My wife and I were fortunate enough to win a small package for a hotel stay in Stowe that we are going to take advantage of this summer. We will be arriving on Wednesday and leaving on Friday. I was hoping some of the locals could give me some tips on places I might be able to pick up some Heady and some tips for Hill Farmstead. I'm just looking to get some HT for my beer group, not buy out the state so don't know if there are places that would be more likely to have some or not? For HF is basically a requirement to get there when they open to get some growlers filled or you will just wait longer the later in the day you get there? Thanks everyone for any help. I greatly appreciate it.
Heady availability might be different in the summer than it is now, so you'll need to check back when you get closer to your visit. They are working to open a retail space "near Waterbury" which is near Stowe. For current Heady delivery dates check their web site and if you travel into one of the larger Burlington area bottle stores (Bevy in Winooski, Pearl St in Burlington) around their normal delivery times, then you should be good to go. However, Heady (and VT beer in general) lines at bottle shops grow quite a bit during summer/vacation season with lots of visitors coming into the state. Check the Beverage Warehouse of Vermont (Winooski) and Pearl Street Beverage (Burlington) Facebook pages and they usually post the exact times they release HT and which days, etc. Just know, that the days/times may change by your visit, so you'll need to check their info later. You should also consider bringing some local IL/Chicago beer that we can't get in Vermont or New England. While you're waiting in line at HF, you'll probably be either in front or behind someone else from BA (or other beer websites) who might want to do a IP trade on the spot with you.
I'd consider Wed or Thurs later afternoon myself - although you do risk something running out either on tap or in bottles, it's probably a better option than making your wife wait 2 plus hours with you at opening. Haven't been on a Thurs morning in some time but they seem to be far busier now then they were in the past. If you want to buy a case of Heady: http://alchemistbeer.com/buy/?avail=1 Otherwise you're likely looking at picking it up 4 pack by 4 pack. Hunger Mountain on Friday Afternoon might be your best bet if you're driving. Take advantage of the trip and book yourselves a reservation at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury. Heady and Hill on tap!
