Just How Remote is Hill Farmstead? An Explanation.

Good post. And yeah...shovel like we do in New England 80 days a year and then say that VT locals don't deserve some tasty goodness.

It's super far. I live in Boston, from New Hampshire, am turning into a bit of a beer freak, and haven't yet made the trek. I've gone skiing and planned trips and never seem to be anywhere near HF. It's cause there's nothing anywhere near HF.

I was recently offered some HF in a trade and it was super tempting but I'm saving it for the first time I'm able to make it up there. Hoping that after graduation in a few weeks I can orchstrate a hiking and HF trip. It's so far. Speaking of a hike!

 

Well said, until you experience the trip you have no idea what it's really like. You think, "OK, it HAS to be after this turn" every turn. You think you're lost for the last half hour and it you run out of gas you're walking a while. Then when you get there you get there a half hour early you say to yourself that you HAVE to be the first in line, only to find out there are 10-15 people in front of you. Don't get me wrong, it's well worth the trip but it's definitely hard to get there and you earn those tasty beers!!

 

I've gone 8 times in under a year. It's a 7 hour drive from my house, each way. I've gone with others and I've gone by myself. I've stayed over night, and I've come home the same day. I've gone in the snow. I walked the last mile and a half in the snow when my Prius wouldn't make it up the last stretch of unpaved roads, thinking for sure someone would pass me and pick me up, and no one passed me.

Still, I think the reason the beer trades so high, is the reason people like me are willing to make the trek up there, it's darn stinkin good beer.

 

While I completely agree (I've made the trip three times myself), remember we're talking about beer geeks here. The usual rules about "too far" or too anything don't apply.

Edit - see above

 

Yes they do, and you sir have finally gone too far.

 

haha - eh? you mean driving from NYC? yeah I'm just as bad

 

It's an 8.5 hour drive from where I live in PA. I'm considering driving to Vermont and back over a weekend at some point. I work night shift, so I'm free from Friday morning until Sunday night. I'd probably leave early Friday afternoon, and come back early Sunday morning. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Probably.

 

OP exaggerates a bit, but it is sometimes a chore to get around backwoods VT. I wouldn't have it any other way; moved here 14 years ago after research/visits to other places. We live 5 miles from the nearest pavement and I cuss as much as any visiting driver this time of year - early spring is ugly. Personally, I don't want it to be too easy to live, or even visit, here. A little rough stuff keeps the riff-raff out. Elitist? Yes, but based on desire rather than income.

VT is unique and not easy to 'get' for many Americans; this attitude is precisely why we have so many stellar brewers and other craft food producers here.

 

A trip to Hill Farmstead is a 4-hr. RT proposition under the best circumstances for me, and I prefer to avoid weekends up there so I schedule work around a once-a-month visit with other stops/business along the way. Sometimes I cannot make it due to poor driving conditions - even with 4WD, getting there can be stressful and even dangerous in snowy/icy conditions. In good weather it's a pleasant getaway. Currently I'm waiting for mud season to end as I cannot afford the increased maintenance costs it causes to my vehicle. Flexibility is required, of which I have plenty, fortunately. As for the notion that VT'ers might keep it to themselves, I must disagree on principal - there are a few serious traders in VT that are willing to deal with the above on a regular basis, but an awful lot of us simply buy it to consume ourselves and/or share with local friends & family. My discretionary income, like some of my peers, prevents me from buying full allotments - for good reason. I sure don't need to be buying excess just to have that money tied up in bottles sitting in my cellar, and personal ethics keeps me from trying to get money for it. Trying a new release every month is very pleasurable, but I don't want the time-suck and financial strain of finding homes for extra beer bought "on spec" that will result in yet more beer landing here in a cycle of endless acquisition. I can't drink it all, even in a lifetime, and there is no shame in that.

 

on the other hand I know ppl that do a 10 hour day trip up and back from Ct. to HF but not often.

 

mid November to March is snow season. march to june is mud season. it snowed and hailed during the third anny party on may 26th at HF. so weather can be a concern. lol.

 

It's 7 hours on a good day from Brooklyn, but we've made the trip 3 times in the past year. First time we did a cannonball one-day run, hitting the old Tree House on the way home, but the next two times we've made a trip out of it, staying overnight, enjoying the awesome food and beer at Three Penny, Pro Pig, et al... The drive sucks but its a really awesome experience if you plan it right and don't just rush to HF and back.

 

I think their high trade value comes from being fucking spectacular. If the same amounts were brewed in downtown Chicago the trade value would be the same, IMO.

 

I agree with the op except: the population Burlington is more like 45,000 and Montpelier is under 8,000, state total is under 700,000. Im not sure but I don't think Montreal is 2.5 hours, but you have to deal with customs. As a Vermonter what limits me from trading HF is limits at the brewery( not complaining and I understand why) and as said, it is so fucking good why trade it. Ive always been able to land what I want with Heady and others from our bottle shops, VT has good distro and lots of other good breweries. I make a few trips to HF a year and enjoy with family and friends.

 

Down a dirt road, down a dirt road...oh and By the way, You can't get there from here.

 

I was a HF local, well Greater Hardwick area (20 min drive to HF)... I trade(d) some but not that much, or go to the brewery all that much. Mostly because sure it is 40 min round trip, but then there is still a 3+ hr wait even on a non-release day. Just not worth it, when I can go 20 or 30 min in a different direction and have it on tap. The new setup has cut down wait times, but still, why am I going to wait when I can just go to my regular bar and have it on tap. 2 or 3 years ago, I'd go every week, sometimes twice, because you could walk in, and be done in 10 mins.

If you spend any amount of time in the Greensboro/Hardwick area you'd realize why no one would trade beer there. Half can't afford it, the other half would probably rather keep their goods in the state. And there are probably a good portion on both sides that wouldn't buy it because of home many people HF brings into the area.

And seriously, the roads are not that bad. As a DC native, I'd say the beltway is harder to navigate than anything you'd come up against in Vermont.

 

Roads are all perspective. I had no problems the other week in my little honda, whereas a guy from Connecticut in an SUV got there as I was leaving and was complaining about Taylor/Jaffin/Hill being the worst thing he's ever driven on.

 

haha...yeah, mud season in northern New England is something most people in the US are oblivious to, 4-wheel drive requirements should be mandated on many dirt roads this time of year. I have a honda accord and as a firefighter in this state I have driven it up logging roads, across creeks, through the worst of winter's wrath and taken it places it was definitely not designed to go...yet driving across Nashville Rd in Jericho this past weekend was a true test for both the car's clearance and my skills.

I've only been to HF once...and look forward to returning with the new expansion, but that maybe a while.