Is James Ford on vacation or something?
So I had a week last week that was split between business and pleasure. We tried to hit a number of beer related places. In the order visited:
Shmaltz Brewing, Clifton Park, NY
www.shmaltzbrewing.comBeer: Five 6 oz pours for $10, you keep the glass. Some nice high abv options, both draft and bottle.
Food: none
Music: classic rock and my wife claims there was a Common song
Other:
Grade: B+
Vices et Versa (bar/restuarant) Montreal, QC
www.vicesetversa.comBeer:30 or so Quebec microbrews on draft, including DDC beers.
Food: decent pub food
Music: Very cool obscure retro rockabilly and bluegrass
Other: Nice outdoor beer garden and they let the kids sit anywhere inside as well (see DDC below)
Grade:A
Dieu du Ciel (brewpub), Montreal, QC
www.dieuduciel.comBeer: 15 or so DDC beers on draft, all that we tried were awesome
Food: Didn't order any
Music: None
Other: No longer allow kids in the "bar area" which consists of the entire inside ("because the cops cracked down"...which sounds like total BS). Fortunately, kids are allowed outdoors
Grade:A-
Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro, VT
www.hillfarmstead.comBeer: Four small tastings for $5. Each delicious, each better than the last. Shaun Hill's mother was pouring the samples.
Food: None
Music: Like they had MY ipod hooked up. Wilco, Neil Young, Uncle Tupelo, Sharon Jones, My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, early Radiohead, Spoon, etc.
Other: We arrived 25 mins before opening, Shaun Hill was in the driveway chatting with someone. We were second in line. Our tragic mistake was getting out of the growler fill line when they opened and opting for the sampling line first. I ended up in the growler line for 90 minutes because of that.
Grade: A
Lost Nation Brewery, Morrisville, VT
www.lostnation.comBeer: A gose, a black ale, a "rustic" ale, a saison, and some kind of other low abv Belgian. No IPA's or even pale ales in sight. Only five really, really tasty low abv beers done very well.
Food: Outsourced to the Mad Taco (see below). Non-taco menu that changes weekly. Creative and very tasty, small menu but always with a veggie option (we had a smoked eggplant sandwich and watermelon salad). And at a fraction of the cost of the Farmhouse and the Pig (see below)
Music: Pixies, Shins, and other pleasant but fogettable indie rock
Other: Just opened in June. My biggest find and most pleasant surprise.
Grade: A
Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville, VT
www.rockartbrewery.comBeer: Decent but nothing to write home about. $4 for a flight of four. Not terribly unique, typical American brewery beer styles. Like a smaller, lower quality version of a visit to Heavy Seas tasting room, without the take home glass.
Food: None
Music: None
Other:
Grade: C+
The Alchemist (Brewery), Waterbury, VT
www.alchemist.comBeer: Four servings of Heady Topper (STILL the best beer in the world!), first sample free, next three $1 each. Need I say more?
Food: None
Music: The Zappa-esque white funk music playing was obviously for the workers, not the customers.
Other: One case per person limit by the time we arrived. Planted ourselves in front of the sit down PACMAN game, kept our daughter occupied while we enjoyed our Headys.
Grade: A
The Prohibition Pig (Restaurant), Waterbury, VT
www.prohibitionpig.comBeer: Thurs night, not a single IPA or pale ale on draft from the VT big three.
Food: BBQ tempeh was dry but tasty. Definitely overpriced at $17.
Music: None
Other:
Grade:B-
The Farmhouse Tap and Grill, Burlington, VT
www.farmhousetg.comBeer: Website and even beer list on chakboard at bar said they had Lawson's Double Sunshine on draft, however when we sat down, we were informed that "the Lawson's truck hasn't arrived yet. But the Hill Farmstead Edward is very similiar." Yes, a 5% pale ale is very simliar to an 8% DIPA. Not!
Food: Tasty but pricey. $14 for a black bean burger at lunch.
Music: None
Other: Wife noted there were lots of old people here. Probably they are the most likely to afford $14 black bean burgers.
Grade:B
Beverage Warehouse (bottle shop), Winooski, VT
www.beveragewarehouse.comBeer: Probably the best bottle selection in VT. Called them multiple times and managed to score a bottle each of Double Sunshine (one bttle per peson limit), which probably sold out in an hour or two.
Food: nope
Music: nope
Other: I asked to use the bathroom. They said "we lost the key. We had regulars coming in to use the bathroom so we had a key made then we lost it." I peed in the parking lot.
Grade:A-
The Warren Store (general store with small beer selection), Warren, VT
www.warrenstore.comBeer: They were doing a free tasting of Green Flash beers. Can't complain about that. Found a slew of 2011 Pannepot for $6 for a 11.2 oz bottle. Is that a rare find? Should I have bought more than one?
Food: Daughter enjoyed the homemade ice cream sandwich, I though it was pretty average.
Music:Nope
Other: The pushy middle age saleslady and 50 year old white guy with dreads (or was it a ponytail? I think that described half the men in Vermont) writing a personal check (and slowwwwwly filling out the ledger during the transaction) caused me to remark, "Vermont people are sort of annoying, but that's probably just because we're assholes."
Grade: B-
The Mad Taco, Waitsfield, VT
www.themadtaco.comBeer: Side by side of Lawson's Double Sunshine and a can of Heady ($5, cheapest price at any dining establishment). Ahhh. Vermont beer nirvana.
Food:Good lord, their tacos are tasty
Music: Ramones, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Specials. Excellent vintage tunes.
Other: Interior of place very bare bones and smelled a bit funky. Ate in the beer garden which gave a nice view of the rest of the strip mall. Didn't matter, the beer and food combo was the highlight of the trip.
Grade: A+
The Old Saratoga Brewery, Saratoga, NY
www.oldesaratogabrew.comBeer: Decent. As many free samples as you want
Food: None
Music: None
Other:
Grade: B+; As much free beer as you want. What other brewery tasting room in the world offers that?
Troegs Brewery, Hershey, PA
www.troegs.comBeer: Troegs isn't in the same league as the Vermont big three or DDC, but they are still quite tasty.
Food: Solid but unspectacular
Music: None
Other: Something about the German beer hall style of the place just hits the right spot
Grade: B+
Didn't get to Magic Hat, Fiddleheads, or Von Trapp in Vermont. Ommegang in Coooperstown, which we've hit in the past, was closed due to their Belgian Beer Fest.
