The Breweries of Vermont, Part One

So we loaded up the Tahoe and we headed north to Vermont. Yes, Vermont, the Green Mountain State; a verdant paradise of Appalachian vistas, clear running streams, captive insurers and excellent micro-breweries. My family is a tolerant bunch. They indulge me in my beer hobby. They have to of course, I am driving and it is a long walk home.

We crossed into Vermont in the Vicinity of Whitehall, New York. Formerly called Skenesborough, Whitehall is the birthplace of the United States Navy. It was in the harbor of this historic town that Benedict Arnold assembled his fleet of vessels before the October 11, 1776, Battle of Valcour Island. Though Arnold was defeated, with a significant loss of life and vessels on the both sides, the resistance encountered by the British and their losses caused them to delay their southward movement and return to Canada until the following spring. This bought the colonists valuable time and set the stage for the 1777 campaign in upstate New York. This campaign culminated in the stunning American victory at Saratoga on October 17, 1777. Alas I again have wandered off the trail…

So on into the Green Mountain State we drove. The Incredibles on the portable DVD player, three children blissfully ignoring the bovine adorned scenery (though they noted the earthy aroma) and my wife and I having a civil navigational discussion (cough, choke, muttered curses under the breath). Ultimately we arrived at our first stop on the beer tour, the Long Trail Brewing Company in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont (www.longtrail.com). We arrived from the South, the building is a modern structure built in the fashion of a dairy barn. With a peaked tin roof and an idyllic location on the banks of a rushing stream, it welcomed us and beckoned us to explore and experience. Alas it was not to be… a t-shirt and some beer to bring home was all we had allotted time for. They serve lunch and have indoor and outdoor seating. Their gift shop is well stocked and reasonably priced. The restrooms were clean.

I chatted briefly with one of the staff and complimented her on their fine ales, which are now available (since this spring) in New Jersey. She said their sales had increased nearly 25% over the same period last year. She recommended that I purchase some of their unfiltered India Pale Ale as it was fresh and available only at the brewery. I bit and I will share my review in a later column.

The Long Trail Beers I did try were all consistently excellent. Their flagship Long Trail Ale is a fruity, spicy and balanced Altbier. Double Bag is a richly textured, slightly maltier “Double Alt.” Hit the Trail Ale is a deliciously malty, lightly hopped, light to medium bodied, English Brown Ale. The “Blackbeary Wheat” is a flavored wheat beer that my wife and I both agreed was crisp and delicious. Sharply sour blackberry notes on a background of soft wheat malts. I normally eschew flavored wheat beers but it was a warm Vermont afternoon and the tart refreshing taste struck the right chord with us.

Sadly they did not yet have any Hibernator, their Scotch Ale, available for tasting.

Then it was back in the car and Northward on Route 100 to Waterbury. Our next stop, The Alchemist, a brewpub. (to be continued)