Burlington Vermont trip

My vote is always for the Blackback. Draft list at both places is excellent (though different) but I prefer the atmosphere at BB. Pro Pig food probably gets the nod, but between feel and beer, it's BB for me. You can't go wrong at either so don't sweat it.

 

I'm not sure how long we'll actually stay, probably head out after lunch. I'm thinking I may try to grab a beer at both just to see each one. We'll might swing through Ben and Jerry's and the Cabot Annex too. We should arrive around noon, probably spend a few hours in Waterbury.

Has anyone ever eaten at Bleu (seafood restaurant in the Marriott)?

 

Never been to Bleu, but I did go to Ben and Jerry's last summer. Not my bag. It has that Disney world feel with music, enormous gift shop, and lots of ice cream enthusiasts. Scary how much it's like a brewery now that I'm thinking about it.

 

Ha!

So true...I don't want to derail the thread, and I don't mean to offend anyone, but kids can potentially be a pain in the ass at a brewery. Some are well behaved, and some are running around all over the place...not really what I want when I'm just standing/sitting around enjoying a beer at what is essentially a bar.

And to get back on track, I only asked because it's at the hotel, and my family had mentioned it. Hen of the Wood seems like a better option, but that menu looks a bit too eclectic for most of my family.

 

I love both places and having to choose is the good kind of problem to have, but I would say that the atmosphere at Blackback is one of the warmest/friendliest I have encountered. Pro Pig has more of your modern gastropub feel. Blackback just looks like a regular ol' bar on the inside, mostly, and everyone working behind the bar is super nice. The looks are a bit deceiving given the quality of the food and drink.

This is just my impression as an out-of-towner who has been by there a few times over the span of 2 trips.

By the way, does anyone know whether you can bring kids into Blackback? I'm headed back out that way later this summer, and there is now a baby in tow.

 

I ate there with a 2 and 4 year old (nephews), but timing is important. Small place, not many tables and they are high tops. Baby seems like it could work in a carrier on a chair.

 

Blackback all the way!!! However, if you do stop in at Pro Pig, I had a MUCH better experience sitting at the bar at the brewery (behind main building) than at the main bar.

 

A friend who works at Fiddlehead told me last night they recently lost two barreled fruit sours (they hardly do any of them) when a little kid pulled the bungs out of both during a tour, and presented them to his parents with great pride.

 

I'd have presented the parents with the bill for the thousands of dollars they lost. An expensive lesson to watch your kid if you insist on bringing them into a brewery.

 

Yikes! Yeah, it's one thing to bring a kid into a brewery to sit and eat/drink, another to take them back to the production area on a tour.

I wonder why simply pulling the bungs caused them to lose the barrels of beer? (Just given that the bungs are normally on top of the barrels, so it's not like they would have dumped out, and likely wouldn't have been infected from simply pulling the bungs, which would have already happened when adding fruit, would happen again at bottling/kegging, etc.)

 

Right now, there is a brand new and amazing restaurant next to Zero Gravity on Pine St. called the Great Northern. Go in and put your name in for 'reservations' while killing time at ZG, if you're planning on going. The food is fantastic and the beer list is great too!

Also, the Pro Pig IPAs are fantastic. The Easy D DIPA, Bantam DIPA and Mosiac Blonde IPA are particularly nice right now. Get a crowler for later at the brewery itself (always a better experience than the pub, for sure!!) if you don't want to deal with drinking half pours on top of the rest of Waterbury awesomeness.

 

Made up I found this thread, I am planning to do a 2/3 day trip to Vermont during a 9 day holiday to New York this August so now have about 10 more starred places on my google maps to visit.

Just a bit off (beer) topic, would people suggest staying in Burlington or somewhere else (Stowe/Waterbury/??). The main reason for the visit is to visit the Alchemist but also keen to get out in the country/bit of hiking as well. Any suggestions would be good! Thanks

 

Waterbury is very small. I wouldn't stay there for 3 nights. Burlington has a lot more to do. I wouldn't base my hotel location around The Alchemist because you'll probably only be there for an hour tops. It isn't a place to hang out. Just samples and cans to take away.

 

It really depends on what you are looking to do. If you are looking to hike, do some swimming, and general outdoorsy stuff, Stowe is the better option. You are striking distance to some of the best hiking in the state (Smugglers Notch State Park), great swimming holes (Bingham Falls and Moss Glenn Falls), the Stowe Bike Path, etc. Idletyme and Trappe Lodge are 2 of my favorite places to drink outside period. There are few better experiences to be had in the state than hiking the Mansfield Ridge and crushing a Heady at the summit.

 

I really enjoy stopping at Scout & Co.at least once when I'm in Vermont. Probably a good spot for the kids since they also have ice cream.
Also, when I stopped at Bleu last year they served some gigantic oysters. Good seafood, but a little bit more upscale (which is a little unexpected for a restaurant inside a Courtyard by Marriott). It's comparable to Hen of the Woods in terms of quality, though it's much more quiet (it was dead when I was there but that was early in the evening). Juniper is also good food, but like Hen and Bleu, I don't think it's as kid-friendly in terms of food and atmosphere.

 

Just did a 3 night stay in Waterbury/Stowe area over the Memorial Day holiday. Stayed with my family at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott which is 5 minutes from Waterbury Center and 15 or so minutes from Alchemist. We did some hiking, kayaking, bowling, took a trip to Burlington (about 30 minute ride), drove out to the islands on Lake Champlain, etc. We had a great time out in the country. As the other poster said, it all depends on what you want to do but Waterbury was a great location for us.

 

Thanks for that, Stowe looks the best option for us I think as we are looking to get outdoors during a week in the city!

Burlington looks better for food/drink however but there doesn't look like very easy transport links between the two places, which means no drinking as will have to drive.

Plenty of options in Stowe tho by the looks of it.

 

Not sure about Stowe but I've used Uber around the Burlington area. I wonder if you could find a ride between the two.

 

Generally speaking (bass on two recent visits), there is zero uber presence in Stowe or Waterbury. If you don't have someone who can stay sober, then don't plan to go from Stowe/Waterbury to Burlington.

 

Well, we had an amazing trip, thanks to all of the recommendations in this thread (among others).

Drove straight up to Waterbury and hit up Prohibition Pig for lunch. While waiting for our table my brothers and I shot across the street to Blackback for a pint. Got to sample some River Roost (amazing stuff) and had a HF Susan. Unfortunately didn't head back to the brewery (my parent's did), so we ate in the main restaurant.

We then hit up the Ben and Jerry's tour (you guys were right, definitely for the kids, but fun to do anyways and was well run), and then the Cabot Cheese Annex/Lake Champlain Chocolates. That Annex...unlimited cubes of cheese, my God. I will definitely be heading back to Waterbury, what a beautiful little town.

Traveled up to Burlington to check in, and immediately went to Foam Brewers for a few drinks outside. Foam is as advertised, and is definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. From there we had dinner at Farmhouse which was excellent, and sitting outside in the beer garden drinking Focal Banger (I think?) and then having a Second Fiddle with dinner made it that much better.

Finished the night up at Juniper, the bar at the Hotel Vermont which has an awesome outdoor fire pit, which is also connected to the Marriott's fire pit. So much great beer on tap everywhere, and being able to order a Heady and Focal to finish up the night (and bring back up to the hotel room) was the cherry on top.

Saturday began at Skinny Pancake which also came as advertised, I believe I had the fried (baked/breaded?) chicken and shredded potato crepe covered in sausage gravy. And poutine fries on the side...yeah, I was stuffed. Then it was off to Stowe to hit up the Alchemist to have a few samples and pick up some Heady, Focal, and Ouroboros (a new one for me).

Next up the Von Trapp bier hall and lodge...probably the highlight of the trip for me. It was gorgeous up there between the two spots. I would love to have my wedding up there at the lodge. And finally, ate at Doc Ponds, which was probably the best food we had on the trip. A must stop if you're in the area (and again, the draft list is amazing). As a side note, it was funny to see a four pack of Heady Topper just hanging out in the fridge at the random liquor store down the street from The Alchemist.

Headed back to Burlington to swing by Zero Gravity/Queen City for a few more afternoon beers. I really dug the Zero Gravity spot, and Queen City has a nice variety of "not so popular" styles that I like to see on a menu. For dinner we went to Pizzeria Veritas (solid recommendation) and I also think this was the night we swung by Vermont Pub and Brewery, which was disappointing. I had an Irish Dry Stout on cask that tasted sour and overly sweet, definitely well past it's prime in my opinion. My brother's session IPA was also subpar. We left the beer's about a quarter full and headed back to Juniper for a night cap.

The final morning of the trip started off by picking up Myer's Bagels, they were decent, albeit slightly hard. Perhaps it was because they open at 4 am and we picked up the bagels around 9:30ish? I did get the ones were going to eat immediately toasted, who knows. Then we headed to Penny Cluse for breakfast...the gingerbread pancakes and "special" French Toast (ricotta and rhubarb on top) were to die for.

After that we walked over to the docks to pick up the ferry around the lake. We had some time to spare so my brothers and I went over for a quick beer at Foam. The Kubrick is awesome if you get the chance to try it. I also forgot to mention their Golden Sour I had two days prior that was excellent (I forget the name now). My brother had the stronger/fruitier less sour version which I thought was good, albeit a bit too sweet and fruity.

The cruise around the lake was relaxing and it was a beautiful day...except when the wind picked up and launched my phone in mid air down to the 1st deck right on the screen. Good bye screen...as my mom pointed out, it could have gone in the lake.

After that we took an Uber over to Burlington Beer Co., who have some sneaky good beers...I almost didn't head over there. I like the Nintendo at the tables as well.

Sobered up a bit back in the city, and had some food at the Red Onion, and grabbed a coffee at Muddy Waters. I would have liked to hit up a few more cafes, but food and beer were the main attractions on this trip. Dinner was at the Single Pebble which had solid Chinese food (not take out Chinese). It was a great way to top off the tank, well close to topping it off, before heading to Ben and Jerry's for some late night ice cream. Finished up at the Church Street Tavern to watch Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, where we had a few beers and a final Heady Topper. We walked by the barcade on the way back to the hotel, which I regrettably forgot about. That would have been a cool late night spot, and it looked to be fairly busy.

The next day we needed lunch on the way back and ended up with a bonus meal/beer(s) at the Three Penny Taproom. Ironically, I might have had the best beer of the entire trip there, Double Nelson from Hill Farmstead. Don't sleep on the chicken sandwich, it was excellent (I heard the burgers there are awesome, but I wanted something after this trip).

Anyways, sorry for the long recap (and any typos, I didn't feel like reading this over ), but I wanted to capture everything because I received so many great recommendations.

Thanks again everyone, I can't wait to go back.

Cheers!