Best of Vermont's Breweries?

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maltoftheearth

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SWMBO and I are headed to Burlington, VT in another week. I can probably squeak out 3-4 brewery tours before her patience wears thin. Any suggestions on the best of the best? I am not terribly interested in Magic Hat but really love Otter Creek. Other than that I haven't tried much of VT's brews.

My tastes tend toward lagers and hoppy brews if that helps at all ...
 
Switchback's Roasted Red ale is one of my favorite beers, Vermont or otherwise. The brewery's tough to get into for tours because they only do them on Saturdays and you need to reserve a spot, but it's definitely worth going. Look them up on Facebook. Long Trail is also a good one. No real brewery tour to speak of, but they have really good pub food in a beautiful location.
 
I know you said you arent interested in Magic Hat, but I would still try to check it out. Their brewery tour is right in South Burlington, so it's convenient. Also, you can drink as much as you want for free from their samples bar. They usually have a few decent IPAs.
 
When in Burlington please visit my old watering hole "Three Needs". Have a pint of Long Trail Ale for me. It's a great place for some different beers on tap.
 
I just moved back to Michigan after 7 years in Burlington, VT. The Alchamist in Waterbury is by far my favorite brewery. It's about 20-30 minutes east of Burlington. They have the best beer I had in Vermont. VT pub and brewery is Greg Noonans old brewery, and it is in Burlington. I was never blown away by anything there, but it's not bad. American Flatbread is also in Burlington, and they brew their own beer and are pretty good. These places are all brew pubs, I don't think they do tours. There is also The Shed in Stowe. Another brewpub that is pretty decent.

I drank a lot of Long Trail, also, but never made it to the brewery, it's down in southern VT.

I'm not a fan of Magic Hat either, but I've been on the brewery tour, and it's probably worth going.
 
Long Trail in Bridgewater
Rock Art in Morrisville
Trout River in Lyndonville
Harpoon in Windsor
Shed in Stowe

I'm not sure when these guys do tours, but they all produce some pretty good beer. Harpoon does tours at the least on weekends, same with Long Trail. Trout river is really small, but they have some good brews. I've never been to Switchback, but drink their pale ale all the time.

Alchemy in Waterbury is pretty good too. I don't think they do tours, but someone may chime in here.
There are a number of small places right around Burlington. Enjoy VT.
 
I forget the name but theres a wood fired pizza brew pub right downtown that's delicious.

Can't do a tour but find yourself some lawsons finest liquids beer. Absolutely amazing stuff.

Plus one on the magic hat tour, it's right there and sampling is not strictly regulated (read free beer).
 
When in Burlington please visit my old watering hole "Three Needs". Have a pint of Long Trail Ale for me. It's a great place for some different beers on tap.

Why in the world would you have a Long Trail at Three Needs? The beers they brew at Three Needs off the chain! (with all due respect to Long Trail). I do agree that one should go there. Switchback is fantastic, as well. Stay away from Magic Hat. Their beer used to be something before it was available outside of VT. Check out Hill Farmstead: http://hillfarmstead.com/wpblog/
 
I went to Magic Hat a couple years ago, and it was great, you could drink as much as you want, buy as much as you want...

Went back the next year, and they barely let you drink two 4oz samples before kicking you out the door. And they wouldn't sell growlers for whatever reason. Maybe it was just an off day, but I haven't been back in a while.
 
Looks like I'm heading up that way also. I have a huge promotion test to prepare for and want to get away the day after. We're planning 4 days in Vermont with these stops:

Magic Hat
Vermont Pub and Brewery
Otter Creek
Rock Art
Zero Gravity
The Alchemist
...and either Long Trail or Madison Brewery

Good list? A few other places in the vicinity of Burlington don't open until late afternoon and we will have our daughter with us, so no-go unfortunately.

How's the weather in mid-Oct?
 
I was just there for the VT Beer fest. Sadly, the brewpubs there (all but 1) took a turn for the worse. VT Pub + Brewery's beers are inconsistent and I had their IPA that was very watery. I went twice ONLY for the food, that's how rough it was.

3 Needs has also taken a turn for the worst and are a crapshoot. Lots of experimentation that amounts to so-so beers.

The only good brewpub is American Flatbread, they are awesome.

Farmhouse (in the former McDonald's!) has a decent beer list (but they don't brew) but their prices are borderline insane.

M_C
 
I love Otter Creek and Long Trail. Magic Hat seems to specialize in weird styles, if that is to your taste- it is not to mine.
 
Ive been to the Harpoon Brewery a few times in Windsor VT and haven't been disappointed with them. The actual tour isnt too long, about 30-35 minutes at best but the guides are always knowledgeable and the samples are plentiful.

When I went there last year they had a crystal wheat beer that was really good. I went back this year on the way home from a fishing trip up in the Burlington area and was surprised to find they discontinued it! It didn't hurt the tour experience but I was kinda bummed I couldnt get it. Did anyone else have it?
 
My planned October trip fell through, but I just booked 4 day in Burlington for next month. I can't wait to finally hit these breweries. Has The Alchemist re-opened yet?
 
My planned October trip fell through, but I just booked 4 day in Burlington for next month. I can't wait to finally hit these breweries. Has The Alchemist re-opened yet?

Dear god... my happy place.... it's gone....... :(


From their website:
Hello friends and fellow business owners.

First and foremost, thank you for all of your assistance and encouragement in the months following the flood. This experience was a challenge made easier by your outpouring of support.

We have made the very difficult decision not to re-open The Alchemist Pub and Brewery. While it is extremely difficult to walk away from the business we have spent our last 10 years building, this is the best option for us moving forward. There were many factors that helped us come to this decision.

Primarily, we have recently learned that none of the contents in our basement were covered by flood insurance. Unfortunately, our basement was the lifeblood of our business—our brewery, our beer, all of our food and our offices were in the basement. Moving forward, we have come to the realization that re-building our basement brewery is not a viable option.

At this time, we are focused on reconstructing our building at 23 South Main Street . Zoning has been approved to re-build a 60 seat pub. John and I are determined to re-build as fast as possible to contribute to the vitality of downtown Waterbury . We are in talks with a few different restaurateurs to take over the space. We will find the best fit for Waterbury —someone who can continue to run the pub in a warm, friendly and accessible manner, and provide employment opportunities to our staff.

The Alchemist will continue to be involved in the village of Waterbury . As property owners, we will continue to put our best foot forward with the aesthetics of the building. It is our belief that without the day-to-day operations of the pub and brewery, we will be able to spend more time on community focused special events. Moreover, and probably most important, we will move our 7 barrel brewery to our new production brewery at 35 Crossroad. Once we have installed the brewery, John will be hard at work to supply the community with his creative and tasty small production beers.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about the future of our building or The Alchemist, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Warm Regards,

Jennifer & John Kimmich
 
But maybe it's not all bad news (who am I kidding). Seems they're now brewing and selling expensive craft beer. At least I can swing by and take some back home with me next time:

fter eight successful years of running The Alchemist Pub and Brewery, John and Jennifer Kimmich have built The Alchemist Cannery.

The Alchemist Cannery is currently focused on brewing one beer perfectly. Heady Topper, our flagship Double IPA, is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of hops will creep up on you and leave you with a dense, hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary.

All of our Heady Topper is packaged in 16 ounce cans. Our state-of-the-art canning line, built by Cask Brewing Systems, allows us to package, preserve and protect our beer against the impact of UV light and oxygen.

Also, our cans are environmentally friendly – they take less energy to produce, ship and recycle.

Stop by and visit our Tasting Room, Retail Shop and Self Guided Tour.

The Tasting Room and retail shop are open 7 days a week:

Daily 11:00am – 7pm.

Available for sale are Heady Topper, in 4-packs of 16oz cans, for $12.00, or 1 can for $3.75.

Also available are 2oz tasters right in the store for $1.00 with a limit of 4 per person, as well as gifts for yourself and those you know.
 
My planned October trip fell through, but I just booked 4 day in Burlington for next month. I can't wait to finally hit these breweries. Has The Alchemist re-opened yet?

Are you gonna be staying in Burlington? So far my only "good bet" is American Flatbread. I was just there last week, their offerings were very good.

VT Pub & Brewery seems to have stabilized a bit, their beers were OK and the place was packed on Thu Dec 30th.

M_C
 
Yes, we're staying in Burlington the whole time. When I planned it for October, we were looking to stay in a few different towns, but this time we decided just to stay there.
 
My planned October trip fell through, but I just booked 4 day in Burlington for next month. I can't wait to finally hit these breweries. Has The Alchemist re-opened yet?

RockArt has a new facility right outside of Mo'ville. Saw it when we were heading to the family's house outside of Stowe.

I guess that dust-up between them and Monster was good for business!
 
My brother-in-law and I went to Magic Hat this summer while on vacation in Burlington and was very unimpressed. The girl giving the tours gave lots of incorrect information about brewing, such as "We heat up the wort, and once it hits a boil, we add the yeast." The tour consisted of looking at some of their posters, watching a 10 minute video of the history of craft/micro-brewing, and then standing on a balcony overlooking their packing area, where nothing was even going on, except a guy pushing a broom around. You then proceed to the tasting room/gift shop for some samples. The gift shop was the only part I liked, and they did have some pretty cool glassware. I wasn't real crazy about their beers... they all kind of seem like novelty beers. It's as if they set out to do something different, like a beet juice IPA, just for the sake of doing it differently, even if it tastes bad.

One place I would recommend would be The Farmhouse Tap & Grill. It's not a brewery, but their food is top-notch, and their beer list is incredible. Also, somewhat off topic, but the Skinny Pancake also has delicious food. Try their savory crepes. Have fun!
 
I was at the alchemist cannery in the fall. They only brew their flagship beer, heady topper there. I would still suggest going there. It is a quick stop, and you can buy their exceptional iipa for 12$for a four pack of 16 oz cans.
 
Alright my annual VT ski tour is set! End o' February this time, but might move it around a bit depending on when a snow storm comes.

Anyway, hitting up the following:
Wed - Jay Peak > Hill Farmstead
Thu - Stowe > Alchemist
Fri - MRG/Sugarbush > Lawson's Finest (just buying some at the Warren store)

I figure heading home with 3 cases is a solid haul. We all know HT is awesome, but are there any particular brews made by HillF and LFL that I should keep an eye out for? Are there any other breweries that I should include in my travels? Already had my fill of LongTrail, MagicHat, and OtterCreek.

And since I'm traveling alone this time - anyone want to ski and drink beer with me?
 
Alright my annual VT ski tour is set! End o' February this time, but might move it around a bit depending on when a snow storm comes.

Anyway, hitting up the following:
Wed - Jay Peak > Hill Farmstead
Thu - Stowe > Alchemist
Fri - MRG/Sugarbush > Lawson's Finest (just buying some at the Warren store)

I figure heading home with 3 cases is a solid haul. We all know HT is awesome, but are there any particular brews made by HillF and LFL that I should keep an eye out for? Are there any other breweries that I should include in my travels? Already had my fill of LongTrail, MagicHat, and OtterCreek.

And since I'm traveling alone this time - anyone want to ski and drink beer with me?

Sounds like a killer trip, mid week...nice!
 
So many great breweries that everybody mentioned. If the only place you go to is Hill Farmstead, you'll never regret it. IMO, some of the finest beers in the country right now. Sean Hill is amazing.
 
The Magic Hat Artifactory is awesome. While I'm not a huge fan of their beers (love the IPA on Tour beer, solid IPAs, but aside from that I'm meh with their beer) the actual place is awesome and it's right in Burlington so it's something you can do, and taste a ton of their beer for free and if you find one you guys like, buy a growler and take it back to your hotel.

I'm trying to swing a trip to Waterbury when I go up to New Hampshire with my girlfriend to go to try some Heady Topper at the brewery and buy as much of it as I can.
 
The Magic Hat Artifactory is awesome. While I'm not a huge fan of their beers (love the IPA on Tour beer, solid IPAs, but aside from that I'm meh with their beer) the actual place is awesome and it's right in Burlington so it's something you can do, and taste a ton of their beer for free and if you find one you guys like, buy a growler and take it back to your hotel.

I'm trying to swing a trip to Waterbury when I go up to New Hampshire with my girlfriend to go to try some Heady Topper at the brewery and buy as much of it as I can.

Yeah I've been there, it's pretty cool indeed. Maybe I'll try to stop on the way and fill a growler.
 
My favorites:


Lawson's: Double Sunshine, Hopzilla, Triple Play, jade, Chinooker'd. Unfortunately, you'll only have 3 or 4 choices available (fingers crossed for double sunshine).

Hill Farmstead: I'm not a big fan of Saisons, but if you are, pick up a bunch of his bottles (Arthur, Anna, Vera...etc.). The Everett is his house porter...pretty tasty. For $5 you can do a very generous tasting. Bring some clear brown growlers and they'll fill them up for you. Otherwise, you can buy growlers there, but they are expensive (beautiful, but expensive). My favorites are Double Galaxy and Ephraim, which are released only a couple of times a year. Abner is an excellent dipa that should be available, and Edward is always on tap (hoppy apa). Check their website to see what they
 
Up in burlington this weekend stopped by long trail for lunch, alchemist for some samples, rock art, and hill farmstead.
Man was that a mistake droping by HF @ 3 on a sat, lets just say there was over a 2 hour wait just for growler fills all while in the middle of this snow storm, which actually dropped nothing at the end of all this.....Im getting off topic.

Walked away with 6 bottles though since they were nice enough to take orders from the back of the line.
2 arthur, 1 Florence, 1 fear and trem, 1 grassroots, 1 la vermontoise

Lady said to deff come back on a weds or thurs and theres rarely a long wait.

Planning on running by switchback this morning, high gravity (american flatbread) for lunch and possibly magic hat afterwords before walking the town with SWMBO on church street/champlain area and stoping by bev warehouse for lawsons

Alchemist for cases on monday, prohibiton pig for lunch and possibly hitting otter creek on our way back down to LI.
Cheers guys! Taking some requests for trades trying to get a high trade ratio for cans since this trip is a gas GUSSLER for me.

Also while im still up here any other suggestions or tips for the area?
 
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