Every day since the heat wave broke, I notice signs of fall, even amid this devitalizing drought. Some mornings have hovered around the mid-50s. The first pumpkin ale arrived at my neighborhood bottle shop, a brown ale from Timberyard Brewing Co. Inane NFL training camp updates have overrun my Twitter feed. The time has come to clean my beer fridge in preparation for two beloved seasons: football and stout.
But this year, ahead of a trip to Vermont, I started clearing the fridge out early. (When you go to Vermont, you make sure you have ample fridge space for the cooler or coolers of beer you’ll schlepp back.) The six-day excursion was the third summer in a row I’ve visited the Green Mountain State, so I thought I would take the opportunity to offer a short travel guide drawn from those wonderful, brewery-filled travels. Then I’ll get to some of the news I uncovered while editing the fridge.
To start, set your GPS — no need to choose the fastest route — for the middle of the beautiful Mad River Valley, specifically Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield. Lawson’s, best known for the double IPA Sip of Sunshine, has a breathtaking taproom, designed by the same architects behind Tree House’s Charlton brewery, with tall wooden ceilings and a patio granting views of tree-covered mountains. We typically use Lawson's as pitstop en route to one of the most majestic cites in New England, Burlington.
Vermont's Queen City boasts a dizzying array of breweries and restaurants, and I lack the space for a comprehensive guide. For now, the breweries you should not miss include Burlington Beer Co., Foam Brewers and Zero Gravity. I have your vital meals covered, too. For breakfast, try Myer’s Bagels and their take on the thinner, crisper Montreal-style bagel. For dinner, make a reservation at Juniper inside the boutique Hotel Vermont; this past visit I ordered Juniper's cornmeal crusted trout, pairing it with a Belgian saison. This summer also marked my first Vermont “creemee,” a much-ballyhooed treat that’s essentially a rich soft serve ice cream. Grab one at the Burlington Bay Market & Café overlooking Lake Champlain.
From Burlington, you have several options for day trips. The drive to Greensboro is long but rewarding. You are bound for Hill Farmstead Brewery, surrounded by lush fields, where you must take the time to soak in the beers and the decades of Hill family history. Stowe, on the other hand, is a shorter journey from Burlington. The downtown is worth strolling, but I suggest prioritizing stops at The Alchemist, home of Headytopper, and von Trapp Brewery. At von Trapp, build up your appetite for the lagers and schnitzel by going on a hike or bike ride along the lodge’s trail system. Waterbury, with one of the most walkable downtowns in the state, is nearby, where you can dine at one of two legendary institutions, Prohibition Pig or Blackback Pub. Look to the neon cocktail glass flickering in front of the Old Stagecoach Inn for a nightcap and a chat with Sophie, the talkative parrot. You can expect to leave with a good story to tell after learning about its haunted history.
Redemption Rock Brewing Co. throws its second annual block party, “Rock The Block,” this Saturday, Aug. 27, booking a full slate of music and food trucks. Barricades block off Putnam Lane from 2 to 9 p.m. Local singer Jake Hunsinger, The Big League Collective, and the Worcester Hip Hop Congress make up the music lineup. And the brewery called on MamaRoux, Ryno’s Smokehouse, Sabrosa Venezuela and Mrs. Moriconi’s Ice Cream to provide food for the party.
For information on this free block party, visit redemptionrock.beer/rocktheblock2022.
Brewers were hopeful a bill that would have allowed them to sell beer and give out samples at farmers market — added to the Senate’s version of the massive economic development bill — would pass prior to the close of the legislative session. It didn’t. They have not given up hope, however. The economic development bill hit a snag because legislators were wrangling over larger items such as the $3 billion in tax relief on the table, so it remains possible the farmers market bill could move forward once those issues are resolved.
“Our language was included in the Senate’s version of the economic development bill, but we are waiting for a final Conference Committee report to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate’s versions,” said Kelsey Roth, who serves on the Massachusetts Brewers Guild’s government affairs committee. “We are hopeful the final version will include our language and will be passed in an informal session.”
Continuing the Vermont theme, the Boston Globe’s beer writer, Gary Dzen, had a brilliant column recently on how easy it has become to find Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine, once an IPA you had to trek to Vermont to buy. According to Dzen, Sip ranked as one of the best-selling beers in Massachusetts last year, and so far this year, its popularity has it keeping pace with other top-selling beers. I was surprised to hear from one store that said sales of Sip of Sunshine have even trumped Bud Light. Like Sip, the Alchemist’s pioneering IPAs Heady Topper and Focal Banger were once impossible to get outside of Vermont. Now, you can regularly get both in Vermont and Massachusetts, even, apparently, at Gillette Stadium.