Best Local Brews you can't get anywhere else, and Best Lobster Mac&Cheese

[tieflyer]

Ok, comin' up to Boston March 1st, barring bad weather, where can I find the best Lobster Mac & Cheese?
Also, what is the best local, can't find this outside of MA brews to try?

[snowcone]

Yankee Lobster at 300 Northern Ave on the waterfront in Boston. (It is close by the Harpoon Brewery.)

[Kinopio]

Best MA only breweries:
Jacks Abby
Mystic
Cambridge Brewing Company
Night Shift
Wormtown

Cambridge Brewing Company is by far the best brewpub in the area. Amazing and unique barrel aged beers. Visiting there should be your #1 beer priority.

[BlueMagic]

As far as Lobster Mac N Cheese..the Loft in North Andover was the original..and I've yet to try a place where it's better. Some are equally as good but not better. In addition, you can get a "baby portion" which is more than adequate unless you're super hungry. Not sure about their beers, but a lot of people in my group like the local beers and usually find something at the Loft.

[Unfoodie]

Deep Ellum and Publick House have some of the best curated beer menus in New England as they are a great mix of local, national and international craft beer. Therefore it is not a guarantee that a local beer you've never tried will be on draft at that time. Check out the website of the bar you plan to visit just to be safe.
I don't know where you live but some local brands like Pretty Things, Slum Brew (both gypse brewers) and Clown Shoes (contract brewer) are available in other parts of the country.

If I were you I wouldn't bother with The Publick house or Deep Ellum if you're specifically looking for local beers. Check out Stoddard's (they have 5 cask engines that are most often hyper-local), Mead Hall (custom built 100 line draft system that only serves craft beer) Sunset Grill (100 drafts of craft beer but they sometimes have freshness issues) and Lord Hobo (always a solid line-up of 40 beers).
The Cambridge Brewing Company IS A MUST for any beer geek visiting town. Established in 1989 it's one of the nations first brew pubs and has quietly remained one of the best. They helped kickstar the New Wave of American Craft Beer (NWOACB \m/ ) and were the first American Brewery to make a Belgian beer among other styles. They also have an extensive barrel aging program which, on a recent visit, yielded me a blended barely wine (half dry hopped in the tank and half bourbon bbl aged) and a beautifully sour ale that was a mix of a few different worts and fermented with 2 strains of brett in a sherry bbl.

You will find that many of the small establishments around town do what they can to support the local brewers. Feel free to drop into any non-chain establishment and check out when beer list because it may surprise you.

Did you say pizza and craft beer? Area Four and Flatbread Pizza Co have awesome pizza and serve only local beer (unfortunately for Flatbread Sam Adams is not a local beer considering its brewed in PA). Picco does a great job at this as well.

If you love beer you'll love Boston.

[ipsofatso]

If you haven't had Lawson's.....well.....you need to.

http://www.lawsonsfinest.com/

Its a brand beyond description, like Jehovah's favorite choir

[rknrll]

Dude wants beers he can buy in Massachusetts, not northern Vermont.

[meeps2002]

Blue Hill Brewery comes to mind - I can't say with confidence they aren't in other New England states, but they are pretty small...

also - Slum Brew out of Somerville

[emannths]

Fwiw, Slum Brew is brewed at the Mercury Brewery in Ipswich, so don't go traipsing around Somerville sniffing for boiling wort. Actually, a trip over to Everett/Chelsea on a Saturday afternoon to visit Mystic, Night Shift, and Idle Hands would make for a nice little trip.

[mkfisher]

While we're on the subject of beer bars, I wanted to mention that the food at Lord Hobo has steadily continued to improve. They had an oxtail stew on the Saturday night of the big snow storm that was fantastic.

[LStaff]

Cambridge brewing company is probably your best bet for beers you can't get anywhere else.

Also Lord Hobo and Deep Ellum will both have some Pretty Things and maybe some Mystic beers on tap.

I think The Publick House has lobster mac n cheese on its menu (at least it used to) - can't vouch for the quality since I've never tried, but will vouch for the quality of the craft beers they offer.

[chevrelove]

Agree with Publick House rec if OP wants to find both requests in the same place, and wants/needs T accessible. Although, CBC is another great option for local beer (unsure whether mac n cheese is on current menu however).

[joth68]

Amrheins in South Boston does a nice Lobster Mac but the rest of the menu is hit or miss. If you were looking to bring home some bottles of the local stuff, Social Wines & Spirits which is next door has a great selection of local beers. In addition to the breweries named, I'd suggest seeking out any of the Night Shift Brewery beers. Very unique and well executed brews.

[teezeetoo]

Cognac Bistro in Brookline - great raw bar too.

[rshock]

Flatbread Company in Davis Sq. Somerville has historically focused exclusively on MA/local beers (Jack's Abby, Clown Shoes, Wormtown, Pretty Things, Cape Ann, etc). They also have options from other New England states (Baxter, 'Gansett, Allagash?). There are probably better overall tap lists elsewhere in the city, but if the focus is purely on local brews, this would be a pretty good choice.

They don't serve Lobster Mac & Cheese (or any Mac & Cheese), but there are plenty of other restuarants in Davis Sq, pehaps someone else might be able to recommend a good LM&C in the Sq.

[mkfisher]

+1 on Flatbread. That's a really good thought. I always forget their list is mostly (all?) local.

[Big Momma]

The Red Parrot in Hull has the best lobster mac and cheese I've ever had. It's not just the mac and cheese (which is great) but the quality of the lobster. It's truly outstanding. We try lobster mac and cheese almost everywhere we see it on the menu.

I am also a fan of the Fat Cat's lobster mac and cheese, but given a choice, Red Parrot would win.

[Pegmeister]

It has been a long time since I have seen a positive post on the Red Parrot. Guess I'm feeling curious since years ago I really enjoyed the place. The Red Parrot had taken such a nose dive the food was horrendous and I never understood how they could go so wrong. So I'm wondering what changes have taken place to get them back on track. I "may" think about giving the a visit.

[Big Momma]

It's worth a visit for the lobster mac and cheese, but I can't say much about anything else on the menu. I think we tried nachos one time and the food I've seen waitstaff carrying looks good. The food is adequate. But the mac and cheese, a glass of wine and the view are nice combination on a stormy Sunday.

[Pegmeister]

Thanks. They do have great views. We used to like to do the same. I thought there may have been changes inthe kitchen.

[C. Hamster]

Is the Red Parrot the place that was on GRamsay's Kitchen Nightmares?

[Pegmeister]

No, that was Barefoot Bob's. The Red Parrot has a large dining room with great views of the beach. Years ago their menu was creative and the food was quite good. They had a spicy shrimp dish in which the shrimp was served in a homemade salsa with a pool of sour cream sauce on top of southwestern style rice that was phenomenal. Then they suddenly went down hill. When I saw the positive post I was hoping someone would say oh yea they're under new management and the old chef is back, but no!!!!

[C. Hamster]

Which place there has a casual downstairs and an upstairs with a deck?

[Pegmeister]

RedParrot has a large dining room in the front of the building. The bar/lounge is on a lower level a few steps down from the dining room. They have a large upstairs deck as well as a deck on the side.

[catsmeow]

I haven't been to the Red Parrot for over a year, but I always liked their lobster bisque(when they have it). In addition to ordering it to eat there, I usually get a bowl to go.

[mkfisher]

In terms of beer, I can't say I have a great sense of what's available outside of the state. That being said, we do have a number of great local beers. Some of my favorite local brewers are Pretty Things, Mystic and Jacks Abby (though there are many more great local brewers). I'd maybe suggest hitting one of our better beer spots, as that should give you a chance to try a few. In my opinion, the best spots are Lord Hobo, Publick House and Deep Ellum. There are quite a few threads talking about beer, so a search might yield some ideas.

[emannths]

Add Cambridge Brewing Company: most beers are available only at the brewpub, and many are world-class. A quick walk from Lord Hobo, if you're making a day of it.