Are any of Vermont's main breweries available within an hour's drive of Brattleboro? Extensive googling appears to indicate I'm out of luck. Any must-visit breweries in that range in Vermont or New Hampshire? Any places that serve hill farmstead?
River Roost is about an hour from there - they make amazing IPAs. It is next to Big Fatty's BBQ which has HF on tap (as well as River Roost). Whetstone Station is a great restaurant, with a brewery, and has HF on tab - they are in Brattleboro. An MA brewery, Brick and Feather, is pretty close to Brattleboro as well and is very good. In Brattleboro, you also have Hermit Thrush who make good sours. All VT places that serve HF can be found here: http://hillfarmstead.com/where-to-find-our-beer/
I think @Resuin summed it up well here. The one thing I would add is that you can find some MA/NH/VT brews on the shelves of the Brattleboro Co-op, a few hundred yards from Whetstone Station. Whetstone has two great decks (one a roof deck) overlooking the Connecticut River on a nice day. Their beers are okay, but a strong draft selection in addition to their own, including HF as mentioned.
other ideas for southern Vt on this thread - https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/mini-vt-run-for-ma-ri-ct-flatlanders.498372/
Building 8 (BLDG8) is about 45 minutes south in MA. Limited selection (likely just IPA and Session IPA this time of year), but it's a cool little place with good beer. Check their social media as to what's on when you are around. They do cans of the IPAs as well as on draft.
Feel my pain! I'm just across the river from Brat, even deeper into the great beer desert-wasteland that lies at the geographical heart of New England. As noted, Whetstone Station usually has outstanding taps and bottles. The Marina has had decent taps, including Fiddlehead, the couple of times I've been (when Whetstone has been too crowded). The Brattleboro Coop is hit or miss. They're getting Lawsons every other week now and, the last time I was there, they had a ton of MBC, Burlington Beer and Frost Beer Works along with the Sip of Sunshine. Other times it's been slim pickings. You never know until you get there. If you're into the sour stuff, Hermit Thrush is the great Vermont brewery. McNeill's is a great Vermont brewery, too, not in the sense that the beer itself is great - although it isn't, strictly speaking, not great - but more as an example of what Vermont brewing used to look like before it got hip. I wouldn't necessarily bring kids in there but you can't really go to Brattleboro without stopping into McNeill's. Don't bother crossing the river into New Hampshire. If you do, avoid Elm City Brewing because it will make you sad. Brewtopia in Keene is the only place worth visiting and, if you go when it's slow, like, on a weekday afternoon, Zack will personally fix you up with everything worth having (Stoneface!) from NH's otherwise suck-ass distribution. Like @Resuin said, Brick & Feather. Brick & Feather is as good as, or better than, anything else in New England. Just nobody knows it because they're not canning yet. So, basically, what @Resuin and @Piels25 already said, only in more words... plus McNeill's.
I second (or third) Brick and Feather. Right on a nice rail trail as well! Whetstone is excellent, agree on McNeills (you nailed it), and Hermit Thrush. Would like to add an awesome place in Bennington, which opened last year, Tap Room at Catamount Glass on County Street.
The Co-op in Bratt is good for most VT beer besides the big hard to find places up north... Harpoon, while not the most exciting beer-wise have a nice spot in Windsor if you are heading that way. I would additionally add that if you are staying in the brattleboro area, heading south to mass is a great option for that area. Turners Falls, Greenfield, Northampton are all areas with an active beer scene, and you can get most of the best that MA has to offer on draft at various places (besides treehouse, etc)
Honest weight is a 42 min drive. It is IMO the 2nd best brewery in MA that gets little chatter. Brick and feather and stone cow are not far from there at all. Its a great beer day. I've done it quite a few times.
Just wanted to second Whetstone, the co-op, and Worth Kitchen. I'm sure the other stuff is good too, but those are the ones I can give a first hand recommendation on. If you get a chance, hit up the Brattleboro farmers market if only to witness what seems like an SNL parady of a what a farmer's market in crunchy Vermont would be like
