Vermont Vacation

Work has been busy, really busy. And it has been stressful, and I mean really stressful. And when the boss says that he wants you take your 9/80 Fridays, I figured out long ago that I better have something planned or else I’ll be called into work to tackle something else on the pile. Such was the case on one particular Friday. Jenn was working and the kids had school, but I was still asked to come in on my day off. I said that I had plans, and Jenn encouraged me to go on a little beer excursion to Vermont.

I started off at Otter Creek Brewing. I love their beers of the world, you know, a different style for each part of the world. I got to try the Sphinx, a beer based on an ancient Egyptian recipe of honey and Chamomile. It was excellent, almost like a mead. They also had the Otter San, modeled after a Japanese rice beer. It was good too.

Next it was off to Magic Hat in Burlington. The brewery is a little to eclectic for me, but I was in for a special treat at the tasting room. They had a batch of Chaotic Chemistry on draft that had been aging in wooden lined tanks that had been soaked in Jack Daniels for almost 4 years. Smooth and delicious, this was the one location where I asked for a full pint instead of simply a sample.

Downtown Burlington is a treat in that it has two exceptional brewpubs literally across the street from each other. The first was American Flatbread which has excellent food (I’d recommend their specialty pizza of the day) and their own line of beer called Zero Gravity. I enjoyed the Gruit Ale (a beer that uses an herb other than hops for bitterness or flavoring), but I was also happy to try the Rock Art Stock Ale on cask. They always offer a good selection of microbrews from across Vermont. I then went over to Vermont Pub and Brewery and got a sampler. Their best beer was the Dogbite Bitter on cask, but they also had their own version of a Gruit Ale. Before leaving town I stopped by Pearl Street Beverage to get some bottled beers to go.

I then decided that a nice relaxing drive was in order, and headed down the eastern side of the state to stop by Harpoon Brewery and then finally to McNeil’s in Brattleboro. I tried the Harpoon Glacier Harvest on draft at their brewery, and the Alletage Altbier at McNeills. Both were excellent. It was a long day and therefore I skipped the last two brewpubs on the tour, but managed to stop by the Man of Kent restaurant in Hoosick Falls for dinner accompanied by a Brown’s Whiskey Porter.

It was a great day, and after some 350 miles on the car I was able to sample or bring home 34 different beers. Mission accomplished. - 4750

"They speak of my drinking, but never think of my thirst." – Scottish Proverb