VT Unveiled

VT. For some reason this tiny, sparsely populated state produces beers that outshine those from most of the rest of the world. The 3 best (D)IPAs I've ever had are fairly readily available in this state, yet nearly every attempt I've made at trading for these gems has been a failure. Up until recently I've never understood why.

Last week as part of my vacation to the NE, I decided too take two days to drive around VT, stocking up on these "still on the shelf whalez". My trip consisted of hitting up the warren store on a Thursday for Lawson's, then heading up to Hill Farmstead, and stopping by a few shops to grab some Heady before coming back home.

Prior to this trip, I never really understood the geographic / demographic makeup of the state of VT which is what leads to the difficulties in obtaining these beers. As a whole, the state is made up of a beautiful web of winding highways through sparsely populated mountain towns with 30 mph speed limits. This means that getting nearly anywhere in the state for the few people that live there typically takes hours.

When I went to The Warren Store on Thursday morning I got there at 11 o'clock . Their weekly delivery of Lawson's had arrived around 10 (Double Sunshine this week). My gf and I managed to grab the 2 person limit of 8 bottles. This store is in the middle of nowhere with just a few houses within a 20 minute drive and hardly any other businesses within close proximity. While I was at the store, however I saw probably 10-15 people also get their allotment of DS. The store owner informed me that they got a total of 22 cases that they expected to sell out within a few hours. While there are a few other stores that sell Lawson's in the state, this store is the major seller, and low quantities combined with high demand from (a small set) of locals who tend to buy the beer weekly for their own consumption leads to very little of these brews being available for trade. If you make a trip to VT, I highly recommend you hit up the warren store. The owners are awesome people and the store itself is very interesting and unique.

After hitting the Warren Store I drove to Hill Farmstead. It took us a couple of hours. Hill farmstead is about 20 minutes off of a paved road down a few dirt roads (with huge ruts in the mud when I made the trip). Hardly anyone at all lives within quick driving distance of the brewery. I went on a Thursday afternoon and stayed for a couple of hours. Only 3-4 other people visited the brewery while I was there. Visiting HF was the most amazing beer experience I've had to date. The brewery is a small warehouse/barn on the top of a mountain with a beautiful view of the countryside in all directions. The taplist while I was there surpassed any other brewery/brewpub I've ever visited. The entire brewery is about the size of my living room and I live in a tiny apartment in Chicago. None of the brews at this brewery are overrated. They are all fantastic. My point with all of this is that even though bottles may sit on the shelf at this brewery for a decent amount of time, for most people to access them, they must drive many hours. This is what leads to their high trade value. If you make a trip to VT, visiting Hill Farmstead should be at the top of your list.

On my way out of VT I snagged a couple of cases of Heady. I saw Heady at a few places that had been delivered earlier in the week, so it isn't quite as hard to come by as the others. However, getting this beer requires a long drive for all but a small amount of people.

I just wanted to share my experience to give everyone a little perspective on why these beers tend to trade for such high value and to tell you all that they are worth the hype. If you're planning a beer cation, VT should be near the top of your travel destinations. If you do go there I highly recommend you stay at Windekind Farms. It is beautiful, well run, and affordable.

Cheers!

 

Since it was such a short trip, sadly I wasn't, but I'm already planning another trip within the next year. This time we'll probably be spending the entire week in VT.

 

Windeking Farms is what sold my gf on the trip (that and I'm the breadwinner so she does what I say). Romantic cottages on a secluded farm in the mountains. They have 20 some miles of trails for skiing / hiking / snowshoe hiking. My old lady actually suggested VT become our regular vacation spot. (Disclaimer: my gf actually wears the pants in our relationship).

 

My understanding is that they get their shipment every Thursday. I think it typically comes in a little after 10 and sells out within a few hours. Maybe someone that has visited the store more than once can chime in on this.

 

The information is readily available, but I don't think it is common for people to research the location where beers are brewed prior to attempting to trade for them... I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here.

 

Let me rephrase, I'm not sure what value you were trying to add with your reply. The point of my post was to make this "research" you speak of a little easier for BAs.