Maine to HF Question

I'm going to go against the grain here and say go for it. The trip could be one of life's big adventures. However, do this only if you have clear weather for the entire day.

I suggest following Rt. 28 from Portland to Bethel then Rt. 2 all the way to VT. I go to Bethel every summer and it's about 1 hour from Portland. After Bethel you are in the mountains and there aren't as many towns. You can hit 60 mph in a lot of stretches. Round trip from Portland/Lewiston to Hill Farmstead is probably 6-7 hours.

What ever you decide you'll be close to great beer. Either from Hill Farmstead or some of the great Maine breweries. Have a safe trip.

 

Hit up Oxbow - the Hill Farmstead of ME! They have a nice new tasting room at the brewery, and if you're an oyster fan, you can get some freshies right down the road. I drive twice a month from NW VT over to Portland, and the fastest route I can take is 4 hours in good weather. Give yourself the option of coming to VT another time when you have the time to really check out what we have to offer at your leisure.

 

Still on draft for growler fills as of now.

 

As a life-long northern Vermonter I am giggling over how afraid of northern NE winter roads some of you are. So long as there isn't a huge storm the day before or day of your drive then you'll be fine so long as you don't mind a 4 hour trip each way. Just check the weather each day in the week leading up to your flight. For me it's very strange to drive out of VT and have straight, flat roads, then I start getting antsy when driving on roads with more than one lane. God forbid if I'm in a city! I'd rather be driving in the snow

I say you should go for it, since you obviously want to. If there's a fresh coat of snow (not too fresh though) it will be a gorgeous drive too. Though Oxbow, Rising Tide, and Ebenezer's are great options in ME

P.S. Twilight should be back in bottles around the 19th

 

Yeah, but the OP is not a life-long Vermonter or a northern New Englander at all. (S)he may be fine driving on windy, mountain roads in snow, but maybe not. I don't think there's anything wrong with people giving someone unfamiliar with the area a heads up about road conditions. Plus, the White Mountains are pretty sparsely populated even by northern New England standards and the weather in some of the notches is notoriously unpredictable, and while most major roads are maintained pretty well, some are truly seasonal. A GPS probably won't know that, so it bears mentioning. Chances are you won't die or end up in a ditch, but it very well may not be a relaxing, enjoyable ride. And when that ride amounts to the entire day, that's a big deal.

Frankly, while it can be a beautiful drive, it's a very long drive with not much to do or see along the way unless you cut through the Whites, so couple that with unfamiliarity on winter roads, and I think sticking around Maine is probably a better bet, personally. Hill Farmstead makes some amazing beer, but if I had a whole day to spend driving to one amazing brewery, or visiting a couple amazing breweries and bars, I'd go with the latter. Save Hill Farmstead for a dedicated trip to the area. And if the weather's rough, don't be misled by hubris: even to a native New Hampshirite and at least 5th generation New Englander, driving eight hours on monotonous, icy roads isn't very fun.