Upper Pass Beer Company

 

Storefront brewpub in a mixed shopping plaza that reminded me of an old soda fountain joint. L-shaped bar perpendicular to the entrance on the left seats about 18, with some tables about the rest of the room. A dozen house beers and 8 local guest offerings. Friendly, knowledgeable bartender.

Bumming around Vermont with the talls. What goes up (to Burlington), must come back down, right? Post Penny now in South Royalton (that’s a Roy-al-ton with cheese) on our I-89 descent, a stopover enroute to a meet up with Andre Wager come 4pm at the Roost. Wait. How can there not be a Worthy one-two today? It’s right fricken there (me, pointing). Push Wager back an hour and let’s get our burgers on! C’mon Dave, you’re killing me…

Okay, this was not easily found as it’s cleverly disguised as a coffee shop on the strip. Coffee up front and beer to the rear. Pick your vice. We went for the beer. Back and to the right, a straight wood topped bar slab with a vertical slat wood base, and a doublewide kegerator alongside with a pair of stainless steel ‘T’ towers holding 4 logo handled taps each. ‘L’ counter shelf with glassware and vinyl behind the bar. White horizontal plank barback wall with a horizontal logo sign over a framed mirror on center, and boards to both sides listing draft selections (beer, style, & ABV), cans to go, and merch pricing. Shelving to the left with hats & glassware for the buy, and shirts atop, and a double can cooler to the right. Slight racking below the barback counter with glassware.

The room done in slat wood floors, walls with a few brick areas but mostly horizontal white slat wood, and ceilings of the same with spinny top drop lamps, roastery piping, & ductwork. Pillars down the center of the room. Vertical windows to both sides of the front vestibule with these crazy wavy bendy yellow, orange, & white plastic colored strip sheets above. Coffee sacks and pails of beans beans beans, mixers, and a sad empty popcorn machine. Something kitcheny happening in the rear corner. Bar counter space, hightops, spool tables, & front window seating.

8 taps (Pretzel Porter, 5.5%; Bonfire. American Pale Ale, 5.5%; Famous Last Words, Hoppy Red Ale aged in cedar, 7%; Group Therapy, TDH DIPA, 8.5%; Heatwave, Mexican Lager, 4.8%; Modern Pants, DDH IPA, 7.2%; Barleywine 2019, 10%; Windrow, Kolsch Style Ale, 4.8%).

As they can only serve you 8oz of beer at a time, your options are 8oz pours or a pair of 4oz pours, I played the latter and tried a bunch of things. Pretzel Porter, roasty, this beer is Money; Bonfire American Pale Ale, piney & dank, this one is solid, too; Famous Last Words, Red Ale, you really get the Cedar; Modern Pants, DDH IPA, citrus, it’s a good IPA; Group Therapy, TDH DIPA, nope; Heatwave, Mexican Lager, pleasant easy drinking; Barleywine is a bit sweet, it could age out some more; Windrow, Kolsch was korny, so no. Pretzel Porter for the WIN, and Bonfire Pale Ale & Modern Pants IPA were close seconds.

Beers are made elsewhere (this was a while back and may not be the case at present). There’s vinyl for the play here. Tunes. I hear Layla. Actually, I can feel Layla, specifically the Duane Allman guitar part after the piano interlude (IYKYK). There’s a Steve behind the sticks. Actually, he’s a Stephen, but I can still know him. Apparently, they do a pretzel here. I would have liked to have known this pretzel. And lest we forget the coffee thing happening up front (slave to the bean!). They’ve got chocolates and mapley things, too. I am soooo double espressoing on the way out the door. Some solid beers, would like another pass here. Cool little joint.