Vermont's Vibrant Craft Beer Scene

Fiddlehead was certainly a microbrewery, in that it was, well, quite small. But when we arrived there at 1 p.m. on a Friday, it was already packed to the gills with craft beer-swilling Fiddlehead fanatics. While only two of the brewery’s flagship offerings were available for growler fills, their bar was loaded with numerous more interesting small-batch offerings such as Brett on the Dancefloor, a Brett Beer, and Amarillo Getaway, a single-hopped Pale Ale. 

Since we had an event to attend, we couldn’t stay too long at this craft beer oasis, but we did nab a growler of Fiddlehead’s flagship IPA. On the way out the door, I spotted a chalkboard sign emblazoned with the release date for Mastermind, which was… next weekend. Oh well, there’s always next time.

Traveling through the rolling hills and stunningly verdant Vermont mountains made me realize why this region was called New England. The flora, fauna and striking vistas were indeed reminiscent of “old” England, and I couldn’t help but compare and contrast the two. Of course, England isn’t the home of Heady Topper, so Vermont’s got the edge on that front.

We arrive at The Middlebury Inn, a beautiful Victorian-style hotel built in the 1800s, and immediately meet up with one of our sponsors for this trip, Woodchuck Cider. A cidery rep provides us with a gift bag and itinerary and says that we’ll meet up in the lobby later for a night of good food and good beer.

Prior to the meet-up, we explore the town on our own and end up at Two Brothers Tavern for lunch, a small but folksy establishment with typical restaurant knickknacks and local breweriana.

The Middlebury Inn, our home away from home in Vermont, was built in the 1800s.

In keeping with the restaurant's New English style, crispy fish & chips, bread pudding, hearty brunswick stew and a delectable-sounding shepherd’s pie were all available on the menu, along with plenty of other treats. 

I opted for the shepherd’s pie and was thoroughly impressed by the layers upon layers of succulent vegetables and beef underneath the pillowy, golden-brown mashed potato crust. Paired with some mouth-watering sweet potato fries and an Overgrown Pale Ale from nearby Otter Creek Brewing, this was a meal to remember.