Yankee Brew News Archive

What's Brewing: Vermont

Originally Published: 08/97

By: Tom Ayres

Locally-made, bottled brews continue to proliferate on the shelves of Vermont retail outlets.

Originally available only in growlers and on draft, Rail City Ale, produced by the Franklin County Brewery in St. Albans, is now available in six packs. Franklin County has also introduced Rail City Lager, a light, golden, pilsner-style brew, also offered via six pack.

From the state capitol of Montpelier and Golden Dome Brewing Company comes Ceres Back 40 Amber Ale, a smooth, nutty, sweetish ale that was also available previously in growlers and on tap. Now retailers have it on hand in single, 22-ounce bottles as well. Bennington Brewers' Pale Ale is also available to Vermont quaffers in 22-ounce singles. Watch for a profile of the Bennington-based brewers in an upcoming issue of Yankee Brew News.

Soon to mark its sixth anniversary, Middlebury's Otter Creek Brewing is offering another new brew -- a full-bodied, chewy Pale Ale, with a firm malt palate balanced by aggressive hopping.

Tunbridge Brewing marked its first anniversary this spring and cofounder and brewer Liz Trott reported she was "very pleased" with the turnout at a late spring open house. "Several folks we had never seen before stopped by and are now converts from the majors," Liz enthused. "I think we've even drawn a few Bud drinkers out of that camp."

The brewery's Covered Bridge Ale is now being sold in 22-oz. bottles. Tunbridge Quality Ales will soon be available in 5-gallon kegs as well. Watch for a new beer -- a hefty Winter Expedition Ale -- due for release by Thanksgiving. Lastly, Tunbridge is sponsoring a homebrewing competition at the famed Tunbridge World's Fair onSeptember 13. For judging and entry information about the upcoming competition, contact Liz at (802) 889-3406.

Surfing the World Wide Web in search of something brewing? Check out the Vermont Pub and Brewery Web site at http://psahome.com/vpb. You'll find updates of pub-brewed beers available at VP&B, as well as information about upcoming events at Vermont's oldest brewpub. Also of interest is the Web site maintained by Dr. Leonard Perry, the hops guru at the University of Vermont Extension System. Look for a wealth of details about hop growing and harvesting, links to other hops-related sites, and details about the 1997 Vermont crop at http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/hops.html.

Speaking of the VP&B, the Burlington brewpub will once again brew a commercial batch of the Brewmaster's Cup-winning homebrew from the 1997 Green Mountain Homebrew Competition. Green Mountain Masher Dan Marshall won the honor for the second consecutive year. He'll craft his prizewinning English mild at the brewpub in late August. Look for it on tap sometime in October.