Vermont Beer Travelogue – The Highlights

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Image from Curran Photography

As we all know, Vermont is a series of mountain ranges, rivers, and fields all held together by maple syrup and its primary export is nothing, because locals first and locals only seems to be the name of their game. The same can be said for the beer. This means you’ll either need to smash its borders and steal it away like a wallet emptying thief ($75 a case!) or find a brave soul willing to ship it out, knowing they will be shunned from the community should their traitorous ways be discovered.

Vermont Triple PlayWhile it might not be quite that Orwellian, there is a sense of local pride and farm-to-table that pervades their restaurants, breweries and primary past time, lawn maintenance. But when your state produces some of the most coveted (or overrated if you’re of that mindset) beers desired the world over, it’s a trip worth making.

That’s why I decided to take the drive up from PA, stick around for 3 days, and taste/buy as much as my liver and bank account would allow.  I’m no Vermont expert and 3 full days in Vermont isn’t anywhere near enough to really experience everything the maple drenched state has to offer, but I did get a good idea of how to pull off a pretty great beer run.

For those that want the full breakdown of my three days in beer-adise, including the best beer route into/out of Vermont, where we stayed along with what to hit before and after your inevitable Hill Farmstead pilgrimage, and a plan of action for coming back with cases of Heady, Sip and Second Fiddle, click the links below. For those just looking for the highlights, read on.

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Vermont Beer Travelogue – The Greensboro Loop

Stowe

Our Day 2 begins and ends in Stowe at the Mountain Road Resort. While finding accommodations in Burlington may SEEM like the obvious choice, Stowe’s central location to Waterbury, Burlington, Greensboro, and Montpelier make it ideal for tourists with beer on the brain.

Stowe 3Our just shy of $100 a night, off-season room came with a queen bed, extremely comfortable fold down couch, access to an outdoor pool, indoor heated pool, two hot tubs, rec room, lodge with a bar (of course stocked with Heady Topper), continental breakfast with various breads and pastries made by the resort owner, and hotel guests that weren’t there to party at all hours of the night (and stayed off my damn lawn!).

Stowe 2While the questionably reviewed Burlington Days Inn Colchester is cheaper at $68 a night, I reckon my 35+ years on this earth has earned me some creature comfort. The cheap bachelor party days of piling 20 guys into a single room and sleeping in the bathtub are behind me. Bring on the carefully cultivated seasonal menus and sprawling mountain views of Stowe. But if you are a rough-and-tumble “I don’t care where I sleep” type, by all means go for the cheapy option.

Note: If you haven’t, check out Day 1, the Pillaging of Route 7, which details the best breweries to hit on your way in or out of Vermont.

Continue reading “Vermont Beer Travelogue – The Greensboro Loop”