Vermont

[sprague11]

Foley should be at all the bigger beer stores. Frost too, but it sells out much faster. Better priced and better beers IMO.

I always found the Onion River Co-op in downtown Burlington to be pricier than the other organic spots in the state. Beer selection is worse also. Much prefer Hunger Mountain for both Groceries and (especially) beer selection. The Healthy Living market across from the University mall in Burlington has a better selection as well with a smaller mark-up.

Occasionally Tomlinson's in Morrisville will have something good on the shelves.

[rejtable]

Was in the area twice in the span of a month and first time in there was Foley stuff by the truckload at Winooski, but not much anywhere else. Not much Frost around anywhere. Second time, Frost stuff all over the place, but not much as much Foley. YMMV

Hunger and CBC had the most Frost beers the second time around.

I can't really comment on prices anywhere, but I hate going to Onion the most. Parking always seems to be a nightmare. Healthy Living is solid, and a Trader Joes just across the parking lot is an added bonus.

[Coronaeus]

I am likely going to be driving to Vermont for a bachelors party in April. I was thinking of trying to head there from Toronto through New York. Any suggestions on a route and any good beer spots on the way in New York? Also, should I take a route through New York, any thoughts on how long the drive would be to Burlington? I am assuming I would need to take the ferry across lake Champlain.

Thanks.

[jp_jkl]

I am likely going to be driving to Vermont for a bachelors party in April. I was thinking of trying to head there from Toronto through New York. Any suggestions on a route and any good beer spots on the way in New York? Also, should I take a route through New York, any thoughts on how long the drive would be to Burlington? I am assuming I would need to take the ferry across lake Champlain.

Thanks.

I've driven to Vermont twice, once via the 401 and Quebec and once going through New York. I crossed at Ogdensburg, stopped in Lake Placid and crossed on the Essex-Charlotte ferry. Taking the 401 is about 7 to 8 hours if you have minimal delays. I believe driving through NY would add about 90 mins to your trip. It may add more than that as you'd likely spend more time stopped for meals than you would at ONroutes. There's also waiting for the ferry. That being said, the drive through NY beats the 401 any day of the week.

In terms of beer spots, the only one I know of is Lake Placid Brewery. Taking the Essex-Charlotte ferry would put you minutes away from Fiddlehead once you're in Vermont as well. Hope that helps.

[Craig]

I didn't much like the Lake Placid Brewery. The best selection I found in town was Liquids and Solids at the Handlebar. They only have a few taps, but a good bottle list. I found the food to be a little expensive and frou frou, so we had a snack there, then popped across the street to Lisa Gs for some more pedestrian grub. It's not really a craft beer spot, more of a local hangout.

[jp_jkl]

I didn't much like the Lake Placid Brewery. The best selection I found in town was Liquids and Solids at the Handlebar. They only have a few taps, but a good bottle list. I found the food to be a little expensive and frou frou, so we had a snack there, then popped across the street to Lisa Gs for some more pedestrian grub. It's not really a craft beer spot, more of a local hangout.

Lake Placid Brewery's food is comparable to a Kelsey's and the beer isn't much better either. When I was at the brewpub, there was a man in there who got upset when he couldn't a order a Bud. I remember reading about those other places you mentioned but we were in Lake Placid on a Sunday night during the shoulder season and most things were closed. They sound like better options.

[Coronaeus]

Thanks for the info gentlemen. I drive to Montreal so often I wanted to change it up for this trip. I was hoping for more of interest en route, but the change of scenery alone might justify the extra time.

[sprague11]

Late to the party on this one, but in the beer wasteland that is Clinton County and Franklin County Plattsburgh has a couple stops - both in Plattsburgh. OVAL and Valcour are decent enough but will probably be a letdown from all the better VT breweries. I'd skip Lake Placid and Plattsburgh Beer Co. Of the 3 beer stores there nothing will have anything really surprising. You might stumble across a Grimm at the Craft Beer Cabin but again the selection you'll see in VT will blow this part of NY away.

7 hours of driving sounds about right. Driving from Plattsburgh through to Cornwall or Prescott isn't too bad if you stick to the Military Turnpike. Couple decent options for food along the route if you know where to look. Going through that part of NY might add a few extra minutes at the most - Scenically it's not anything to write home about but it's a bit less taxing on the nerves than Montreal-area traffic.

[Coronaeus]

Thanks for the info Sprague.

[sprague11]

If anyone finds themselves driving the desolate stretch from Cornwall/Massena through NY State, Filion's diner in Churubusco (a few minutes outside Chateaugay NY) is probably one of the best old school truck stop-type restaurants still going today... providing you hit the place when it's actually open. No beer, but pretty big (and cheap) servings. Helps break up that stretch of small towns and windmill farms.

[Cass]

That trek through upper New York state is always quite strange. It's like a part of the U.S.A. that has been left behind.

[rejtable]

Quick one-night in Burlington with side trip to Waterbury/Stowe.

Man, it struck me how quick the landscape has changed in a few years. Winooski Bev had cases and cases of Heady and SOS just sitting on the floor on a Friday evening. Saw SOS at at least 2 other stores as well. Also, during dinner at Farmhouse was thinking a few years ago a solid percentage of tables would have had cans of Heady out, not a single one on a busy Friday night. Cans and cans of quality beer from Foley, Frost, BBCO all over the place. Also, Foam can release on Friday was still available as of nearly closing time Friday night. I know it's kind of a dead weekend just before Easter, but still.

Ok, place report...

Farmhouse tap and grill... still great time, great food, good beer. Hung out in the parlour for a few, man that's a great place to drink beer!!!
Juniper (Hotel Vermont)... Society and Solitude #4? Yes please!!! Lively spot and fun to watch March Madness. How many better hotel bars are there?
Foam... band playing loud horn music super lively on a Friday night, beers were fabulous. As always awesome spot!
City Market... Solid spot... SOS just lying around
Winoosky Bev... same old solid spot, as mentioned early craploads of quality beer that would have been nearly unheard of on shelves a few years ago just lying around.
Pro Pig... great lunch!
CBC Waterbury... Second Fiddle just sitting around, SOS, great service growler taps looked great.
Alchemist... pretty chill around lunchtime on a Saturday. Maybe 20 ppl inside drinking samples, walked right up to cash. I could have left with, I think, 136 cans if I wanted to.

[Belgian]

rejetable does it mean (partially) that 'everyone else' has now made the Vermont IPA style and this fact has made it harder to hype the originator?

Are there Ontario beers that in ways ace the Heady Topper or Vermont IPA / DIPA style? It seems to be a thing everybody's aiming for (and I don't mind that trend) although I've as yet not tried HT. It's my thinking that, whenever possible a good IPA almost should be local, same as a great Hefeweizen or similarly fragile style. That awesome local availability + freshness + favorable price may all be the Achilles heel to the dominance of far away breweries who made those amazing original beers we discovered.

[Cass]

Interesting to hear about Vermont nowadays, although not totally surprised. I was amazed that HT & SOS maintained that level of frenzy for *so* long.

Remember SOS started contracting out (at Four Roads I think) and of course Alchemist opened that new brewery. With the extra volume, new trendy players & other factors (as Belgian pointed out, quality copying), I guess the time has come where demand no longer exceeds supply.

Rejtable, your note about Winooski reminds me of a couple of years back while I was in NYC. I was at the Whole Foods Soho and saw cases upon cases of BCBS collecting dust on the floor. I asked the guy and he said that people just weren't as interested as they were before in it.

[rejtable]

rejetable does it mean (partially) that 'everyone else' has now made the Vermont IPA style and this fact has made it harder to hype the originator?

Well, I'm just a guy who drinks beer, not much of a pundit, but yeah I think for sure that there is so much competition in that market now it has to have an effect on the standard bearers.

And, with super hyped breweries in the largest cities within a day's drive of Vermont (Boston, NYC and even DC) the tourist is also likely less incentivized to make the trip.