Last weekend my wife and I took some time and headed up north to Montpelier, Vermont.
The occasion was our anniversary. Also we like Vermont. And we have a nephew and his girlfriend who have a house in Montpelier. So the lodging price was right.
We went up on a Friday and it was a beautiful day to walk around downtown Montpelier. They were having an Artwalk celebration. About two dozen venues around town were displaying works of art of local artists. One of them happened to be our nephew. And he had also solicited entries from his brother and his brother's fiancee so they also had works on display.
The other draw of course is the vibrant brewing scene in Vermont. I've been a fan of the larger Vermont breweries whose offerings are readily available further south in Connecticut. Long Trail, Otter Creek and Magic Hat have often filled my refrigerator and coolers. But I also knew there were many smaller breweries worth checking out.
Our trip was too much of a quick hitter to visit any breweries (another time for sure). But the brews from these smaller breweries are readily available throughout the state.
One of our first stops (after visiting the local library to use their rest rooms after the drive up from CT) was a place called the Three Penny Taproom. It's a great bar with nice wooden floors and plenty of tables and chairs. It was getting busy late on a Friday afternoon as we waited for our nephew's girlfriend to meet us. (Our nephew had to work late that night unfortunately).
There was a large chalkboard on the wall displaying all the brews available on tap. They came from all over but most were from Vermont, with a smattering of brews from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, etc. Being in Vermont I wanted to try something local, and also something I hadn't tried before.
I started with a brew called Edward. It is an American Pale Ale from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, Vermont. It was somewhat on the light side which was anticipated given the 5.2% alcohol level. But it was very smooth and tasty. It went down very easily and I could have drunk it all night. So I did end up having a second. By then our nephew's girlfriend had joined us. She joined us in a round and then we decided to go elsewhere to eat.
We ended up at restaurant called Sarducci's. As you might guess it is an Italian restaurant. Without reservations it was about a half hour wait. But the food was worth the wait. All three of us enjoyed our meals. While there I sampled one of their tap offerings, the IPA from Fiddlehead. For those who may not have heard, Fiddlehead Brewing is legendary among Vermont microbrews. The brewmaster, Matt Cohen, is known and far wide and goes by "Matty O". I guess from the long "o" in Cohen.
The IPA is Fiddlehead's signature brew. And isn't that how it should be for just about any brewery? I certainly think so.
Their IPA did not disappoint. It had the nice amber color. The aroma of citrus and pine you come to know and love from IPA's. And it was flavorful and very smooth as well. It is worth the trip to Vermont just to find all the places that have it available on tap.
So it was a very productive trip to Vermont. Montpelier is a funky little town. It is the smallest state capital in America. And the variety of beers available in its bars and restaurants and liquor stores is astounding. Definitely worth the journey and worth getting caught in a downpour on Saturday at a local outdoor tag sale being held on Main St.
And for any interested you can visit this site to see some art work from our nephew. Some of the paintings were among those on display around town.
Until next time - keep drinking!
The occasion was our anniversary. Also we like Vermont. And we have a nephew and his girlfriend who have a house in Montpelier. So the lodging price was right.
We went up on a Friday and it was a beautiful day to walk around downtown Montpelier. They were having an Artwalk celebration. About two dozen venues around town were displaying works of art of local artists. One of them happened to be our nephew. And he had also solicited entries from his brother and his brother's fiancee so they also had works on display.
The other draw of course is the vibrant brewing scene in Vermont. I've been a fan of the larger Vermont breweries whose offerings are readily available further south in Connecticut. Long Trail, Otter Creek and Magic Hat have often filled my refrigerator and coolers. But I also knew there were many smaller breweries worth checking out.
Our trip was too much of a quick hitter to visit any breweries (another time for sure). But the brews from these smaller breweries are readily available throughout the state.
One of our first stops (after visiting the local library to use their rest rooms after the drive up from CT) was a place called the Three Penny Taproom. It's a great bar with nice wooden floors and plenty of tables and chairs. It was getting busy late on a Friday afternoon as we waited for our nephew's girlfriend to meet us. (Our nephew had to work late that night unfortunately).
There was a large chalkboard on the wall displaying all the brews available on tap. They came from all over but most were from Vermont, with a smattering of brews from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, etc. Being in Vermont I wanted to try something local, and also something I hadn't tried before.
I started with a brew called Edward. It is an American Pale Ale from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, Vermont. It was somewhat on the light side which was anticipated given the 5.2% alcohol level. But it was very smooth and tasty. It went down very easily and I could have drunk it all night. So I did end up having a second. By then our nephew's girlfriend had joined us. She joined us in a round and then we decided to go elsewhere to eat.
We ended up at restaurant called Sarducci's. As you might guess it is an Italian restaurant. Without reservations it was about a half hour wait. But the food was worth the wait. All three of us enjoyed our meals. While there I sampled one of their tap offerings, the IPA from Fiddlehead. For those who may not have heard, Fiddlehead Brewing is legendary among Vermont microbrews. The brewmaster, Matt Cohen, is known and far wide and goes by "Matty O". I guess from the long "o" in Cohen.
The IPA is Fiddlehead's signature brew. And isn't that how it should be for just about any brewery? I certainly think so.
Their IPA did not disappoint. It had the nice amber color. The aroma of citrus and pine you come to know and love from IPA's. And it was flavorful and very smooth as well. It is worth the trip to Vermont just to find all the places that have it available on tap.
So it was a very productive trip to Vermont. Montpelier is a funky little town. It is the smallest state capital in America. And the variety of beers available in its bars and restaurants and liquor stores is astounding. Definitely worth the journey and worth getting caught in a downpour on Saturday at a local outdoor tag sale being held on Main St.
And for any interested you can visit this site to see some art work from our nephew. Some of the paintings were among those on display around town.
Until next time - keep drinking!
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