Steve Koenemann

Made in Vermont – The Spine of the Green Mountains

This is the second in a series of articles which highlight the wonderful variety of breweries available to us Vermonters. As I have told you before, with 21 in-state breweries and less than 650,000 people in the entire state, Vermont has the very best ratio of breweries to people in the country. In my first article in this series – Made in Vermont: Burlington Region – I included a brief review of seven of the breweries in Vermont’s northwest corner. In today’s article I will focus on the more northern central region of the state and another six breweries which can be found within this region.

Rock Art Brewery - Located in Morrisville, Vermont, the Rock Art Brewery has been producing great beer since 1997, when Matt and Renee Nadeau began brewing in the basement of their home. They moved to their current home in 2002 and have grown rapidly since. Rock Art recently broke ground on a new brewery just a few miles down the road. Their newly expanded operations, when completed, will allow even greater beer production and wider distribution. Some of you may remember Rock Art as the brewer that fought (and won) against Monster Energy Drinks over the trademark relating to their awesome Vermonster beer. In addition to brewing great beer, Matt is now actively working to change the laws that allow large corporations to bully smaller ones over trademark and copyright issues. The Rock Art Web site has several great articles and videos on this topic. Personally, I think that Matt’s work in this area will have an impact and I appreciate his hard work; as we all should.

Hill Farmstead Brewery – Located in tiny Greensboro Bend, Vermont, Hill Farmstead is the current culmination of Shaun E. Hill’s short, but illustrious brewing career, In spite of his relatively young age, Shaun has been banging around breweries in Vermont (The Shed, Trout River, VT Pub & Brewery) for quite few years and even spent a couple of years working in Denmark for Nørrebro Bryghus. Three of the beers that Shaun created in Denmark won medals at the 2010 World Beer Cup.

The Shed Restaurant & Brewery – Located on the Mountain Road in Stowe, Vermont, The Shed has long been one of Vermont’s anchor brewpubs. For those of you not familiar with the Stowe region, Stowe hosts some of the state’s finest ski areas. Shed beer is enjoyed throughout the year, but is exposed to many more people during the winter months, when skiers from all over the world flock to Stowe for a taste of winter in Vermont.

Trapp Family Lodge Brewery - This brewery just opened within the last year at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. This Vermont tourist mecca is owned and operated by members of the von Trapp family, made famous by the Sound of Music movie. In a distinct break from the more traditional ales brewed in this country, Trapp Family brews only high quality European-style lagers, like those reminiscent of the Bavarian region of Germany and Austria that the von Trapp family hails from. Currently a small 2-3,000 barrel operation, the Trapp beers are selling as fast as they can make them.

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery – In late 2003, John and Jennifer Kimmich opened this fine establishment in the old Post Office building in the heart of Waterbury, Vermont. John is well known for his insistence that his high quality beers be only sold at the pub. That steadfast “rule” was broken recently (today, as a matter of fact), when John put up for sale 600 bottles of his Heady Topper at the brewery. The Alchemist is known not only for their great beer, but for the wonderful mix of “casual” foods offered by their restaurant. A significant step up from the more traditional bar fare, the Alchemist offers many great dishes prepared with only the freshest of ingredients (they are a member of Vermont’s Fresh Network). The Alchemist is a “regular” for me and it is probably a good thing that I don’t live closer.

Lawson’s Finest Liquids – I jokingly call Sean Lawson “the mouse that roared” as Lawson’s was also a medal winner at the 2010 World Beer Cup. While that does not sound too amazing in itself, you need to understand that Sean runs a ONE BARREL operation; brewing his beer only 30 gallons at a time! I am absolutely certain that most of you will never get a chance to try the beer that he won this medal for in the WBC “Specialty Beer” category. I can say that with such confidence due to the fact that the ingredients that Sean uses are unusually rare and because he produces so little of it each year. The Maple Tripple he produces is made using partially boiled maple sap instead of brewing water and pure maple syrup is added to the bottle to encourage carbonation… save for the yeast and the small amount of hops used to make this beer, everything else comes from a maple tree. Amazingly unique and incredibly delicious! The other beers that Sean produces are also of a very high quality and are highly sought after by the Vermont beer community. All of us would like to see Sean expand his operation, but only If he can do that and maintain the superior quality of his beers, of course.

That completes the second article in my series on 6 of the 21 Vermont breweries that can be found in Vermont. The next article in this series will focus on the breweries that can be found in the northeast corner of the state. Vermont is blessed with an abundance of high quality beer producers and we are more than willing to share all of that with the rest of you, but in most cases that means that you will need to actually come and visit our beautiful state in order to enjoy them. In spite of our small stature and population, there is plenty to do here in all seasons. Let me know when you are going to be in town and we’ll arrange to have a cold Vermont beer together… I promise you’ll not regret it.

Courtesy of the Vermont Brewers Association

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