I have a lot of catching up to do! We’ve had lots of great adventures since I last checked in, but I am going to start with a February trip to Vermont (no boys or pups on this trip).  Our friends invited us on their trip to Beer Mecca and we happily tagged along.  Our home base during the trip, Burlington, Vermont, is about 7.5 hours from home, so we broke up the trip by stopping in Saratoga Springs, New York.  This allowed us to maximize what we could fit into three full days.  In Saratoga Springs, we stayed at the Embassy Suites (my favorite Hilton brand).  This was basically a pit stop for us, but we got to enjoy Embassy’s two-hour complementary drinks and snacks in the evening and a fantastic cooked to order breakfast in the morning to fuel us up for our first day of brewery visits.  We also grabbed dinner at Druther’s Brewing Co. and the burgers and beer cheese were phenomenal.

Before I get started, I have to share my RULES for any alcohol-involved adventure:

1. Have a designated driver! No explanation required.
2. Stay hydrated. We always travel with reusable water bottles that can be refilled at our stops.  Drinking sucks the liquid right out of you and it’s vital to drink lots of water if you don’t want to end up feeling lousy the next day.
3. Bring coolers! Almost all of the beer – whether purchased in growler or can – comes cold.  Keep it that way!
4. Eat breakfast. I am not a breakfast person, but you need to lay down a good food base.  Even if you don’t intend to drink a lot, those little samples can add up, so it’s not a good idea to skip meals.

Cheat Sheet:  So, I love to read myself write, and for that reason, if you just want a quick down-and-dirty itinerary, here it is:

Day 1:

1. Lawson’s Finest Liquids – Beautiful facility, good beer, challenging trek in the winter
2. Frost – Good IPAs and fun merchandise
3. Burlington Beer Company – Fun stouts, creative names, good snacks
4. Citizen Cider – Yummy dry ciders and good food

Day 2:

1. Henry’s Diner – Delicious breakfast
2. Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot Farmer’s Store
3. Hill Farmstead – Sought-after, crowded but efficient
4. Von Trapp Brewing – Austrian beer and lunch
5. The Alchemist – Heady Topper
6. Stowe Cider
7. American Flatbread / Zero Gravity – Pizza and beer in a historic building

Day 3:

1. The Skinny Pancake – Crepes
2. Switchback Brewing – Employee-owned brewery
3. Magic Hat – Popular Vermont brewery
4. Fiddlehead Brewing – Pizza and beer
5. Four Quarters Brewing – Small, funky, best of the trip (my opinion)
6. Foam Brewers – Open late
7. The Farmhouse – Delicious dinner

Where to Stay

We stayed in Burlington, Vermont, as it’s Vermont’s largest city (think large town) with a lot to do.  It also provided a reasonably central location for our travels.  We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott with gorgeous views of Lake Champlain, but my research leads me to feel reasonably confident in recommending any of the following hotels:

Hotel Vermont, 41 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT.  This is a boutique-type hotel with rooms and suites.  The rates are fairly expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Courtyard by Marriott, 25 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT.  This is a slightly upscale version of a typical Courtyard hotel.  There is an indoor pool with hot tub, a restaurant, and a nicely appointed lobby bar with live music on the weekends.

Hilton Garden Inn, 101 Main Street, Burlington, VT.  This is the newest hotel in Burlington and close to everything.  There is an indoor pool, restaurant, and bar.  Bonus: this is a pet friendly hotel.

Day 1

Our first day started in Saratoga Springs, New York, and our mandatory breakfast was at the hotel.  The cooked to order, full breakfast provided us with adequate fuel to start our day.  Entering Vermont from the south, headed towards Waitsfield, provided us with picturesque views of rolling farm land and the mountains.  I felt like I was traveling on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, with puffy white clouds on the blue sky.

Stop 1: The first stop of Day 1 was Lawson’s Finest Liquids.  Lawson’s is nestled in Waitsfield, Vermont, right in the Green Mountains.

To get there, we traveled the Mad River Byway straight up the side of a mountain.  This was a white-knuckle drive, but beautiful.  The signs indicating that winter travel by certain commercial vehicles should be avoided should have been the first clue.  Arriving at Lawson’s beautiful taproom was just the comfort I needed.  It was just built in 2018, and provides a large sun-filled space with long tables. Outside, there are fire pits, which we might have enjoyed if not visiting in February.  Inside, Half pours are offered for tasting multiple brews and counter-service food is available.  We did not try the food here, but it looked delicious.  The beer ranged from IPAs to Saisons to Porters.  There was something for everyone. They also have local wines and ciders available for those who aren’t beer fans. Lawson’s mission statement includes a commitment to philanthropy, which was apparent by the table tents, indicating that any tips would be donated to charity (I loved this).

Stop 2: After Lawson’s, we headed to Frost.  Back down that white-knuckle mountain and down the farm road.  This was a small operation, with four beers available on tap (a flight) and several offerings by can.  I was also impressed by their merch for such a small place.  The staff was very friendly.  This was IPA-heavy, but I didn’t mind.  I’m not usually a fan of IPAs, but found a couple that I liked here. By contrast, I’m usually a fan of Stouts, but didn’t love the Stout offering here.  My IPA-loving friend liked the Stout, but not the IPAs that I enjoyed…. If that helps you make your beer selections. I liked the Research Series Single Hop (Galaxy) IPA and Junior iPA.  They don’t have the bitterness of a traditional IPA.  Frost has more traditional IPAs as well.

Stop 3:  A short drive down the road brings you to the dog-friendly Burlington Beer Company.  I can’t even express how much I loved this place.  The facility is not impressive – think warehouse turned brewery.  But the beer. And the food.  I can’t even delve into what I really liked here, because it was just so good.  The can art is fun. The names are fun. The beer is good.  We grabbed a snack here, because, well, it was our third brewery of the day.  Nachos and Tacos did not disappoint and there were plenty of other tantalizing options. (This is one flaw in this itinerary.  In a perfect world, Frost would have had food.  If you moved as quickly as us, the timing of this “snack” was fine, but for many it may have been a little late. If you are a hungry one, grab a snack at Lawson’s).  At BBCO, if you like Porters and Stouts, try the Barista and Shadow Ball. If you like IPAs, try the Peasant King and It’s Complicated Being a Wizard.

After BBCO, we checked into our hotel and took a breather.

Stop 4:   For dinner, we went to Citizen Cider in South Burlington.  Not beer, but great cider.  The food was good too. I’m not supposed to tell… but somebody in our party ventured to order a Philly Cheesesteak in New England.  While not up to Philadelphia-par, it was apparently very good.

If you’re younger than us, you may want to check out some fine Burlington drinking establishments, but we’re pretty old and called it a night after dinner.  Gotta rest up for another day of beer tasting!

Day 2

Always start the day with breakfast… maybe every day with breakfast at Henry’s Diner.  Get there early (ish) to avoid the crowd.  This cozy retro diner was the perfect start to our day.   Skillet breakfasts and sausage gravy and biscuits will gear you up for a wicked beer tasting day. The staff is beyond friendly.

Stop 1: Okay, this isn’t a beer stop, but how can you go to Vermont without visiting Ben & Jerry’s?  This can easily be worked into the route to the true beer stop of the day.  Take a tour (including a nice sized sample of ice cream!), buy some souvenirs, and take some pictures!  A couple of miles down the road is a Cabot Farmer’s Store in Waterbury Center. If time allows, stop here too!  We didn’t get to do the actual Cabot facility, but this store is full of samples and cheese that we can’t get at our local grocery store.

Stop 2:  After getting our fill of dairy products, we were off to the first beer stop – Hill Farmstead.  This is a sizable hike from Waterbury and is a bit treacherous at times in the winter. This is one of the better-known Vermont breweries and very busy.  It opens at 12:00 on Saturdays and it is best to plan to get there at opening if you want to carve out a place to sit and enjoy your beer.  NOTE:  This brewery is closed on Sundays.  We entered and grabbed a ticket (like the old deli counter tickets) and waited for our turn to be announced by the sign over the bar.  We sampled whatever we wanted to try, got our growlers filled, and ordered a pint while it was our turn.  Despite being so busy, we did not feel rushed. If you just want a pint, you can go to the far end of the bar to order.  Another NOTE:  It is a long drive to and from Hill Farmstead and there is ONE bathroom at this very busy brewery.  Plan accordingly.

Stop 3:  Next, we headed to Stowe.  This town makes me wish I liked skiing, although I suspect it would be a fun place even if you don’t ski.  Head to the picturesque Von Trapp Brewing for lunch and a flight. During busy times, there is a bit of a wait for a table.  Put in your name and head to the large bar to order a flight to decide on a favorite. (Also, we didn’t know this, but you can join the wait list prior to arrival on the brewery’s website).  This is a predominately Austrian-style brewery, so it is a bit of a departure for IPA-loving beer snobs, but very good.  Bonus:  this brewery and the lodge are founded and run by the exact Von Trapp family you’re thinking of.

Stop 4:  Drumroll… the next stop on our list… and possibly the most anticipated… was The Alchemist.  If I’m being completely honest, it was a little bit of a let-down. The Alchemist is the quintessential modern Vermont Brewery, the creator of the hazy IPA, after all.  With a beautiful big, new facility, maybe we got our expectations a little bit too high.  The tasting room is so, so small and eager beer enthusiasts were jammed inside.  To be fair, the outdoor space was beautiful and I expect in the summer months this is utilized effectively for a lot more space.  On the plus side, there are three beers on tap for free(!) samples, and they have a great system set up for beer and merch purchases.  We budgeted about an hour here, but we were out in 30 minutes.  I’m not suggesting that you skip it, but unless you’re visiting in warmer months, you probably don’t need to spend much time here.

Stop 5:  If you end up with some extra time, stop at Stowe Cider on the way out of town!

As with day 1, after four beer/cider stops, a breather at the hotel is necessary.  Take a break, relax and gear up for dinner.

Stop 6:  American Flatbread is Zero Gravity’s Brewpub.  A dinner of delicious, bubbly, wood-fired pizza and salad is sooo good after a day of running around Vermont, tasting beer.  More beer to be had from Zero Gravity.  After dinner, if you’re not ready to call it a night, relax by the fire in the bar area or take a walk around the Church Street pedestrian mall, one block over.

Day 3

Another tasting day, another mandatory breakfast.  Head to The Skinny Pancake for crepes along Burlington’s waterfront.  Don’t miss the Hash Purples (think hash brown patties made with carrots and beets)… soooo good.

Stop 1:  From the Skinny Pancake, it’s just a short drive to Switchback Brewing.  Grab a flight here and enjoy a variety of brews.  Take some time to walk back through the production area and read the story behind this employee-owned brewery.  Bonus: It’s dog-friendly!  On the way out, be sure to check out the tallest filing cabinet (just to say you did).

Stop 2:  It’s off to probably the best-known Vermont Brewery of them all – Magic Hat.  In full disclosure, our group decided to skip this one, but I’ve heard the facility is very cool, and it would definitely be worth the stop.

Stop 3:  At the time of our visit, Fiddlehead Brewing was putting the finishing touches on a brewpub seating area, where guests will be able to order beers and pizzas from Folino’s next door.  I know you just had pizza for dinner last night, but grab lunch here.  You won’t be sorry.  The pizza is inventive and very good. I have to say, I had my favorite beer of the trip here – Hodad.  It is a Porter brewed with toasted coconut flakes, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and lactose.  I dream about it.

Stop 4:  With only two breweries left, you will know pretty well if there was an elusive can you didn’t find or a brewery you missed (Upper Pass is not on this list).  Stop at the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski.  Their selection of Vermont Beers is expansive and you may find what you’re looking for here, like our friend Greg did.

Stop 5:  Just few minutes from the Beverage Warehouse, you will find Four Quarters Brewing.  It’s an unassuming location making some really good beer.  I am not a huge fan of IPAs and this brewery is admittedly IPA-heavy, but I’m going to rate this as my favorite brewery of the trip.  Maybe it was because it wasn’t over-crowded and we got to have some great conversations with the staff, or maybe it was the fun and funky artwork scattered about.  It was definitely my winner.

Stop 6:  If your “Day 3” is a Sunday, like it was for us, head to Foam Brewers, back on the Burlington Waterfront where the day started.  If it is a Friday or a Saturday, save this for after dinner, as it stays open until 11:00 p.m., often with live music on the weekends.  The facility is kind of funky and in warm weather it has a great outdoor space.

So, before or after Foam, head to dinner at The Farmhouse.  The food is very good – get the fries!!! The tap list is a great selection of Vermont and other craft brews that may allow you to try something that the tour didn’t bring you.

This was a fun food and brew tour, providing us with a great time with friends, and a phenomenal tour of the Vermont Mountains and countryside.  I don’t know how we could have possibly fit in one more thing (or drank another ounce of beer), but if we missed something that you recommend, let me know in the comments for next time!