OnTap Magazine

WORLD OF BEER gained a legendary reputation, not least because it was so tough to get hold of. The beer was only available in cans and only at the brewery, causing people to travel hundreds – or sometimes thousands – of kilometres to taste it. There was even a black market for the 8% double IPA, with entrepreneurial drinkers slipping into the toilets to decant their beer into water bottles to sell on to those who couldn’t make it to Vermont. We spent an hour and a half touring the brewery with John and Jen, chatting about everything from parenting and weed (not at the same time) to the market saturation of hazy IPAs and the need for a focus on sustainability in brewing. The Kimmichs are hugely passionate about sustainability. CO2 is recaptured and reused in the brewery, waste water is either collected by a composting company or treated before being discharged into the municipal stream, and the Kimmichs are spearheading a campaign to recycle malt bags, something that no recycling facility in the US currently deals with. As we walked through the brewery, our can cups were refilled with Focal Banger, a 7% ABV New England IPA that is almost as fabled as Heady Topper. Then John treated us to tasters of everything currently in can, including a couple of saisons, an imperial stout and Kiss of Dank – the best IPA I tasted throughout my six-week stay in North America. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE The Alchemist is by far the best-known brewery in the area, but certainly not the only one. Just five minutes’ drive is a family-run brewery whose name might well be familiar to you. Von Trapp Brewing sits in the mountains around Stowe – scenery that evokes some of the scenes from the movie inspired by the Von Trapp’s life story, The Sound of Music. The brewery was founded in 2010 by the youngest son of Maria and Captain Georg Von Trapp and is an homage to the food and beer of the family’s homeland, Austria. The beer menu focuses on European lagers: Helles, Dunkel, Pilsner and Vienna Lager, while sustenance comes in the form of pretzels, sausage platters and schnitzel (though sadly not served with noodles). Fans of the movie will however be pleased to find that you can end off your lunch with a warm apple strudel. A family-friendly spot with long tables Entrepreneurial drinkers slipping into the toilets to decant their beer into water bottles Getting a round in at von Trapp Brewing A few of our favourite things at von Trapp Brewing The Alchemist co-founder John Kimmich pours a taster straight from the tank Spätzle and pretzels at von Trapp Brewing The hills are alive, with some German lagers 38 | Spring 2022 | ontapmag.co.za