BeerBorg

While I'm a life-long MA resident, sometimes Western Mass is an afterthought in the state-wide scheme of things.
I live near the CT border and around these parts, most people spend more time in the Hartford area than the Boston area, so it almost feels like we're part of CT, rather than MA.

And while I'm a MA resident, there's a few misconceptions to clear up:
I happen to HATE the Patriots.
I'm not a Red Sox fan, either.
And, no, I do not have a Boston accent!

hows it going cc! I too am from Western Mass. I also grew up near the ct border (Longmeadow) so I feel your pain! I've noticed a growth in this area as to establishments that are either offering a large craft beer selection or that make their own in the immediate area springing up lately.

peace!

Lou

Last time I was in MA, I got off the plane at the airport for Boston, got a rental car from Virginia with bald tires, in a snow storm, nearly got crushed by people driving 80mph through the tunnel under the bay when I could barely go 30 without spinning out, got some cop behind me who flashed his lights got on the PA and told me to drive faster even though I was fishtailing, went the wrong way on the freeway and drove along the ocean for a bit, ultimately ended up in Salem where I almost skidded straight through the square with the statue in it (taking out the statue would have been seriously embarrassing)... turned around... drove through Boston where I saw someone turn right on red ON THE SIDEWALK to get around someone who wasn't turning and almost run over pedestrians... finally got to where my hotel was on some divided highway, I could SEE it... but there wasn't an exit. I had to drive 5 miles down that divided highway... turn around... come back 5 miles... exit only on that side... got to hotel. Then when I needed to go to work the next morning - I could SEE where I needed to go - directly across the divided highway... but NO EXIT... had to drive 5 miles, turn around, drive 5 miles back... got to work. Worked out a deal with the business I was visiting. Flew back home the after a few days after many trips up and down the damn divided highway... found out that 1 day later that company got bought out by a competitor, and the deal was tanked.

Never gone back since LOL.

mashani wrote:Last time I was in MA, I got off the plane at the airport for Boston, got a rental car from Virginia with bald tires, in a snow storm, nearly got crushed by people driving 80mph through the tunnel under the bay when I could barely go 30 without spinning out, got some cop behind me who flashed his lights got on the PA and told me to drive faster even though I was fishtailing, went the wrong way on the freeway and drove along the ocean for a bit, ultimately ended up in Salem where I almost skidded straight through the square with the statue in it (taking out the statue would have been seriously embarrassing)... turned around... drove through Boston where I saw someone turn right on red ON THE SIDEWALK to get around someone who wasn't turning and almost run over pedestrians... finally got to where my hotel was on some divided highway, I could SEE it... but there wasn't an exit. I had to drive 5 miles down that divided highway... turn around... come back 5 miles... exit only on that side... got to hotel.

'Round here, we call that "Monday."

planetlou wrote:hows it going cc! I too am from Western Mass. I also grew up near the ct border (Longmeadow) so I feel your pain! I've noticed a growth in this area as to establishments that are either offering a large craft beer selection or that make their own in the immediate area springing up lately.

peace!

Lou

Hey, Lou - welcome to the Borg!

I agree that the craft scene is improving here in The 413. Bottle shops like TruBeer in Easthampton and The Beer Shop in East Longmeadow have great selections, and I really prefer their 'mixer-sixer' concept over buying 6 or 12 or 24 of a single brew. And of course, for 6-packs and up, Table & Vine (formerly Town & Country) is still tough to beat. And breweries are popping up like weeds. White Lion only has two beers out but will soon add more, and their head brewer, Mike Yates, is really good. Treehouse is expanding big-time, and has developed a local following similar to the cult-like status of The Alchemist.

Heck, we even have three LHBS's in the region now.

The Borg's a great place to pick some brains and get advice from folks who have been-there-done-that, no matter what "that" might be. A lot of what I've learned in the hobby has come from Borg members.

Cheers!

Crazy Climber wrote:

planetlou wrote:hows it going cc! I too am from Western Mass. I also grew up near the ct border (Longmeadow) so I feel your pain! I've noticed a growth in this area as to establishments that are either offering a large craft beer selection or that make their own in the immediate area springing up lately.

peace!

Lou

Hey, Lou - welcome to the Borg!

I agree that the craft scene is improving here in The 413. Bottle shops like TruBeer in Easthampton and The Beer Shop in East Longmeadow have great selections, and I really prefer their 'mixer-sixer' concept over buying 6 or 12 or 24 of a single brew. And of course, for 6-packs and up, Table & Vine (formerly Town & Country) is still tough to beat. And breweries are popping up like weeds. White Lion only has two beers out but will soon add more, and their head brewer, Mike Yates, is really good. Treehouse is expanding big-time, and has developed a local following similar to the cult-like status of The Alchemist.

Heck, we even have three LHBS's in the region now.

The Borg's a great place to pick some brains and get advice from folks who have been-there-done-that, no matter what "that" might be. A lot of what I've learned in the hobby has come from Borg members.

Cheers!

Theres also Phipps in Westfield and Agawam that has a decent craft selection. Westfield River Brewery also just opened nearby in Southwick (old herford's steakhouse). There's some hope for "the 413" after all!

Lou

I like the Phipps stores, too. Westfield Spirit Shop is also very craft-friendly. They have tastings in the spring and fall, with free food and about a half-dozen regional brewers pouring samples onsite. Lately, though, I've focused my purchases on the Beer Shop in EL because I really like trying one bottle of this, one bottle of that. Maybe I'm dating myself, but I can remember when Town & Country had single-bottle prices on all of their beers -- you could buy a 6-pack, or just pull out one bottle and buy that alone.

Westfield River Brewing has been doing great business since moving to the old Chuck's barn/building in Southwick. They've had to curtail distribution of their canned beers because they can't keep up with onsite demand. 10 beers on tap, all brewed on the premises. Even better, there's a well-stocked LHBS on the premises!

Two new breweries open in Easthampton, and another coming on line soon. New one in Ludlow -- also a good LHBS in Ludow, too. Yep, things are looking up in the 413! (Now I have the Dr. Westchesterson song stuck in my head...)

Crazy Climber wrote:I like the Phipps stores, too. Westfield Spirit Shop is also very craft-friendly. They have tastings in the spring and fall, with free food and about a half-dozen regional brewers pouring samples onsite. Lately, though, I've focused my purchases on the Beer Shop in EL because I really like trying one bottle of this, one bottle of that. Maybe I'm dating myself, but I can remember when Town & Country had single-bottle prices on all of their beers -- you could buy a 6-pack, or just pull out one bottle and buy that alone.

Westfield River Brewing has been doing great business since moving to the old Chuck's barn/building in Southwick. They've had to curtail distribution of their canned beers because they can't keep up with onsite demand. 10 beers on tap, all brewed on the premises. Even better, there's a well-stocked LHBS on the premises!

Two new breweries open in Easthampton, and another coming on line soon. New one in Ludlow -- also a good LHBS in Ludow, too. Yep, things are looking up in the 413! (Now I have the Dr. Westchesterson song stuck in my head...)

I had the opportunity to visit the Westfield River brewery over the weekend for a sampler and a sandwich. The owner of the hop shop also mentioned they plan to grow their own hops very soon.

planetlou wrote:I had the opportunity to visit the Westfield River brewery over the weekend for a sampler and a sandwich. The owner of the hop shop also mentioned they plan to grow their own hops very soon.

At WRB, which beers were in your sampler -- what did you like/not like?

Speaking of tastings at Westfield Spirit Shop, they're having a small one this Sunday (25th) 1-4pm with about a half-dozen local brewers. I can't find the list now, but I remember Lefty's, Opa-Opa and Fort Hill were among them. I think Brewmaster Jack's was another.

Crazy Climber wrote:

planetlou wrote:I had the opportunity to visit the Westfield River brewery over the weekend for a sampler and a sandwich. The owner of the hop shop also mentioned they plan to grow their own hops very soon.

At WRB, which beers were in your sampler -- what did you like/not like?

Speaking of tastings at Westfield Spirit Shop, they're having a small one this Sunday (25th) 1-4pm with about a half-dozen local brewers. I can't find the list now, but I remember Lefty's, Opa-Opa and Fort Hill were among them. I think Brewmaster Jack's was another.

I tried the ale, el dorado, oatmeal stout, and big red hoppy barn. I also ordered a glass of the downtube black falcon. Liked them all but my favorite of the sampler of that day would have to be the oatmeal stout.
I'll have to check out the Westfield tasting this weekend if I can. Thanks for the heads up!
anyone out there using the Untapp'd app? Social media for beer!

Lou