OnTap Magazine

36 | Autumn 2019 | ontapmag.co.za WORLD OF BEER THE ALCHEMIST, STOWE Home of the famous Heady Topper, ‘nuff said. Note, however, that the brewery offers tastings and sales only; there’s no taproom. VERMONT WITH A CAR For a modestly-sized state, Vermont boasts a ridiculously disproportionate number of outstanding breweries, some well-known and celebrated internationally, others much less so. Here are five that are well worth the drive. LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS, WAITSFIELD The recently opened taproom is the best place to explore beers beyond their famed Sip of Sunshine. VON TRAPP BREWING, STOWE Actual descendants of the Sound of Music’s Von Trapp family brewing stellar lagers in the heart of ski country. HILL FARMSTEAD BREWERY, GREENSBORO BEND Quite a trip to reach and a fairly basic taproom once you get there, but across-the- board impressive beers. DROP IN BREWING, MIDDLEBURY You might expect the brewing home of the American Brewers Guild Brewing School to produce some great beers, and it does! there remains one place you decidedly do not want to miss during any visit to Burlington, and that place is the Farmhouse Tap & Grill. Cosy in the winter months, the Farmhouse’s twenty taps are among the best stocked in the city, with local stars regularly sharing wall space with equally celebrated out-of- state breweries, while the bottle and can selection is equally deserving of attention. But none of those facts is the reason this is an unmissable destination. No, the main motivation for attend the Farmhouse is the way the simply stellar kitchen meshes with the bar to create food and beer pairings that happen almost intuitively, without muss or fuss or even anything more than a vague awareness of how good they are until bite number three. Which is how I came to know that the Framinghammer Baltic Porter from Jack’s Abbey of Massachusetts is an ideal complement to the Farmhouse’s Blue Cheese Garlic Toast and that Hill Farmstead’s Edward might just be the best burger beer in Vermont. And it’s all just a six minute walk from the front door of the Hotel Vermont, no automobile required.