The month of June was intense. We've moved to a temporary new home about 20 minutes away from our house. If you've been following then you know that we are demolishing our house to put a new modular in its place. We had to go through the arduous task of de-cluttering and deciding what would go with us to the apartment we are renting, and what will go into storage. There were countless moments of, "What in the world is this and why do we own it?" Frankly, it got embarrassing... Can I just mention the SIX storage bins full of empty beer cans for his collection? I also got rid of my wine glasses because the tiku collection has taken over the cabinets. I'm not fancy, and Purists be damned, but wine tastes just as good out of tiku glasses! In the midst of all this madness, and before we actually moved out, we took an impromptu trip to Manchester VT to get out of our own heads, regroup, and reconnect as a family... oh yeah, and a craft beer run... Derek's Tale... So it was good for a quick day trip to Manchester, Vermont and I could tell you about our visit to North Meadow Farms or the fly fishing museum, but you wanna hear about the beer, dontcha? For the most part, it was all about Burlington Beer Co. Re-discovering them actually... We don't make it to Vermont as often as we used to (Still haven't been to Foam. Sniff, sniff...,) so Burlington Beer's evolution isn't so much shocking as an incredible surprise. Having recently had their single hop sessioners, Galaxy and Mosaic (both impressive), I wanted to try their newer, bigger IPAs. I will sum it up thusly: no three hour waits, limited quantities or $20 (+tax!) a 4 pack... Lookin' at you, New York... Peasant King Burtlington Beer Co. Burlington, VT Peasant King is just a bit boozy, but for 9%? Dangerous. Loads of tropical flavor Elaborate Metaphor Burlington Beer Co. Burlington, VT Excellent sessioner. At this point I should probably tell you: many of what we call session IPAs are low ABV beers with big noses that fail to live up to it on tasting. These beers do not fall into that category. These are fairly low ABV beers with a turbid hazy appearance, creamy mouthfeel and WAY more flavor than they deserve to...Enough said. Uncanny Valley Burlington Beer Co. Burlington, VT Citra and Vic Secret to perfection. Somewhere between the sessioners and doubles. Delicious tropical IPA. Stainless Forest and Orbital Elevator Burlington Beer Co. Burlington, VT And now...the two towers you could build a brewing legacy on...Stainless Forest and Orbital Elevator. At 8.2 and 8.3% respectively, you will find no booze here. Forest is tangerine juice and Elevator is pineapple juice. Pick your poison. These both belong on your list of "must try" beers. It's crazy to think that for their price and availability these could be your summer go-tos... Space Face
Four Quarters Brewing Winooski, VT Finally, I was able to make it to The Crooked Ram, the amiable dedicated craft beer shop in Manchester whose tap lists I've been drooling over for some time... Along with the Stainless Forest they had on tap, I was able to procure some Four Quarters Space Face. I was trying to get their other offering, Equations of Time, which I've heard rave reviews about, but the keg kicked before I got there. Suffice to say I don't know what I missed, but the one I got (Space Face) is jooooooooose. Very impressed by my first experience with this fairly new brewery in Winooski. For those of you who never made the trek to Vermont for Heady Topper once upon a time when they were distributing through beverage stores, Winooski was (is) a hot spot for great Vermont beer- including Burlington Beer Co- just outside Burlington. I almost forgot...It's Complicated Being a Wizard...NOT the same beer it was a few years ago the last time I had it. Now it's a turbid, BIG tropical IPA. BBCO is KILLING it!
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