Visiting local Massachusetts breweries has become something of a weekend pastime for me. And with Mass Beer Week upon us, it seemed like the perfect time to post about a few of my favorites on the North Shore.
Newburyport and Amesbury are two North Shore towns with a fun local beer scene. With two breweries each – which are all just a quick drive apart – it’s very easy to hit up all four in one day.
During my most recent visit, we started off in Newburyport at RiverWalk Brewing Company followed by Newburyport Brewing Company. From there, it’s an easy 15 minute drive north to the town of Amesbury, where we visited BareWolf Brewing and Brewery Silvaticus.
Each of the breweries is unique and distinct in its own way, but all are well worth a visit next time you’re up on the North Shore. Read on for what to expect if you go!
Newburyport Breweries
Both RiverWalk and Newburyport Brewing are located about a mile from downtown Newburyport. They are within walking distance of one another, and both offer parking lots as well. RiverWalk is located next to the Newburyport train station (a nice option for commuters).
North Shore Brewery: RiverWalk Brewing Company
40 Parker Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
The Brewery & Tap Room: Encompassing 20,000 square feet of space in a former warehouse, RiverWalk’s facility is home to a 30-barrel brewery and tap room. The tap room is bright and modern, featuring 12 rotating taps. In the warmer months, you can enjoy the brewery’s deck and outdoor biergarten (where leashed dogs are welcome).
The decor pays homage to the brewery’s location next to the train station, with all available beers listed on a split-flap display above the bar. The tap room also offers a fun variety of retro arcade games, which were a hit with kids and adults alike. The food menu offers light bites and sandwiches (we had the cheese plate, which was awesome). And there is also a private event room.
The Beer: Riverwalk brews everything from porters and sours to IPAs and lagers. I took advantage of the $10 flight option, which allowed me to sample any four beers of my choosing. My favorite was the Fandango Sour Ale, which is dry hopped with lemongrass and black pepper. I also really liked the Lagercoastal Hoppy Lager, which has a nice crisp finish, with notes of citrus.
They had a few IPAs on tap, though my favorite was the hazy Jersey Street IPA. We also sampled the Uncle Bob’s Session Ale, which at 4.5% ABV, is essentially RiverWalk’s lawn mower beer. Very light and quite crushable.
Open Wednesday through Sunday, the tap room offers both flights and full pints, along with cans and growlers to go.
North Shore Brewery: Newburyport Brewing Company
4 New Pasture Road, Newburyport, MA 01950
The Brewery & Tap Room: Just up the street from RiverWalk is the Newburyport Brewing Company. With 8,300 square feet of space, the brewery features a 23-barrel brewhouse and a tasting room. They also offer an outdoor beer garden in warmer months.
The tasting room is both family and dog-friendly, and is filled with long communal tables as well as some smaller high tops. There are board games and blocks available for kids (or adults) to play with, as well as a foosball table in one corner. Free brewery tours are offered on Saturdays at 5pm.
Known for offering live music, Newburyport Brewing hosts local musicians Thursday-Saturday evenings, and on Sunday afternoons. While they don’t offer a food menu, snacks like pretzels and chips are available for purchase. In addition, many local restaurants offer delivery to the brewery.
The Beer: The tasting room offers a nice selection of year-round beers, along with a rotating list seasonal limited-release beers. The brewery generally has anywhere from 8-10 beers on tap, along with a few options in cans available.
My husband really enjoyed the Melt Away Session IPA, which is a bit lower octane for an IPA at 4.6% ABV. With a floral nose and tangy grapefruit finish, it’s a nice easy-drinking IPA. The Maritime Lager is another very crushable beer, which we enjoyed. The Newburyport Pale Ale, brewed with Cascade hops, is a bit more bold and citrusy. My favorite though, is the Yankee Blue, a seasonal Weissbeer brewed with blueberries. Available by the can this time of year, it’s tangy and refreshing.
Open Wednesday through Sunday, the tasting room offers flights, sample pours, half pours and full pours, along with growlers and cans to go.
Amesbury Breweries
From Newburyport, Amesbury is just a short drive away. A former Mill town, Amesbury is located on the Powow River. While sometimes overlooked due to its industrial history, Amesbury has recently become a destination in its own right. (Eater Boston even recently called it “the North Shore’s hidden gem”.) When heading into town from 95, you’ll encounter BareWolf first, located slightly on the outskirts of the downtown, while Brewery Silvaticus is right on the main drag as part of the Carriage Mills complex.
North Shore Brewery: BareWolf Brewing
12 Oakland Street, Amesbury, MA 01913
The Brewery & Tap Room: Located inside a renovated mill, the living room style tap room at BareWolf is known for being laid-back and welcoming. With exposed brick and mismatched tables with colorful chairs, the tap room has a decidedly industrial feel which pays homage to the town’s history. Still relatively new, the seven-barrel microbrewery opened its doors in the fall of 2017. Run by a father/son team, the tap room displays a rotating selection of artwork from local artists, and offers live music on Saturdays.
Both family and dog-friendly, the brewery offers a pool table, board games and retro arcade games for entertainment. Picnic tables are available in the parking lot for those who want to sit outside in nice weather.
The Beer: With anywhere from seven to nine beers on tap, the brewery reinvents their tap list on a monthly basis. So you can expect to find new selections available each time you go. When I visited in the fall, I really enjoyed the “Marzen Retrograde” lager BareWolf brewed for OktoberFest, along with a sour hefeweizen called “Kiss This Guy”. Current selections include the “Pillow Fight” Dry Hopped Vienna Blond Ale, which has a crisp, clean finish. As well as “Cry Baby”, a double dry-hopped hazy NEIPA with notes of citrus and pineapple.
Tasting flights are not currently offered, but the brewery does give the choice of either a 10oz or 16oz pour. Open Thursday through Sunday, you can also pick up 4-packs of cans (and occasionally bottles of their more limited brands) to bring home with you.
North Shore Brewery: Brewery Silvaticus
9 Water Street, Amesbury, MA 01913
The Brewery & Tap Room: Brewery Silvaticus offers a beautiful, modern tap room in a space that was formerly the old boiler room of the mill complex.The seven-barrel brewhouse and tap room occupy the same space, with a long bar that separates the two. Completely remodeled in 2017, the space has a slightly medieval, industrial chic feel. It features high ceilings with exposed brick and metal light fixtures. Located right on the Powow River, the brewery also offers a small outdoor patio in the warmer months.
Silvaticus offers a menu of light bites, including a Bavarian soft pretzel with tangy mustard. They also offer a cheese board, pickled veggies and whoopie pies. On weekends they often work with local food trucks, including Polish Prince pierogi, Empanada Dada and Angry Donuts, plus many more.
The Beer: Brewery Silvaticus produces European style beers with a focus on Belgian farmhouse ales and German-style lagers. If you’re someone who prefers IPAs, the closest you’ll find is the Vixen hoppy lager (which I thought was quite good). I also really like the Affinity Belgian Blonde, which is light and crisp with hints of citrus. They rotate their beers regularly, so there’s always something new to try.
Open Wednesday through Sunday, the brewery offers full pours only, along with crowlers to go.
Tips for Visiting Like a Local:
- Both Newburyport and Amesbury have cute downtown areas. Take some time to explore the shops and restaurants when you visit.
- If you want to bring your pup, both Newburyport Brewing and BareWolfBrewing allow leashed dogs in the taproom.
- For the sake of efficiency, if you start in Amesbury, we recommend visiting Brewery Silvaticus first, followed by Barewolf. Then head to Newburyport Brewing and end at Riverwalk. If you start in Newburyport, simply reverse the above order.
- If you want to order food, we recommend the cheese plate at Riverwalk, and the Bavarian Hot pretzel at Brewery Silvaticus.
- Newburyport Brewing has live bands Thursday – Sunday, making it a great option for those who like live music.
- All of the breweries offer outdoor space as well as an indoor taproom, making it fun to visit during any season.
What are your favorite breweries on the North Shore? Let us know in the comments below!
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Categories: Breweries, Food & Drink, North Shore