Vermont Breweries

Four Quarters Brewing company was founded in March 2014 and this ten-barrel brewery expanded in early 2018. They specialize in hoppy beers, sours, and stouts. The brewery focuses on using natural ingredients, such as natural yeast or aging in oak spirit and wine barrels. You may also find fresh hole foods in brews, such as ginger, citrus zest, sourdough bread, watermelon, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, currants, rhubarb, basil, dill, and cherries. The tasting room is open for draft pours or to-go sales on Thursdays from 6 pm to 9 pm, on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 pm, and on Sundays from noon to 5 pm. On Mondays through Thursdays from noon to 5 pm, you can also stop by for cans, bottles, or merchandise, but there are no draft pours at these times. At the time of writing, the eight beers on draft include sour ales, Patersbier, imperial milk stouts, Belgian Patersbiers, double IPAs, and more. You can also get cans of Sap!, which are birch water, maple seltzer, or maple soda. If you want to take a brew home, opt for one of the four packs of 16-ounce cans, bottles, or a growler fill.

70 Main St, Winooski, VT 05404, Phone: 802-391-9120

The Vermont Pub & Brewery has been in operation since 1988 and required serious effort, including the owners changing the current legislation regarding on-site sales of manufactured beer so they could sell their own malt beverages on site. They have been winning awards, including gold medals, since 1991. Some of the brewery’s notable beers include Burly Irish Ale, Diablo del Oro, Forbidden Fruit, Grand Slam Homerun Beer, Regal Lager, Roaring 20’s IPA, Tulach Leis, and Handsome Micks Irish Stout. While you are at the Vermont Pub & Brewery, you can also grab a bite, such as fried pickles, brew fries, buffalo chicken tenders, poutine, hummus, potato skins, a specialty salad, soup or chili, burgers, sandwiches, a grilled steak or fish, and traditional pub food like chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and toads in the hole. You can visit the brewery and pub on any day of the week from 11:30 am to 1 am.

144 College Street, Burlington, VT, Phone: 802-375-7365

Foam Brewers began in 2016 with an eclectic group of professionals with industry experience who shared an appreciation for brewing along with culture, art, music, and science. Foam Brewers has a rotating beer selection depending on their current inspiration and the season. You can choose any of the brews available as an 8- or 12-ounce pour or in a 750-milliliter bottle to take home. At the time of writing, some of the offerings at Foam Brewers included Jukebox (an India Pale Ale), Hypoluxo (a sour ale with lactose and peach), Summer Please (a dry hopped spelt Saison), Emotions and Math (a farmhouse ale with pineapple and mango), … Like Clockwork (a double IPA), Stay Loose & Hang Tight (a double IPA), and Digital vs Analog (a double IPA). Some of the brews are also available as growlers. Those who prefer other beverages can also find an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic cider, Vermont-craft kombucha, or nitro cold-pressed coffee. Complement your drink with fresh bread, cheese, and charcuteries plus food trucks.

112 Lake Street, Burlington, VT, Phone: 802-399-2511

Fiddlehead Brewing Company aims to deliver full-flavored beers that appeal to true beer connoisseurs. The brewing company focuses on fresh ingredients and local products whenever possible in an effort to deliver a depth of flavor. The owner and brew master, Matthew Cohen, is well-known in the brewery industry and constantly strives to create the perfect pint. You can find the Fiddlehead IPA, the brewery’s flagship beer, on draft lines across the state. At any given moment, you will find that brew, along with seasonal selections, on tap in the brewery as well. You will typically find a new original recipe on tap about every other week. The tasting room even offers free samples of the on-tap beers so you can decide which one you like best. If you like what you taste, fill up a 32-ounce growlette or a 64-ounce growler to take home or buy one of the specialty canned brews. The tasting room is open on Sundays through Fridays from noon to 9 pm and on Saturdays from 11 am to 9 pm during the summer, but close at 8 pm on Sunday through Thursday in the winter.

6305 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, VT, Phone: 802-399-2994

Lawson’s Finest Liquids aims to deliver the highest quality beer with amazing freshness. They feature unique maple brews, world-class IPAs, and everything in between. The nanobrewery began in 2008 following two decades of homebrewing. The brewery is now a small batch artisanal 7bbl brewery. You can find Lawson’s brews in cans as well as kegs throughout Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. At the moment, you cannot visit Lawson’s Finest Liquids, but they will soon be opening an additional location with a tasting room, retail sales, and brewery functionality. This new location will have 7,500 square feet and will open in Autumn 2018. In the meantime, you can try their brews at other breweries and retailers or catch the brewery at a local event. Some of their brews include Super Session #7, Super Sessions #8, Hopcelot IPA, Sticky, Sip of Sunshine IPA, Rum Barrel Aged FMIS, Bourbon Barrel Aged FMIS, and Warren Store Maple Wheat Ale.

Warren, VT, Phone: 802-496-4677

Foley Brothers Brewing is a part of the Neshobe River Brewing Company, a family-run company. The brewery is run by Daniel and Patrick Foley, brothers who opened it in 2012 and work with Christine, their sister. The brewery focuses on small batches as they are a 7.5-barrel brewery, with the small batches giving them the opportunity to experiment. You can visit the Foley Brothers Brewing tasting room on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm or on Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm. At any given moment, you can get a glimpse of what is in the tasting room via their website. You can find four packs of 16-ounce cans or 22-ounce bottles of Simcoe APA, Citra APA, Prospect IIPA, and Lone Beard Oatmeal Stout or six packs of 12-ounce cans of Under One Moon, a dry hopped sour collaboration the brewery did with Long Trail. At the time of writing, all these brews are also on tap.

79 Stone Mill Dam Rd, Brandon, VT, Phone: 802-465-8413

Frost Beer Works is a small brewery that specializes in brewing double IPAs, IPAs, pale ales, and other specialties. They offer their brews in cans, growlers, 22-ounce bottles, and kegs. Frost Beer Works has 11 different year-round offerings, including the Lush Double IPA, the Plush Double IPA, the Double Shush, the Shush, Junior iPA, and more. The year-round offerings are IPAs, blonde ales, Saison/farmhouse ales, stouts, and porters. There are also a range of seasonal brews, including blonde ales, dark ales, IPAs, strong ales, and winter ales. Frost Beer Works additionally has a Research Series which are highly creative and tend to focus on IPAs, with ten choices. At the time of writing, there are 13 taproom can offerings and four taproom drafts, with your choice of a pint, taster, or growler fill. The brewery also keeps an updated list of what is on deck, both for canning and drafts. The taproom is open on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 7 pm and on Sundays from noon to 6 pm. The brewery also attends many local events, so check out their calendar.

171 Commerce Street, Hinesburg, VT, 949-945-4064

Hermit Thrush Brewery offers tastings, cans, and growlers, along with tours. They specialize in new American sours that are brewed responsibly. Some of their brews include Green Street Sipa (a sour India pale ale), Brattlebeer (a sour ale with local apples), Party Guy (a parti-gyle small beer), Po Tweet (a sour pale ale), Rye Barrel Rye (a sour rye ale aged in local spirit barrels), Supah Phunk (a sour Saison), gin barrel Saison (a Saison), and Flemish Sour Brown (a sour brown ale). Some of these have a limited release while others are typically available year-round. At any given moment, Hermit Thrush Brewery tends to have several cans on offering. At the time of writing, these included Party Guy, Gin Barrel Saison, Supah Phunk #6, and Green St Sipa. Guided tours are offered nearly every Friday and Saturday, starting at 2 pm, 4 pm, and 6 pm. Tours only have room for 15 people, so get there early.

29 High St STE 101C, Brattleboro, VT, Phone: 802-257-2337

Kingdom Brewing always strives to brew authentic beers of a craft nature using locally produced ingredients. They use American grown grains, heirloom recipes, and farm chemistry. The brewery even grows their own ingredients on their farm and greenhouse, including berries, spruce tips, and maple syrup. At any moment, you will find about 15 beers on tap, including mostly those from Kingdom Brewing plus a few guest taps. Options can include Out of Bounds DIPA, Round Barn Red, I Sasquatch Black Spruce IPA, and Champlain Valley Orchard Original Hard Cider. You can also find a limited selection in 22-ounce bomber bottles, which are available as supplies last. These currently include Romanov’s Revenge, Captain Jack’s Smoked Spruce Pale Ale, Maple Nut Brown, and Asleep on the Lift – Out of Bounds IIIPA. Kingdom Brewing also regularly hosts local musicians for live music with something different every week. The BrewCabin also features Chowhound Smokehouse which is open from 3 pm to 9 pm during the summer and has a weekly food menu plus snacks like Vermont beef jerky, cheese curds, and chips.

353 Coburn Hill Road, Newport Town, VT, Phone: 802-334-7096

Bill Cherry and Jeff, two longtime friends, founded SSwitchback Brewing Co in 2002, serving the first pint of their brew in October of that year. By 2008 to 2010, they had to expand to a new brewhouse. They began bottling in 2012 and revamped the tasting room in 2014. Switchback Brewing Company offers many brews, including their regulars: Switchback Ale, Citra-Pils Keller Bier, Connector IPA, and Flynn on Fire Smoked Beer Initiative. There are also rotating specials, including SwitchBOCK Keller Bier, Extra Pale Ale, Slow-Fermented Brown Ale, Marzen Fest Bier, Dampf Punk, Dooley’s Belated Porter, and Roasted Red Ale. You can also catch some limited run brews, including French Saison, Berliner Weisse, Export Stout, Fresh Hop XPA, Bohemi-LEM Pils, Thai Lime Gose, and Tequila Barrel Aged Thai Lime Gose. In addition to the drinks, the taproom offers complimentary pretzels. Every day, you can find gluten-free or non-alcoholic beverages, vegan chili, chili dogs, hot dogs, and beer brats plus weekly specials. Be sure to check the schedule for live music as well since most weekends feature entertainment. You can also reserve a tour on Saturdays at 1 pm or 2 pm.

160 Flynn Avenue, Burlington, VT, Phone: 802-651-4114