What is it about Vermont?

I've had brews by all the VT heavy hitters and found them to be about as good and sometimes a bit better than what's on hand at the packy in my Boston neighborhood. Well done, VT.

 

Great post. There are many ways to learn. Having a genuine natural curiosity about everything helps. I can name about 6 teachers through the years that saw right through me, and they taught me what little I know. I need to reread Don Quixote, to laugh, and marvel again at how our species really never changes. Great stories do indeed abound, waiting to be told, and hopefully with some brand of humor. We ALL need it! Beer is a wonderful story line and is timeless.

 

You mean those folks who rate and review beers on every rate and review site? Hmmmm, what does matter than?

 

As I recall Alchemist had that. Many variations of 32 different styles of beer back before Irene made it all a flooded and destroyed mess. Of course they were all DONGs so the comparison with SN might not be apt.

I think the person who said that big batch wide distro brewers can't make beer as good as small batch limited distro brewers is on the money. It makes the comparison tricky, because they are shooting at two different markets. That said, comparing the beers they do make against each other yields the result given by myself and the great majority of others who overwhelmingly think the big 3 of Vt. make beers of superior quality.

 

Considering NorCal alone is several times the size of Vermont, this is hard to compare, but where I live now (Truckee) doesn't come anywhere close to what I had locally available when I lived in NH, and thats not counting the VT breweries that were a stones throw and short drive away for me. 50/50 is a great brewpub but it's not any better than a lot of other great brewpubs I've been to. Californians are so damn obsessed with IPAs that it's hard to find a decent 6 pack of non-IPA from a brewer other than the big guys like SN, Deschutes, or NB (keyword being decent, plenty of mediocre breweries selling all sorts of mediocre 6-packs). I end up picking up beer in Reno a lot and thankfully Founders has come around there because their porter is one of my favorites. I realize, this is mostly the town/region I live in, and not indicative of NorCal as a whole, but with a state this big, people have to remember California still has a long way to come in many parts.

 

DONGs?

 

A couple of things people tend to lose sight over- personal preference plays a huge role in a lot of this stuff, and it's not a competition.

Some wine enthusiasts may have a preference for Burgundies, some Bordeaux, some Tuscany, and so on. But I bet all would agree that each of those regions make fine wine. Why can't it be the same way with beer? Different regional approaches, all terrific, and that's that. Enjoy what you like, and vive le difference!

 

Draft Only No Growlers

 

Being from Montreal, Quebec, and often travelling to Vermont mainly for beer, I would say that beer is just a part of the whole Vermont culture/vibe, where people are friendly, progressists, laid-back, open-minded, curious about greener/local/quality products. For sure, HF, Lawson's and Alchemist are the 3 big stars, but it's more than that. Many breweries in Vermont would get a mad following if they were anywhere else, but locally they are overshadowed by these 3. Lost Nation, Fiddlehead, and Backacre (only blenders, not brewers) are all quite interesting only to name a few. You can also find decent to great craft beer selection, sometimes growler filling stations in some roadside gas stations in the middle of nowhere in rural Vermont, which would be inthinkable here...

In the world of wine, the concept of terroir is quite omnipresent, while it's way harder to find in beer, as this term refers to a "sense of place", or a concept of "somewhereness". While soil, climate, and even local yeasts are always considered part of terroir, to a certain extent the local knowledge, savoir-faire or know-how is sometimes considered a part of terroir too, when wines of a certain region are all pretty much made in a same way. For me, Vermont kinda exhibits what would be a sense of place, as they contributed to define some styles like the Vermont IPAs that show subtle bitterness in favor of huge aromatic hops, with pale and dry malt bases. For me the quintessence of somewhereness in beer is quite embodied by HF's saisons, which exhibits a really unique yeast profile, and balance with an elegant mouthfeel, fresh acidity, and

They also show a great team spirit, being collaborative instead of competitive, real gentlemen overall with a great passion for quality, sharing, giving back to the community and a quiet, simple way of life.

That being said, they are also open on the world, and you can find in a 5000 citizens small town some tilquin gueuze on tap, in a bar where you'll be served a burger made with local grass-fed beef and local goat cheese. All that at a fair price. Did I mention I really like Vermont?

 

Because, no matter HOW you try and twist it, rarity does play a part in rating beer. And as I noted earlier, I've had some fantastic beers from your part of the world and Sip of Sunshine is one of my favorite IPAs ever. But if I had to choose a single brewery for the rest of my life, ESPECIALLY if I were tak

Personally, I don't care TOO much about what others rate beers at as taste is completely subjective. And, as I noted earlier, I've had some fantastic beers from your part of the world. Sip of Sunshine is one of the best hoppy beers I've ever tried and 14th Star Tribute IPA was right behind it. I did think Vicinity (the only beer I've had from Trillium) was really good but not outstanding, and I think Heady has been anywhere from very good to outstanding, depending on the batch. I've had six or seven HF beers (all in bottles) and they ranged from decent to outstanding as well. With all that being said, if I had to pick one brewery exclusively to consume the rest of my life, it would be Sierra Nevada. They make great, consistent beers across a wide-range of styles at a price point that's tough to beat.

You can say my opinion doesn't matter because I'm not 100% sold that VT/NH/MA are hands down the mecca of craft beer right now, but in no way does that make you right. You can decide what you think is the best for yourself, just like every other person on this site can.

 

wow, never thought this little state would get so much beertention!
Well, you can't bash some who are proud of being 11th generation of any state, I am only 7th generation, but most of us really only care if you are a good person not wanting to change how things are, which come to think of it, is like a lot of other places.
Best beer in the world, naw, not after going abroad to Belgium and other countries, or to the Denver area or to other parts of the USA. Way to many styles out there to give that award to anybody. But Vermont beer is very good and hype with any product comes with the territory especially when it wins a ton of awards.

And as far a being like California, nope not even close, but its cool to visit.

 

My point was my opinion is an overwhelming popular opinion. You certainly can drink what you want.

I responded originally either to you, or someone else, who said that Sierra Nevada is a better brewery than Hill Farmstead. This was in response to either me or someone else challenging to find a brewery making better beer than Hill Farmstead. I have since pointed out most folks's subjective taste in beer overwhelmingly believes SN doesn't make beer as fine as Hill Farmstead. It also has been pointed out, including by me, that it isn't a good comparison anyway because of the different size and market for their beer. You may believe SN makes better beer than Hill Farmstead, but that is a real outlier opinion. You may believe SN is a better brewery, but that is an opinion that is even more subjective, and not what I believed we were talking about, which is the beer they make.

 

Also a reason for some of us to leave the state. The brewing industry in Vermont certainly does not pay as well as in other parts of the country and honestly the lifestyle is just rural outside of Burlington/Montpel I don't really see what people mean when they make these statements. I've lived here for 7 years if "nothing to do" due to a lack of everything outside city centers is a better way of life I am kind of glad I am leaving.

 

Special water!!

 

Agree. VT beers mostly better than what our stores in MD sell. Otter Creeks are some of the better hoppy ales we get down here in MD amongst other non-VT brews, but they aren't even in the Holy Trinity "HF, Alchemist, Lawson's"

 

It's a great place, with a fantastic attitude...

Rides real well too... http://imbibehour.blogspot.com/2015/10/vermont-is-scenic-paradise-beer-is-not.html

 

If you were comparing some top notch IPA's to HF and HT I would agree with you- there is much room to debate, but you'd take Sierra Nevada, (a fine brewer) over the former breweries? Agree to disagree, you must not get fresh versions of NE IPA's down in Ken-tuck-ee. I hope some of this Vermont hype helps us sell our home quick.

 

No. It would be how they treat the water in the brewery. Maybe more chloride than the usual sulfate?

Anyone notice bags of Calcium Chloride or Gypsum in the brew house of your favorite VT brewery?

 

For their overall portfolio of beers, especially when looking at price? Yep, I would. I know it's an unpopular opinion, especially amongst the folks from the NE (who seem to have a bigger sense of pride for the beer coming from their area than any other folks in the country), but it's still how I feel.

And all the beer I've tried from your neck of the woods has been incredibly fresh. As in the folks who brought it to me (never traded for any of it) literally picked it up in VT/NH/MA within a week of me opening the bottles/cans. In that sense I'm incredibly lucky as I have friends who have been able to bring me back tons of goodies from that area every time they are up there (several times a year). Again, I have loved some of the beers I've had from up there. Several are amongst the best I'll ever have in the respective styles. But I haven't had enough from one brewery to make me say "that's the brewery I'd drink for the rest of my life if I could only drink beer from one brewery". I know it's not popular and some have said my opinion is worthless because of it, but it's how I feel. It's not an insult. More speaking to how readily available great beer is to most anyone in this country, especially if you can look past the rarity factor (which I have succumbed to more than my share of times).

As an aside, the last shipment time I had beer from the NE was in May when my little brother brought back Vicinity, Sip of Sunshine, Heady, 14th Star Tribute, and Long Trail Limbo (he worked at Long Trail for a bit). All were purchased within two weeks of us opening them when he arrived in KY. My ranking would be Sip, Tribute, Heady/Vicinity, and Limbo. I have had Heady on about 10 diff occasions, and this wasn't my fav batch but still good. Tribute was the surprise of the group but Sip remains one of my favorite beers of all time.

 

C'mon it's the mojo definitely the mojo!