Vermont Trip - Sept/Oct

And Zero Gravity across the street.

 

And if you are looking for IPAs, Burlington Beer Co. and/or Four Quarters.

 

Foam is the 'prettiest' brewery, its location can't be beat. I think the 4 breweries you've listed above are better, and you'll find great things near them too. For example, Mule Bar is next door to 4Quarters

 

I'd put them above Foam. Fiddlehead is fantastic, but they only have 5 beers on tap - 2 of which (Fiddlehead IPA and Second Fiddle) are always available fresh in my local grocery store in MA in 12-packs, so means the allure of a brewery visit isn't that strong.

 

Also worth noting that Fiddlehead is about 10 miles south of Burlington in Shelburne which is a 20-25 minute drive one way on a good day. You can find Fiddlehead on tap everywhere in Burlington (and maybe some of their other offerings) and not hard to find IPA/Second Fiddle in local package stores. Long way of saying it's not worth going out of the way.

I highly recommend Mule Bar as one of the best beer bars in Burlington/Winooski. Especially if you didn't get enough HF on site (looks like 4 HF taps at the moment). Foam has been more hit or miss in recent years, but you can't beat the view.

 

Just came off a 3 day VT trip. 1 day each in Stowe, Waterbury, and Greensboro. I’d say that the alchemist and hill farmstead are going to be the 2 highlights. Build around those. I went early in the week freak folk was closed, so i hit up blackback pub in Waterbury. I can highly recommend them. I’d do some beers at freak folk, then pop into blackback for some food or if even for just one beer to get the experience and check the box, so to speak. Stowe was the hub for my trip and it was incredible. I liked it more than staying Burlington on my previous Vermont visit. Another tip would be to hit up a market and grab some crackers, cheese, salami, chips, hummus, etc and bring along to alchemist or hill farm. Specifically hill farmstead, since it’s a bit of a trek and the beers are unmatched, you’re going to want to spend awhile there.

 

Both Four Quarters and Fiddlehead involve a commute ... BBCo, Zero Gravity and Queen City are incredibly close to each other and easy to visit in a short amount of time. Also close to there, but lesser beer, is Switchback (right near BBCo). As said, Foam is the best location (closest to downtown and right across from water) and I generally end up there for a drink when I'm in Burlington because of that. Honestly, can't go wrong ... cool city with plenty of good beer at each of the places.

 

I would not put FQ in nearly the same category as Fiddlehead distance wise. Depending on where you are in Burlington, it's a 10 minute Uber to FQ or Mule Bar in Winooski, which is very similar distance to BBCo/Zero Gravity/Queen City.

 

Fair point. Guess I just meant it’s in the opposite direction of a bunch of other things that had been mentioned.

 

@OUJayhawk1799 just promise me you'll find a maple creemee, I enjoy creemee hunting more than beer hunting, no I'm not kidding. Oh and get yourself some maple cream to bring back home

 

Being near BBCo, Zero Gravity, and Queen City gives you optionality. If you like the beers or vibe at a certain place, you can stay. If you don't, you can leave and go somewhere else. You can also go back to wherever you were before. I don't think other spots like Foam, Four Quarters, or Fiddlehead are so far away that you can't go there via Uber, but if you're trying to maximize time and not commute between breweries, that would be my rec.

Switchback is kind of a townie brewery that gets overlooked. I like their smoked beer series. I think some of their lagers are underappreciated as well.

I have never had a bad time at Foam but I have also had very few beers I would call passable. I wouldn't knock anyone for going there. I myself would go there if my group wanted to go. However, I do think it's one of the most overrated breweries in New England. The views are awesome and it legit always has had a good vibe.

 

BBCo, Zero Gravity, and Queen City (& Switchback) is a fun little crawl.

Please do not Uber to Fiddlehead. And especially on a busy Fall weekend.

Foam is in downtown Burlington. Four Quarters is a ~10 minute Uber from downtown.

 

Switchbacks newly expanded tap room is a good option.

 

Unfortunately with changing hours and seasons I’m not sure my recommendations would do all that much. But I’m sure a quick search will yield plenty, especially in Burlington.

Red Hen Baking, which isn’t far from Waterbury is a cool little spot for food. They make their own cones, creemees aren’t as mapley as some but man those cones!!

Cool little beer shop with singles next door, single are priced up a tad but the four packs are competitively priced.

I’m sure there are plenty creemee stands in Burlington, hopefully not closed for season.

 

If you have time/desire after HF before heading back to Stowe, my favorite place for a creemee is a short detour in Walden (it had been called Tootsie's but they changed the name this year to Top of the Heights). My wife and I were there over the weekend and were told they'll be open till the leaves drop.

 

Canteen Creemee in Waitsfield, two min from Lawson
Crossroads store- on the traffic circle in Waterbury

 

The beer/wine store, called The Local, is def competitively priced for the area. Worth hitting up if in the area.

 

Not sure if this fits in the itinerary but when you venture out to Hill Farmstead, there is a place called Lake Willoughby that is 45 minutes North east (and further away from Stowe/Waterbury. It is the most beautiful mountain lake I’ve been to on the whole east coast of the US. They have a small beach area that is perfect for setting up some chairs, having some beers and a picnic lunch, and you’ll probably have minimal people around you. Highly recommend this off the beaten path place. My wife and I were there on 4th of July weekend, sunny and about 75 degrees at noon and there were only a few other people all around us.