One of the more easy stages of wedding planning for us was figuring out where to go on our honeymoon. It honestly felt like a no-brainer to go to New England – the honeymoon should be all about celebrating (and relaxing) as a couple and there is nothing that was as “us” as visiting one of the most iconic craft beer locations in the United States. Turns out, it was an excellent choice and we loved every minute of it. New England is such a unique part of the country – in landscape, in people, in beer, everything!
Once we got back, the most popular question we have gotten from friends has been, “What was your favorite brewery from the trip?” and we both have no hesitation answering – for both of us it is easily Tree House Brewing Company in Charlton, MA. However, once we say Tree House, that is all we end up talking about because let’s face it – there is so much to talk about with Tree House. We unfortunately don’t really get to talk about how great the other breweries we visited are, and we even get wrapped up in just talking about Tree House.
As a result, we sat down together and came up with a list of our Top 5 Honeymoon breweries that we both agreed on (other than Tree House). Honestly though, over 30 breweries in a week, we didn’t visit a bad brewery or have a bad beer, so this was tough to come up with.
Bissell Brothers Brewing Company
As far as expectations went, Bissell Brothers was about what we expected: incredible. The taproom was spacious with an industrial covered in street art feel. This was one of the few places that had a beer line roped off to keep the line from getting wild and getting in the way of other patrons. They also had more beertenders working the bar at once than we’ve ever seen before, there were maybe 8-12 beers available doubled up on taps but there were 6 people pouring and taking orders. But forget about the taproom, the beer is absolutely incredible here. This was one of the few places we visited that was packed, which we are not a fan of being in really busy taprooms, and we didn’t care because the beer was so good. There are many incredible breweries in the city of Portland but if you find yourself there with only enough time to visit one, it’s this one. Without a doubt.
Foam Brewers
To end our night in Vermont, we headed over to Foam for a little nightcap. We planned for this to be our last stop – as other breweries in the Vermont area tend to close a little earlier than what we are used to here in Minnesota and Foam was one of the exceptions in Vermont. As soon as we pulled up, we could tell this place was a hit with the locals. There were tons of groups out on the front patio part of the brewery enjoying the crisp early fall night. The entrance to the taproom was gorgeous in itself, as we were greeted by a vine-covered archway all lit up and that vibe continued into the inside of the taproom. A jazz band was playing inside which really set the mood for the stop – it was later at night, it was our last stop for the night and we were ready to relax a little. The taproom is also right on the Burlington Bay, which makes for great views, especially while out on the patio. The beer here was phenomenal and exceeded our expectations. As a couple of history nerds, we also loved the old style of the building Foam is located in. I would highly recommend Foam if you are in the area, not only for the great beers but for the excellent taproom and late hours as well.
Hill Farmstead Brewery
By far the most scenic drive for any brewery we’ve ever visited goes to Hill Farmstead. Set a few miles out of Greensboro, VT you’ll have a gorgeous view no matter the season driving through the mountains of Vermont to check out one of the most sought after breweries in the country. This is one of the places in New England where you’ll stand in a pretty lengthy line to get your beer poured out for you, but it’s worth it. If you order one of the bottles to be poured they will set the glasses in front of you so you can watch it be poured, and video it if you so choose to. The one downside is there’s very minimal seating inside but the view outside definitely makes up for it. You have a gorgeous view looking down the mountain and there’s plenty of barrels throughout the lawn to use as tables. Pro tip: download your routes ahead of time so you know where to go when you’re leaving, or you could end up like us driving to the next town hoping for reception.
Maine Beer Company
Maine Brewing Company was one of the breweries that we’ve ever visited – not just during our honeymoon – that made us go, “WOW” as soon as we walked inside the taproom. Where do I even begin? The space is so open and large, and the design style of the taproom overall was so minimalistic but in a beautiful way. There is even a large fountain with a tree in the middle of the taproom. The staff working behind the bar during our stop were so helpful too. We knew as soon as we got into Maine that we NEEDED to get a Maine lobster roll, so we ordered our beers and asked the person serving us where we should go in the area for a good lobster roll, and he directed us to a great seafood spot that was nearby. As a bonus, he said the seafood spot that he recommended was BYOB so we bought a bottle of one of their most popular Pale Ales, Peeper to-go and took it with us to drink while we enjoyed our first lobster rolls of Maine. Admittedly, we did feel a little awkward asking for lunch recommendations when they have a gorgeous wood-fired pizza oven (which smelled amazing, by the way) but we’re sure that once we let them know we were on our honeymoon and from out of state, they were more than delighted to show us the way of the Maine lobster roll!
One important thing to point out with Maine Beer Company is that they are serious about their dedication to the environment and their dedication to their employees. On the wall, they list some stats about what they do to make their operation as eco-friendly as possible (Maine Brewing Company is a member of a non-profit called 1% for the Planet) and what they do internally to make sure their employees are able to live comfortably. Also displayed on the wall was information about the scholarship fund that they sponsor, where they select different environmental non-profits to help them invest in solar energy. I thought it was so refreshing to see them be so up-front and proud of their efforts, enough to put it right on the wall of the taproom for everyone to see. There are tons of other interesting things to read on the walls of the taproom as well, such as the history of the company and how they have evolved over the years. This was a great introduction to Maine that helped kickoff our couple-day stay in the beautiful state.
Goodfire Brewing Co.
Goodfire was by far the biggest surprise for us on the entire trip. We had only a few recommendations for Goodfire and had never heard of the Portland based brewery prior to that. When we visited there were only 4 beers on tap and they’ve only been open for about a year as of the time this is being written. Which reminded me of Modist when we first moved to Minnesota. So, I think it’s safe to assume there’s a super high demand for their beer compared to what they can provide for the time being. Because the beer was incredible! We ordered 2 hazy IPAs: Prime, a Citra and Amarillo showcase, and Maximum, a DIPA with Mosaic, Simcoe, Galaxy, Nelson and Rakau hops. And in a world of haze in the north east these are a couple of beers that stood out to me from the entire trip.
Alger Beerventures 