional European ales and fruity kettles are explored. And you won’t go hungry here; choose from a menu that includes succotash grilled salmon, thin crust pizzas, salads and great sandwiches like a succulent fried eggplant. Enjoy inside the cavernous industrial warehouse or the covered outdoor garden.
Liars Bench – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Liars Bench, Portsmouth, New Hampshire — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
Located on Islington Street, minutes from charming Portsmouth town centre, Bench of liars is a young brewery with an attitude. The indoor-outdoor tasting room has a cool industrial vibe for blue-collar workers, and beers such as Slurps Up or Love Duck, a complex American Pale Ale created from three varieties of hops and four different malts, are part of several exceptional beers on tap.
Pair it with great sandwiches like a roasted sweet potato grilled cheese with creamy spinach spread, or one of their intriguing hot dogs.
Night Brew Lovejoy Wharf Restaurant & Brewery – Boston, Massachusetts
Night Shift Brewing Lovejoy Wharf Restaurant & Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
Night brewing started in a small kitchen in Somerville, just north of downtown Boston. In 2012, Everett’s largest warehouse and tasting room opened on Boston’s North Shore, followed in 2019 by flagship Lovejoy Wharf Restaurant & Brewery near the Locks, overlooking the beautiful Zakim Bridge in the bustling West End from Boston.
This waterfront location features Night Shift’s seasonal and exclusive beers. There’s also Night Shift craft cider and Hoot hard seltzers, plus Detroit-style pizzas, super salads and sandwiches.
Hog River Brewing Co. – Hartford, Connecticut
Hog River Brewing Co., Hartford, Connecticut — Photo courtesy of the Connecticut Office of Tourism
Nestled in the bustling Parkville neighborhood of Connecticut’s capital, this craft brewery shop and taproom offers an ever-rotating list of its finely crafted beers, as well as guest taps of local hard ciders, as well as wines. All are enjoyed in the former Hartford Rubber Works building, where the nation’s first tires for automobiles and bicycles were made. Turn-of-the-century machinery is absorbed into the design aesthetic, adding a touch of local history, while looking cool.
Bad Martha Farmer’s Brewery – East Falmouth and Edgartown, Massachusetts
Bad Martha Farmer’s Brewery, East Falmouth & Edgartown, Massachusetts — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
The original Martha’s Vineyard locavore Brewery in Edgartown has expanded to a mainland location in the southwest corner of Cape Cod. Both have the same laid-back barn feel, with gorgeous wildflower beer gardens where live music and lawn games are played. Falmouth includes an Amish post-and-beam barn, which has a cozy loft lounge atop the bar and a plant-lined patio.
The food at each ranges from thin-crust pizzas to charcuterie, cheese, and vegetable platters. Draft beers are brewed at each site using ingredients sourced as locally as possible, including wild island vine leaves used in the mash, which sets the brand apart. From hard seltzers to sours, and from the original Vineyard Summer Ale to a selection of IPAs, there’s a beer for everyone.
Hermit Thrush Brewery – Brattleboro, Vermont
Hermit Thrush Brewery, Brattleboro, Vermont — Photo courtesy of Little Pond Digital
This specialty brewery in southern Vermont, Brattleboro creates new American sour beers using locally grown yeast, locally grown ingredients and traditional brewing processes. The dining room is located in a former Chrysler dealership, which informs the room with a certain 1950s American freshness.
Still, the 210-year-old reclaimed barn wood lining the walls clearly says “Vermont.” Just like the beers: Sweet and Sour Kettle Party Jam comes in different varieties, including a refreshing blackberry, and there are several wild beers, which are exposed to natural yeasts and bacteria (the good ones are ie) during the brewing process. Truly an exploration in brewing.
Lone Pine Brewing Company – Portland, Maine
Lone Pine Brewing Company, Portland, Maine — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
Located in Portland’s even trendier southern industrial area, teeming with craft startups and art studios, this small indoor-outdoor tasting room offers a taste of the vast, often experimental selection. (lonely pine has a second tasting room located in Gorham, Maine.) Food depends on food trucks that are parked outside that day or night. Being Portland, it’s a safe bet that the truck serves something worthy of these good beers.
In addition to the signature hopped Portland Pale Ale, fruity sour Raspberry Sparkler, and three different IPAs, Lone Pine has teamed up with Portland’s famed Holy Donut Bakery to create several different varieties. These include Holy Cannoli Ginger Glaze Imperial Stout made with fresh ginger and ginger glazed potato fritters from Holy Donuts, and the Blueberry Glaze Imperial Sour, which features blueberry glazed potato fritters, vanilla, lactose and blueberries.
Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling – Newport, Rhode Island
Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling, Newport, Rhode Island — Photo courtesy of Linda Laban
Just a short drive from historic downtown Newport, this bar and outdoor pavilion serves beer and spirits, including new editions and seasonal varieties. For non-beer drinkers, there are cocktails created from Thomas Tew rum (named after a notorious local pirate) and Sea Fog whisky.
Among the beers usually on tap, eclectic choices include Rhode Trip, a hazy, unfiltered New England IPA made with pale malt and oats, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a milky stout. The food is BYO.
Halyard Brewing Co. – South Burlington, Vermont
Halyard Brewing Co., South Burlington, Vermont — Photo courtesy of Halyard Brewing Co.
The delicious bar on the south side of Vermont’s hippest town isn’t your average brewery tasting room, but Halyard isn’t your average brewery. No traditional beer will be found here. Instead, Halyard brewers use organic and fair trade ingredients to brew naturally fermented, gluten-free ginger beers using recipes dating back to the 1750s. ended the production and sale of alcoholic ginger beer, which Halyard revived.
In the tasting room, beers are served neat or in cocktails. There’s the light, slightly lemony Volcano Juice, a ginger beer shandy brewed with organic lemons, and the crunchy Mountain-Aid, a black currant ginger beer. Try a Halyard Dark & Stormy made with your favorite Halyard and pair it with locally made dumplings.
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