More Vermont Help?

Heading up to Waterbury with Alewife on 29AUG for a 5 night stay. Looks like The Alchemist will be on the agenda!

Prost!

 

I already drank the beer engine Heady Topper. I will be posting about it in a few days in the NBW thread.

Spoiler alert: It was not the best beer I've ever had. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers!

 

Dave, I hope you and your wife have a great time!!

Kathleen and I were only in Stowe a couple of days but we got a chance to visit a lot of places in those 48 hours. If you need any 'tips' PM me.

Cheers!

Jack

 

Well I see we have a problem. Pistols at dawn?

Hah.

 

Alewife and I stopped for a leisurely lunch at Long Trail yesterday... such an idyllic setting along the river. Double Bag was tasty. Then a lovely ride up Rte 100 to Waterbury. Walked from our BnB to Freak Folk. Their Festbier poured via Lukr was fantastic! Likely Alchemist today and then.... ??

Prost!

 

Von Trapp is definitely worth your time for lunch if you're already going to be at Alchemist.

 

Dave,

If you do go to the Von Trapp brewery/taproom I would recommend that you go up the stairs and take a look at the brewery. I discussed this last weekend in my NBW post:

“The visit to Von Trapp was nice that I had no plans to tour the brewery but I struck up a conversation with a brewer (Tom) and he invited me to join him as he was mashing a batch of Trosten. That beer utilizes a single decoction which was taking place as we chatted for 15 – 20 minutes on a variety of beer and brewing topics.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-214.678258/#post-8036380

Cheers!

P.S. And while you are in the 'area' I recommend a visit to Von Trapp Lodge. My wife really liked walking around the Lodge and seeing the photos on the walls, etc.

 

Take a short drive to Littleton, NH. Schilling Brewery is fantastic, as is their line of Czech-style pale lagers.

 

Your definition of "short drive" is very different from mine.

 

If you’re in Stowe and don’t make the hour drive to hill farmstead you’d really be missing out.

 

Great time at The Alchemist today.... chilled out for about 3 hours in their pasture... had the hand-pulled Heady, then a regular Heady can, plus a can of the 20th Anniversary Heady. Liked the latter best, followed by the smooth, creamy hand-pull, with the standard can in 3rd... some damn tasty shtuff!!!

Prost!!

 

You are welcome

 

After a short, leisurely walk on the Stowe paths, it's back to The Alchemist for more Toppah today...

Visited Queen City in Burlington yesterday. Always love their German biers... no exception yesterday, with small pours of the Steinbier, Maibock and a new Doppelbock. All A-1. The real winner, though, was another new offering. Baltozar Baltic Porter was top-shelf! Reminded me fondly of the dearly departed Smuttynose Baltic Porter...

Prost!!

 

So I'm going to be one of those "peepers" you all dread here in about 4 weeks. This will be my first time to VT and I have a bunch of beer stops on our schedule over the course of 4 days (listed in another thread). One of the stops will be Hill Farmstead right as it opens on Friday. Will it still be a nightmare? Does it matter if we get there earlier? Any suggestions on how to maximize the experience if only planning to be there for a couple of hours? I honestly have no clue how the place is set up. Thanks in advance.

 

I think committing to being there early should be just fine. But as it fills the lines for pours and to go just get long. But that would be as the day progresses. I’d say if you can, try to get two pours at a time. I think they limit you to that? So if you have another who wants multiple pours your should both be in line. Retail to go is a separate area from draft.

 

Freak Folk is on my list of places I haven't been and need to go to! I'd say on your Saturday or Sunday to go one town over to Winooski and they have some great options there too.

 

Trip looks awesome.

One observation, Lawson’s is about the same distance as Alchemist from Waterbury, just on the other side of I89, it is practically on the same north/south road.

 

Looks like Four Quarters is on his list. Mule Bar just down the hill has the best tap list in the area. I count 9 HF taps at the moment, Von Trapp, Zero Gravity, Goose Island BCBS.

Also, if you like old school video games, The Archives just off Church St. has a good tap list and solid cocktail menu.

 

We actually checked that spot out and Em had a very good cocktail there. Back during the early COVID we’re kind of open days. When they made the rule you couldn’t drink past 9…the day we got there.