While I have been a financial supporter in years past, this was my first opportunity to actually work at this fun charitable event. My participation and support of this event was multifaceted and interwoven into a fairly large portion of my adult life. I have written before of my long term love of Harpoon’s beers; those being some of the very first craft beers I learned to enjoy on a regular basis many years ago. For those of you that have not read my CV/”About” on this site, I also spent about 2 years working for the Vermont Foodbank as its Director of Operations, overseeing many of the day-to-day workings of this complex organization. That time of my life was one of the most rewarding that I have spent to date and someday I intend to return to the Foodbank (or an organization like it) to continue my work in support of this worthy effort. The Foodbank, at the time, was experiencing its largest growth spurt to date; growing from an annual statewide distribution of about 2.7 million pounds of food to nearly 6.5 million pounds of food to hungry Vermonters. Since then, the Foodbank has continued to both grow and change in pursuit of its mission to eradicate hunger in Vermont. They now have 3 facilities and a farm within the state to support their efforts. The Vermont Foodbank has grown to be one of the most successful of its kind, nationally, since my employment there 8 years ago. The final facet of my involvement in this day comes from the event sponsorship by my current employer, VSECU. VSECU is, by far, Vermont’s largest state-chartered credit union (47,000 members and $535M in assets) and is where I am currently its Vice President of Information Systems and Chief Information Officer.

Event participants choose one of three routes to ride during this day-long event; 25, 50 or 115 miles. The selection of their route dictates both their entry fee and fund raising commitment. Those that choose the 25-mile route, a circular route beginning at and returning to the brewery, have an entry fee of $40 and no further commitment to raise additional funds. Those that ride the 50-mile route, from Bethel (VT) to the brewery, have a $60 entry fee and an additional commitment of $150 in funds to raise. Those that ride the 115-mile route, from Williston (VT) to the brewery, have an $80 entry fee and also a $150 fund raising commitment.

This year there were about 480 riders that participated in one of the three rides. Those of you that either live here in Vermont or have visited our beautiful state at some time know that none of these rides would be “easy” because of Vermont’s mountainous terrain. The VSECU “team” manned one of several “watering” stations along the routes. We happened to be placed at the last station before the finish at the brewery and at the only station that would see riders from all three routes. I can no longer ride a bike due to serious knee problems, so I was already impressed with all of the riders, but I have to tell you that I was very surprised by the very first riders that came to our station that day. The riders were two brothers, who were clearly “racing” each other instead of just “riding” the route. These two very fit gentlemen, who were participating in the 115 mile ride, rolled into our station a mere 5 ½ hours after starting in Williston, about 103 miles away (we were stationed 12 miles from the finish line). Some quick math should tell you that they were averaging nearly 20 miles/hour (!) on their trek, in spite of the arduous “hill and dale” nature of their route. It was nearly 40 minutes before we saw the next riders from the same route enter our station.

He rode the 50-mile route

The culmination of the event, which is held at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT, is a chance for all the riders, event volunteers and their supporters to gather to celebrate the day and all of their hard work. This final celebration included a BBQ, put on by the local fire department, some live music and some great Harpoon beer. There were also hot showers available for the riders, should they wish to partake. We got to this celebration a little late, due to our commitments at the relief station, but we arrived to a crowd of a couple of thousand people all enjoying the end of both a very satisfying and very beautiful day.

Events like this one tend to collect money for several weeks after the actual day of the event, so there is not (yet) a final fund raising tally. According to the Vermont Foodbank Web site though, they have collected more than $95,000 to date… over $46,000 more than they had at this time last year… so it appears that they are well on their way to their $150,000 event goal. To give you some perspective of how important that $95,000 is for the Foodbank, just the money raised so far will support the efforts to provide more than 200,000 meals to hungry Vermonters. In a state with a population of only 625,000 people, the impact of this effort can only be described as HUGE!

I am reasonably certain that Harpoon, The Point and the Foodbank will put this event on again next year. The money that this event generates for the “cause” is just too large to be ignored. I am hopeful that my employer will again give me an opportunity to participate in this worthy effort. It’s just one of those fun, feel good events that comes along that you just can’t help wishing to do again. My hat is off to Harpoon for their primary sponsorship of this event and their commitment to provide their considerable assistance to the Vermont community. I already like their beer, but for me there will be a little bit of extra enjoyment the next time that I drink one, as I remember the wonderful day that I spent recently, helping them to support the vital cause of ending hunger in Vermont.

I spent some time with Andra Muhlfelder, one of Rock Art’s brewers, on a sunny and warm afternoon in April this year. Andra, Matt (the owner) and another brewer we did not meet (Zeb) share the brewing chores and from Andra’s description, put in a very full week turning out enough Rock Art beer to meet the current demand.

Andra told us that they produce about 150 barrels of beer a week in increments of either 15 or 22 barrels per batch, depending upon which beer it is that they are producing. All of the tasks associated with beer production, from brewing to bottling to packaging, are handled mostly by these three individuals. That, coupled with their relatively cramped quarters, means that Rock Art is operating at the full capacity of their small operation. There was no mention of expansion during our discussion, but I can’t imagine them being able to squeeze any more equipment into the tight space that they occupy now.

One of the most interesting pieces of equipment was their bottling machine. Dating from the 1950s and once used to bottle Dr. Pepper soda, I was fairly amazed to hear that this machine is still very reliable, although Andra described Matt as a “mechanical genius” and I am sure that his skills help keep this 60 year old piece of equipment humming.

The bottling machine is able to fill approximately 80 12oz or 22oz bottles per minute and will also apply the labels to the 12oz bottle. The labels for the 22oz bottles, I was absolutely shocked to hear, are applied individually BY HAND. Andra described her skills at doing this manual task as “fair”… Renee chimed in that Andra had an incredible knack for doing this very quickly and at the same time getting them on straight and wrinkle free… I believe the word “amazing” was used.

Like many brewing businesses these days, Rock Art is contributing to the “green brewing” movement by using unbleached, recycled paper in their six-pack cartons as well as shipping all of their grain and yeast waste to a farm in Eden, VT to be used as livestock feed. All of Rock Art’s beer is produced with natural and, when possible, fresh ingredients (natural ginger, jasmine, etc.) and contain no extracts or artificial additives.

There are, no doubt, many of you that remember Rock Art’s battle last year with the company that produces Monster energy drinks (see Rock Art vs. Monster and Rock Art Wins “Monster” Battle). The very large company had taken Rock Art to court in an attempt to try to stop them from using the word “monster” in the name of their excellent “Vermonster” beer. They claimed that they held a copyright/trademark on the use of that word in beverage names… not that Rock Art Vermonster is the only beer name to contain that word, of course. Fortunately the courts overruled the petty “monster” claim and Rock Art continues to use “Vermonster” today. Since that fight, Matt has become very involved, at the national level, in promoting trademark legal reform. Associated with this fight were several videos which were, in part, responsible for Rock Art’s success in the courts. In a video available at Rock Art Monster Battle, Matt talks about the “cease and desist” order that was issued by the courts and the reforms that are necessary to keep other small companies from falling prey to the predatory trademark legal practices of much larger corporations.

My visit to Rock Art, though brief, convinced me that Matt and Renee as well as their employees are extremely passionate about what they do. I have long enjoyed the fruits of their labor and, in fact, some of the newer “extreme series” beers that they have fairly recently started producing are among my “regulars” for beer consumption. It is gratifying for me to see that these products which I consume are produced by a very successful local Vermont company that is committed to producing the finest product at a reasonable price so that everyone can enjoy them. I plan to watch, with pride, as another excellent Vermont-based brewer continues to spread their wings and begins to gather the acclaim that all of their hard work deserves.

Another Greensboro resident that has gained notoriety of late is Shaun Hill, owner/brewer at the Hill Farmstead Brewery. I recently highlighted Shaun in an article about all of the medals that Vermonters won at the 2010 World Beer Cup (Vermonters Take the WBC by Storm). Shaun won 3 medals, 2 Gold and 1 Silver, at that competition for beers that he created when working at the Danish brewer Nørrebro Bryghus.

A philosophy major in college, Shaun has thought long and hard about the roots of his family, what he wants from life and what it might take to make that possible. Shaun’s young age (an early 30-something) effectively hides many years of brewing experience. Shaun has been brewing beer since he was a teenager and, in addition to his time spent at Nørrebro Bryghus, he previously worked as a brewer at The Shed (Stowe, VT), Trout River (Lyndonville, VT) as well as some time spent brewing with the late great Greg Noonan.

Shaun’s latest adventure, his new brewery, is perched atop a hill in Greensboro on family farmland that his family has claimed since the 1760s, more than eight generations ago and about 20 years before Greensboro was chartered as a town in 1781. All of that family history is not lost on Shaun, however, as he is extremely knowledgeable about many pieces of the family that stretches back nearly 250 years. If you look at the logo for the brewery, for instance, you will see what appears to be a wine goblet; not something that you would expect for a beer-producing business. Shaun will proudly tell you that the picture of the goblet was taken from the old sign that once hung in front of a local tavern, formerly owned many years ago by a distant relative. The names of the beers that Shaun has begun to produce at Hill Farmstead will all carry the names of ancestors. His first Hill Farmstead beer, Edward India Pale Ale, and the one that will be his year-round flagship product, is named after his grandfather. His second beer, a triple dry hopped (170 theoretical IBUs) Imperial India Pale Ale called Abner, is named after his great grandfather.

As deeply as Shaun’s family roots run, so too does his philosophy on beer making. Shaun has very definite ideas about what makes good beer. His time spent brewing and traveling through Europe have taught him the benefits of brewing beers with balance; a “softness”, as he describes it, without the one-sided flavors and/or characteristics of many of the beers to be found in the US market today. Shaun says that he wants to brew beers that have “harmonious elegance”; all of the parts of the beer working together to produce a high quality product. However, as evidenced by Shaun’s Abner IIPA, the objective here is to sell beer and the current American market craves these very bold characteristics in a beer. Shaun’s production of this style of beer, however, should not be misconstrued as pandering to the market. I had a chance yesterday, finally, to taste the distributed version of his Abner IIPA and, while this is definitely a very hoppy beer, it is also extremely well balanced and very drinkable. Shaun has stuck to his deep-seated brewing principles and, from my observation, has produced a beer that he can be happy with as well as one which can be successful in the marketplace. His Edward IPA, for example, is one of the best IPAs that I have ever had. Hoppy, malt balanced, an amazing citrus hop aroma and a fruity medium bitter finish are distinguishing characteristics of this beer that I truly hope to drink regularly.

The future plans for Hill Farmstead include the production of many other types of beers. Farmhouse styles, like Saisons, are already in the works. Shaun professes a love of sour-style beers, so I am certain we can see a range of those beers soon. Shaun has also acquired wooden barrels of various types (whiskey, wine, beer), so we should definitely look for him to produce some barrel-ages varieties as well. The two WBC gold medals that Shaun won this year were both for barrel-aged beers; both aged in Niepoort Port barrels. Shaun expects that about 70% of his beer will be sold in bulk (growlers, kegs and casks) with the rest, primarily the Saisons, being bottled in cork-finished 750ml bottles; some more of that “elegance” of which Shaun speaks so eloquently.

A part of the brewery already in operation includes the capability of filling 2-liter growlers, which Shaun will sell for $15 (regular beers) and $20 (limited release beers). Offering the growlers for sale at the brewery, along with t-shirts, other paraphernalia as well as some rare foreign beers is all a part of Shaun’s strategy to get people to visit the brewery on the farm in Greensboro; this in order to gain the total experience of what Shaun and his new brewery stand for.

Eventually, Shaun hopes to move his brewery to the former site of the farm’s dairy barn, which burned just before he was born. Shaun’s future plans, however, do not include unlimited growth. He says that he will be focusing on sustainability and the production of a very high quality product.  He expects that his annual production will eventually top out at about 3,000 barrels. Although he does plan to distribute his beer to select places in Boston, Philly and New York, he says that a lot of his beer will stay right here in Vermont. Given what we have seen so far of his world-class beer and from a purely selfish perspective, I am happy with that plan. Talent, passion and love of family and friends are all a part of what, I and many other people already believe will continue to push Shaun Hill and the Hill Farmstead Brewery to be one of the best in the world.

So, what does all of this have to do with beer? Well, apparently the current heads of the Trapp Family business, Johannes von Trapp (Maria’s only son) and his son Sam, have been planning to bring the flavor of old-style European lagers to Vermont for quite a while. Austria, which borders Bavarian Germany, shares in some of that region’s knack for producing fine lager-style beers. In a complex project that began in 2009 (Vermont can be the developer’s worst nightmare sometimes), the unoccupied first floor of the former Austrian Tea Room has been converted into the Trapp Family Brewery and this spring began producing its very first beers for sale.

I had the pleasure of attending the Trapp Family Brewery’s grand opening in mid-April and, in my opinion, they appear to be off to a wonderful start. The brewery is a 14 barrel operation and, while still working out the kinks of a new brewery, is in full operation. The brewmaster, Allen van Anda, while young in appearance, has years of brewing experience under his belt. A transplanted New Jersey native, who came to Vermont in pursuit of an Environmental Studies degree, has worked for several breweries before coming to Trapp Family. Most notable of these were a short stint at the now closed Kross Brewery in nearby Morrisville and four years spent at the Rock Art Brewery, also in Morrisville. There are still some Rock Art beers being produced today which are based on Allen’s original recipes.

Allen’s first beers from the new Trapp Family Brewery include their two flagship offerings; a Vienna Lager and an Helles Lager. I have already had these beers on a couple of occasions and they are both excellent beers! In addition to these two year-around beers, they expect to produce a series of seasonal and specialty beers, nearly all of them lager-style in nature. Allen did hint at the potential of a wheat beer (an ale) at some point, but indicated that lagers would be the stalwarts of the brewery for the foreseeable future. Allen is currently producing two other types of beer; an unfiltered golden lager and a Dunkel (a dark lager), both of which were very good. I also got a special sample of a beer Allen has worked up in his “spare” time… a Bourbon Barrel-aged Bock (Heaven Hill barrels)… what an amazing combination. I am hopeful that he will continue to produce that one!

As you walk around the new brewery, you can quickly see that Allen and the von Trapps faced some significant engineering challenges to construct the brewery in this location. The low ceilings of the room preclude the use of the typically taller shaped tanks and brewing equipment commonly seen in other breweries. As you can see from the pictures, the squat-shaped equipment nearly fills the room. It is also readily apparent that the Trapp’s spent the money necessary to ensure that the brewer has what is necessary to perform his brewing magic and I am certain that Allen appreciates that every day.

I know that a burning question for many of you is, what (pray tell) is that “thing” on their logo? That, my beer drinking friends, is an alpine ibex, which is native to the Alpian region of Germany, Austria and Italy… there are about 4,000 living there today. Think of it as a European-style big horn sheep… you can, of course, “Google it” for a better description than that. The Trapp Family has chosen to use the shape of one of the ibex horns for their tap handles (nearly 2 feet long)… one of the more distinctive and interesting tap handles that I have seen lately.

As with any new brewery, I look forward to watching them as they grow and change over time. Trapp Family is off to a very good start and I fully expect that to continue. There is little doubt in my mind that, with the Trapp’s keen sense of producing a quality experience for their customers (as evidenced by their Trapp Family Lodge) as well as Allen Van Anda’s obvious talent as a brewer, there is a very happy (and tasty) future for all of us Trapp Family Brewery customers.

Allen Van Anda - Trapp Family Brewmaster

The Magic Hat Brewery was founded in 1994 by Alan Newman and Bob Johnson. Alan and Bob met at 7^th Generation, an environmentally friendly home products supplier, which Alan co-founded more than 20 years ago. In their earliest days, Bob was responsible for the brewing and Alan handled the business and marketing aspects of the fledgling venture. From the very beginning, Alan set out to put a new spin on the drinking public’s perception of what constituted a micro-brew beer manufacturer… everything from the branding to the non-traditional styles of their beers were to be different. A quick look at their Web site (http://www.magichat.net/) will tell you that their tradition of being non-traditional continues even today. Bob eventually left Magic Hat to pursue other interests, but his original beer recipes, including “Humble Patience”, their very first beer, were the staples of Magic Hat’s sales for many years after his departure.

Mardi Gras "dummy" hanging over manufacturing floor

Magic Hat’s incredible success over the last 16 years never really ceases to amaze me. In 2009, their production and sales grew about 21% or roughly three times the annual growth rate of craft brews nationally. They have actually grown over 225% since 2004 and are now listed among the top 10 craft brewers in the US (and one of the fastest growing). They produced over 150,000 barrels of beer in 2009 and have targeted 200,000 barrels for 2010. A recent major expansion of their Vermont facilities should help make that come true. In 2008, Magic Hat purchased Pyramid Breweries Inc., a Seattle-based brewer. This merger should help make it possible for Magic Hat to meet its goal of distribution of its beers to all 50 states by 2012 a reality.

Magic Hat manufacturing floor, complete with Mardi Gras float pieces

In keeping with its community-minded focus and being a group of fun-loving folk, Magic Hat has over the years offered up several carnival-like events to the public. Their first was called “Night of the Living Dead”, a Burlington-based Halloween-oriented party, which grew rapidly in popularity, peaking at about 2,500 attendees in its final years. Their current and most ambitious community party is their annual Mardi Gras held in Burlington every year. Now in its 15^th year, the event raises money for the Burlington Women’s Rape Crisis Center. The event has grown significantly since its inception and the Mardi Gras parade through downtown Burlington this year attracted approximately 25,000 happy people. This Mardi Gras celebration is one of the largest in the US; second only to the one more familiar to the rest of you in New Orleans. A previous article of mine, “Socially Responsible Beer” highlighted this event as a part of Magic Hat’s significant socially responsible efforts in the community.

The Magic Hat beers in production the day I visited

I haven’t really talked about their beer much in this article and I don’t want to give you the impression that the beer is not an important focus of this rapidly growing company. I would have to say that Magic Hat’s approach to beer making is every bit as non-traditional as their marketing approach. This is not so much evident in how they make their beer, although 15 years ago they were fermenting their beer in large open vats, but more in the style-breaking “experimental” nature of some of their brews. They definitely have made some excellent beers over the years and some of them are near the top of my Ratebeer rating listings. You can get a sense of the tremendous variety of beers they have produced over the years by looking through the Magic Hat Ratebeer page for this brewer. Not only do the unusual names of their beers jump out, but if you look at the “commercial descriptions” for some of them, you begin to see some of the “unusualness” that I have discussed already. Their most popular beer is Magic Hat #9, a “not quite pale ale”, according to the brewer. The sales of this beer have seen 15 years of consecutive double-digit growth in the marketplace; its distributions grew by about 20% in 2009 alone.

Clearly Magic Hat’s desire to be a “different” kind of brewer works well as a business model; their track record speaks for itself. However, what I find most unique about this company is not the business model or even the beer that they produce. They are outstanding in my mind for the emphasis that they place on the very deep culture of their company and how it plays out in everything that they do. It is this “Magic Hat Experience” that makes their business model sustainable and virtually assures their future success.

Right now details are pretty sketchy, so it is hard to draw any conclusions about what might happen,  but it would be sad to think that we might forever lose access to the excellent product that Otter Creek produces.  Their signature Copper Ale and their newly introduced “Imperial Series” are real favorites of mine and I would miss them dearly.  Perhaps I can provide further details as more about this pending deal unfolds…

So, why would I travel even this short distance to visit this small brewpub? As it turns out, that is not a very hard question to answer at all. According to my record on RateBeer for this “Place”, over the last 6 years I have sampled 52 of the 63 beers that they say he has produced during that time period. Of those Alchemist samplings, as compared to the other 850 or so other beers that I rated during the same time period, John’s beers all rated “above average” and a significant number of them pushed up into the range of my highest ratings. In short, John is an unbelievable brewer… in my opinion probably the very best in Vermont and perhaps even beyond that. Of course I am not the only one that has that opinion about this award winning brewer. To date John has won three major awards for his brewing prowess:

• Gold Medal – GABF 2004 – Sterk Wit (Beligian Witbier)
• Gold Medal – GABF 2009 – Celia Framboise (Gluten-free)
• Bronze Medal – GABF 2009 – Celia IPA (Gluten-free)

The most recent of these awards are as a result of John’s desire to produce a high quality beer that his wife was able to drink… what a great gift!

The Alchemist’s brews are only available at the brewpub. John does not bottle his beer or sell growlers. If you look at the raters for their beers on RateBeer, you will find the expected ratings from the northeastern portion of the US and eastern Canada. Quite surprisingly, however, you will also find raters from the west coasts of the US and Canada as well as ratings from several other continents. John’s beers are known and loved worldwide!

In addition to the great beer, you can find an excellent selection food here as well. Far from the simple pub fare available at any normal brewpub, Executive Chef Jeff Lang has created a menu that is inspired, according to their Web site, by “comfort, innovation and heartiness”. Many of the the chef’s regular and special menu offerings are designed to specifically compliment the beers being served. The Alchemist also participates in the Vermont Fresh Network, a partnership between Vermont farms and restaurants within the state, which allows the freshest of locally produced foods to be served at these establishments. The community-friendly sustainability of that approach really appeals to me.

Sometimes the truest mark of how successful a business has been is to look at their employees. John and Jennifer still employ their very first employee (Kenny) and, from my observations over the years, their employee turnover is extremely low. I interpret this to mean that they have hired talented/capable people to begin with and that they see the intrinsic value of retaining one of their most valuable assets by simply treating them well. They sure are a happy bunch and I love seeing the same smiling faces each time I go there.

The legend of the ancient alchemists was their ability to take common earth metals (copper and iron) and change them to gold. I have to admit that I like the Alchemist’s formula much better… take common earthy products (water, barley, hops and yeast) and turn them them into a magical golden elixir called BEER!