I see these threads all over the place but thought I'd put one up for Vermonters specifically. What is your favorite shelf beer within Vermont's distribution? Doesn't have to be brewed in Vermont, though I assume those will get a lot of love here, just available here and readily available. My personal favorites are basically any Founders, Frost or Foley Bros. beers but there are a lot I have yet to try. Thanks for the suggestions!
I just had Prospect by Foley Bros on draft and it is crazy good. I think Foley Prospect, Pieces of 8 (Doesn't sit on shelves long) Fair Maiden, Lost Nation the Wind, Burlington Beer Co (whatever is out), and Hermitt Thrush Party Guy, and Sour IPA are terrific go-tos depending on mood. For Stouts, honestly BA RIS by Rock art is very underrated. For sours Crooked Stave, and Almanac always fill my needs. The Belgian beers that are always at Healthy Living like Rodenbech, Duchess, and Petrus are staples for the style. Weinstephaner and Schnieder Weisse are the best germans you can always get.
Local stuff: conehead, tribute, burlington beer stouts and porters, ottercreek mixed packs, rock art cans. Peach mortal and Aphrodite, Frost, Simple roots, super session( it's been lasting all week lately) Smuttynose- Porter, imperial Porter, findestkind kind(when fresh Mass rising and hoppiness Union when fresh Founders- backwoods, breakfast, Porter all day Sierra Nevada $12.99 12packs Pearl street bevieshelves always have surprises-brooklinBA bottles, BA belgiums, Cisco imperial stout, even more Jesus, biscotti break full eclipse line up, almanac and crooked stave sours Or the BCBs I stumbled upon in Price chopper today.
Should be seeing Calyptra (session IPL) & Hoponius Union in 12pk/12 oz cans up there soon. I believe Mass Rising will see cans sooner than later. I know (based on pics on their website) that their House Lager & Excess IPL will be in 16 oz cans.
Among the stuff I routinely see on the shelf, I'd say Foley Brothers Citrennial. Prospect is amazing, and Pieces of 8 and Fair Maiden too...but they seem less commonly available. Citrennial always is and is still very good (really should be canned). Aside from that Limbo, Double Bag are among my favorites.
Heady and SoS of course. Old Chub, Vitus, pretty much anything Crooked Stave, Lost Nation Pilsner, Trapp Pilsner, Unibroue Maudite and Trois Pistoles. Love Foley Bros. on tap but bottles are sometimes oxidized (and expensive). It's way too hard to narrow things down; such an embarrassment of riches.
It's amazing how long the basic founders dark beers last on shelves here. when I visit Wisconsin stores they often limit the breakfast stout and imperial to three 12oz bottles per customer
Crazy to me. FIS and FBS are two of my favorites. Also crazy that Backwoods is sitting around as well.
Sorry, I'm not a Vermonter but go there very often. Love how easy Zero Gravity Conehead is to get. Love that stuff. An all day beer for me.
Recently had the new formulation of It's Complicated Being a Wizard from BBC. It's not really a shelf beer because it moves, but there's never a line for it and man it blew me away.
It's Complicated Being a Wizard was one of my top picks in a recent IIPA line-up with the top dogs of VT. Homebrews serves most of my day to day needs and will really only pick up beer for gatherings or tastings, but most anything from Burlington Beer & Von Trapp, occasionally Foley's, Conehead, Ommegang Rosetta, SN Hop Hunter, blue-mooner's are Tribute, Allagash & MBC beers.
