The Vermont
Brewers Fest in Burlington, VT is held each July on the shores of lake
Champlain. It's a beautiful outdoor location that offers many VT, New
England and New York beers. There's even a few beers from Canada.
Our trip to Vermont this year included Jon
from the Mercury Brewery and his girlfriend Laura. Steve, Heather and
their new baby Mckinlee also joined us again. The weekend began with lunch
on the deck at the Long Trail brewery. From there Heather and Steve drove
to Heathers father's house, while the rest of us headed north to the Shed
in Stowe and the Alchemist in Waterbury. After dinner we registered for
our hotel room then grabbed one more beer at Three Needs in downtown
Burlington before calling it a night.
On Saturday, the weather was spectacular!
We got up early and ate a big breakfast then made our way to the lakefront
for the fest. Getting there an hour early allowed us to get a spot near
the front of the line. During the fest we found Heather, Steve and
Mckinlee again as well as some of our brewery friends we've met over the
past year.
We sampled many, many beers during the four
hours at the fest. Some of the beers were old favorites like Heady Topper,
while new beers such as Infusco surprised us with its great flavor.
Tickets were mandatory for each beer, but as usual we find a way to get
more tickets without paying. Plus some of our friends helped us grab a
beer or two for free.
After the fest we parted ways with Heather
and Steve and headed back downtown to grab dinner and a few beers at the
Vermont Pub & Brewery. From there it was on to American Flatbread for
some more beers and a chance to meet some of the brewers we saw earlier.
It was very crowded in the bar that night.
On Sunday we stopped by Magic Hat to see
what was going on before heading home. However, before we got too far a
stop at Ben & Jerry's for an ice cream was in order. This was one of
the best year's we've had at the Vermont Brewers Fest. Great weather,
terrific friends and of course awesome beer.
Can't wait until next year.
Pictures
from our weekend in Vermont
