More Vermont Help?

+1

 

I do to an extent agree this is ambitious, though well thought out. You could lose a few and enjoy more time.

However, if you have a DD, then have fucking at it and see how far you can get!

 

Agree with skipping rock art, foam, lost nation (weren't they up for sale?) pro pig, and Def vermont pub. Trapp is worth it in my mind if it's nice and you can sit outside and enjoy the setting for a few lagers.

 

Counterpoint to the skip rock art and lost nation takes:

stopping in at one will cost 20 minutes of the day. Stopping in at both will cost 40 minutes of the day. They’re so on the way between HF and Stowe that unless you’re racing the sun to drink outside at Alchemist, they add basically 0 time to the day at all. Now no DD and it changes the calculus a bit, I wouldn’t give up beers at HF to make extra stops before settling at a hotel and walking to any of the Stowe breweries. But from a time/ambitiousness of the day perspective, they really don’t change things much.

 

Yeah. The tough thing (relatively speaking) is that you’re not gonna stay near HF (nor are there even a ton of options), and it will be the first stop on your day, so you’re kind of limited there by having to drive back to Stowe/Waterbury right after either way. But like others have said, a lot of the things to try there are small, so as long as you’re not going for multiple BA stouts it’ll be closer to having a flight than not and still be able to include some insanely good stuff.

all that said, don’t overthink it. Both of these options are perfect days:

HF at open->Von Trapp->staying on mountain road in Stowe so you can walk and hit Alchemist, The Bench, & Doc Pond’s

HF at open->Alchemist->stay in Waterbury so you can walk between freak folk, Blackback, reservoir, pro pig

can’t go wrong with either as long as you’re strategic about hotel, it will make a huge difference in how much you can try

 

FWIW, I stopped at Lost Nation last fall. I think half to 2/3 of their taps were guest beers

 

HF won't let you go nuts, and the next stop is close to an hour away.

 

Driving around rural northern Vermont during Memorial Day weekend will be a lot different than driving around suburban St. Louis.

There are no Ubers in the Waterbury/Stowe area. Maybe a local taxi service if you're lucky and, again, it's a busy weekend.

 

Uber is allowed there, there just aren’t really any. It wouldn’t shock me if you can find one that weekend, but you should plan as though you can’t and hope you get pleasantly surprised. So to that I ask how much walking can you tolerate?

if <5 min, stay at the Old Stagecoach Inn, it’s a hundred yards from freak folk/pro pig/blackback/reservoir. There are also some airbnbs right there. This would be my suggestion either way, actually. Granted, it’s haunted

If you can tolerate a mile or two, you have a ton of options. There’s a best western just under a mile walk from those spots. And if you’d prefer Stowe, the stretch from the beginning of mountain road to alchemist is about 2 miles. You probably want to stay near the bench and doc ponds as those are two of your better food and beer bar options there, but there are also a good handful of hotels right near alchemist and idletyme.

 

Didn’t notice this was Memorial Day Weekend til now. I’d recommend booking your stays ASAP as it’s a very busy weekend up there. Also, that is HF’s anniversary week so I’d allot more time there for the inevitable larger crowd. That Friday is probably the busiest day there aside from the day before FoFA, at least in my experience.

 

Lost Nation stopped canning a couple of years ago and I'm not sure they even brew anymore. However, Soulmate Brewery opened last year in Morrisville. They make a variety of styles, and now also can them. I was there a couple of weeks after opening, and everything was great. From what I heard, it only got better. There is also Red Barn on Route 2 which is a nice low-key brewery with a simple food menu and enjoyable beers.

 

dont skip rock art, that place is f*cking legacy OG man

 

anyone had anything from Wunderkammer Bier? They're on 15 between HF and Stowe but only open for retail a few days per month. I don't think they'd be my cup of brew (all mixed fermentation/field beer/strange additions) but I would like to hear what others think.

 

Autumn. It's fucking magical man. Even if it rains. And my own personal rule is to always avoid holidays and special events where possible, unless your intentions specifically feature them.

 

Oh man, I've been outed! Are you a member of the old USCHO community? Haven't been active over there in a looooong time.