Hey Vermonters

Montreal is nice- but give me NYC and Boston IMHO.

 

You can do worse then living near Brattleboro though. Might have another brewery soon.

 

while i don't think i could ever say i would prefer southern Vt to northern Vt, i can think of plenty of pros to my area of southern Vt...namely I love mountains and my area has two of the largest peaks in New England when you look at shear size from valley floor to peak, both within 10 minutes of my house, right there with Carrabassett Valley in Maine (sugarloaf & bigelow). When snow flies (I get about half as much in my mountains compared to northern mountains), I have multiple slide paths to ski and an abundance of backcountry that doesn't need trimming and hardly ever cross another person's ski path. In comparison northern VT has become almost overrun by backcountry revelers. I have a pass at Magic Mountain and would put it up against just about any lift serviced terrain in VT...again when there is snow there.
As for beers, we definitely miss out on some of the great stuff that is being brewed up north...but that doesn't mean there is any shortage of great beers to be had at my local bottle shop. The selection of elite Cali, MI, OR and New England craft breweries being offered has exploded in the past year or two here.

If I had an opportunity, I probably would move to northern VT, but for the indefinite future, my roots are here in southern VT. Guess what, life could be a lot worse...

 

You would still be considered a flat lander if you moved to Southern Vermont. Hiking is great here.

 

You'll be considered a flatlander no matter where you move in VT. I've been here for 7 years and I'm pretty confident that my future grand children will be considered flatlanders

 

when you live in the Montpelier-Burlington corridor, we're all pretty much relocated flatlanders.

 

Hell, I spent the first 18 years of my life in VT and come from generations of dairy farmers and lumberjacks. At this point, after not living there for 2 decades, I think I now qualify as a flatlander.

 

Northern Vermonters consider southern Vermonters "flat landers." As far as being "Vermonter" if your not third or fourth generation- they can keep it. It's the who's who of who cares.

 

Just because a cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make them biscuits.

 

no, i think they consider us part of massachusetts...

 

Easy there Pepsi.

 

This!

Now if you bring something to the table, like for instance: You just bought Cantillon and Vermonters get 5 cases per year at 7 euros a bottle. We would give you your "Real Vermonter" status back.

 

Wait, what was that classic text by Bryan & Mares... "Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats or Accept Bribes of Belgian Beer."

BTW, Jebediah/OP: assuming you can handle the cold winters and non-sweltering summers, I think you're going to love VT. The people, the great outdoors, the slower pace, and, of course, the beer, are all awesome.

 

So 20-30 minutes north of Brattleboro, must be Fellows Balls. Not much of a beer zone. Brattleboro will probably be your best option for the demon brews.

 

Congratulations. The two problems up here are #1 Jobs and #2 Jobs. If you got a good one, then it's golden. 20-30 minutes north of Brattleboro could mean a lot of things: is that north of Brattleboro on 91 or 20-30 minutes up and down country roads. In mud season it could take that long to go 2 miles down a dirt road.

 

Go to the beer travel guide, type in Bellows Falls, check all the boxes and see what you get- not very impressive. You are also about equidistant from Hanover, NH and White River Junc as from Brattleboro. And 20-30 minutes closer to the real Vermont beer scene then those unlucky beer drinkers 20-30 minutes south of you.

 

Don't mind Flashy, he's just bitter because he grew up in New Jersey drinking Schaefer, Esslinger and Neuweiler; nevermind the fact that he seldom gets out of West Dover and when he does it's to the grocery store and the local plumbing supply.

Since I'm a denizen of Brattleboro and have one of them good jobs in Fellows Balls I think I'm qualified to provide you with the most accurate 411 on the area.

Working with BF (Bellows Falls) as the center of a circle with a 20 mile radius. I'm going to use 20 miles and rule out Brattleboro & Ludlow just to prove my point. Here's what you got.

BF- Popolo: upscale modestly price restaurant in downtown that serves local food, and has five taps. One deadicated to Sierra Nevada, and the other four are always local and regional craft beers, i.e., Switchback, BBC, Otter Creek, Long trail, Rock Art, and Trapp Family. Not exactly a craft beer destination, but it's better than nothing.

North Walpole, NH is over the river from BF. They have Stateline grocery. Once you work your way through the haze of BMC products you will find a decent selection of craft beer, Belgian, and some English offerings. Oh, and now that the cat is out of the bag. All 750ml DFH are 9.99. (no it's not a typo). Last week I got a 2011 750ml bottle of Three Philosphers for 6.99. (no it's not a typo). So, they have Founders, Sierra Nevada, Rogue, DFH, Ommegang, Allagash, Rogue, Rising Tide, Shipyard, and just about every VT brewery.

Saxtons River is less than five miles to the West. they have the Pleasant Valley Brewery. They have some licensing issues, and can't make their own beer yet. They do however have ten taps and a few coolers full of bottles. Lot's of English and Scottish beer as well as VT and other craft beers.

Grafton is ten miles to the west from BF (beyond Saxtons River) is the Grafton Inn and the Phelps Barn Pub. Here you'll find only local beer for the most part. Three taps with VT beers and everything McNeill's has to offer. Not to diverse, but local. While your here, try some Graftoncheese.

Walpole NH which is five miles to the SE has the Walpole Village Tavern. Six taps & a meh selection of bottles. Nothing creative with the taps. You'll find Guiness, Harpoon, Sierra Nevada and the like.
Walpole is also home to Burdicks which is a sublime upscale dining experience. three or four taps of good beer along with a short list of respectable bottles, Ommegang, Unibroue are two that come to mind. Exceptional Chocolate!

Chester VT is located about thirteen miles to the North and is quite the little enclave. Medetrina is the local bottle shop which boasts an exceptional collection of craft beers both regional and local. They have even been known on occasion to have Heady Topper.
The Pizza Stone in Chester has great pizza and seventeen ever-changing taps of local goodness. Look for Vermont beers here like Fiddle Head and Hill Farmstead, Heady Topper, Otter Creek, Switchback, Lawsons, Founders, Rising Tide and Allagash. As Ferris Bueller once said "It is so choice, if you have the means, I highly recommend it." This place is a GEM!!!
MacLoamins Scottish Pub is also in Chester. Owned by a Scotsman you will find an excellent selection of English, Scottish, and regional craft beers on tap and in the bottle. Authentic Scottish food is servec along with pub grub. Call ahead to see if they are serving Haggis or blood pudding if that's your thing. This place is also worth checking out in Chester. Seating outside on nice days,

Putney VT is about 12 miles south of BF. JD McCliments serves up Celtic and American pub fare. Tap selection is meager with stuff like Long Trail, Guinness, Switchback, Wolaver’s IPA, P.B.R, and Blue Moon. A few bottles available. Nothing that stands out.
The Putney Food Coop has a small but solid selection of beers for sale. Sierra Nevada, Stone, Wolavers, and Peak Organic to name just a few. They also have some obscure beers from Oregon as well.

Claremont, NH is 12 miles to the North. Ramuntos Brick Oven pizza sports about 12 taps serving Switchback, Harpoon, Smuttynose, The Shed, and Woodstock Brewery products. Not exceptional yet not shabby.

Rawsonville which is approximately 20 miles to the West has Meulemans. They do growler fills, sell kegs, and have quite an impressive selection of bottles. Worth checking out for certain.

Keene NH is about 20 miles to the Southeast. In Keene you will find the Elm City Brewery. Good beer and good food. They usually have 5-7 different beers of their own on tap along with 3-5 guest taps.
Fritz fries is also in Keene. 5-6 taps of good beer and an honest selection of bottles. Great fries!
Brewtopia is a beer store in Keene. It's just as impressive as Meulemans with a few more selections that aren't available in VT like...Oskar blues and Moat Mountain. They also sell homebrew supplies if that's your thing.

I think that's all. So there you have it a decent smattering of beer stores, bars, pubs, and restaurants all within a 20 mile radius of Bellows Falls. A little further down the road has the likes of Brattleboro, Woodstock, Ludlow, Windsor (home of Harpoon), and Hanover NH. We'll save that for another day.