Tasty beer in Rutland, VT area?

Hey All,

My wife and I are traveling up to the Rutland, Vermont area for a long weekend to celebrate our 20 year anniversary. We've got our first winter of home brewing under out belts and it's peaked her interest in beer. We'd like to visit a couple brewery/pubs while up there. We're planning to visit the Long Trail Brewery but I wonder if it's a mob scene? Anyone have any other suggestions in the area?

Thank you in advance for any responses.

Dan

 

Otter creek- shed brewing, Alchemist a little north of Rutland


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How far are you looking to drive?


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Harpoon is in Windsor and is a really nice place for lunch.
Alchemist doesn't really have a place to go to, but the prohibition pig in Waterbury is a nice place for lunch and heady topper on tap.
Montpelier's 3 penny taproom for some Hill and Lawson's beer.
That said hill farmstead is a great place to stand in line, bring growlers and expect to wait a couple hours to fill them.



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Long Trail shouldn't be a mob scene. Just a few minutes north of Rutland, you have Otter Creek (who also make Shed and Wolaver's) and Drop-In Brewing in Middlebury. Also, Foley Brothers in Brandon. Rutland has a new brewpub called Hop n' Moose that just release its first few self-brewed beers a few weeks ago.

Also, be on the lookout for bottles of Backacre Golden Ale (no tasting room/retail space, just in bottle shops). It's a tiny "blendery" (they take wort from Drop-In and sour and barrel age it). It's hard to find except near there and it's supposedly really great (never had it).

Two Brothers Tavern is in Middlebury and should be decent for tap room.

Waterbury area is a bit further of a drive from there, but depends if you want a short drive or make a day trip out of it.