Jim's Blog Ramblings about novels, comics, programming, and other geek topics

Otter Creek Brewing Company

Otter Creek Brewing is one of the larger brewing companies within Vermont. This brewery purchased The Shed Brewery from Stowe, VT and Wolaver's Fine Organic Ales (USDA Certified Organic). Wolaver's was based out of California and the brand sold very well within Vermont, so in 1997 the two companies merged. Now, Wolaver's is produced alongside other Otter Creek beer keeping the tradition of using local and organic ingredients.

I had purchased Otter Creek variety pack at a grocery store when we first moved to Vermont. At that time, I was seeking out local breweries and it was available in nearly every store. I had also previously purchased a six-pack of Wolaver's Fine Organic Ales, but at that time, I didn't know it was owned/operated by Otter Creek.

Since The Shed Brewery & Restaurant is now closed (purchased by Otter Creek), we received both The Shed Brewery and Otter Creek stamps here. At this point in the challenge, we have 4 stamps (5 counting the free stamp for Lawson's), so we qualify for a free "Drink Vermont Beer" bottle opener magnet. However, both of us have our sights set upon more than the bottle opener!

Fiddlehead Brewing Company

I first discovered Fiddlehead IPA at a local restaurant and by the end of my meal the IPA had became one of my favorite IPAs. I've wanted to visit this brewery since I first tasted their IPA. Of all of the beer that I tasted on my first day on the Vermont Brewery Challenge, this one was on the top of my list of wanting to visit. This brewery is also one of the newer Vermont breweries, so it's logo isn't on the older Vermont Brewery Challenge Passport cards. The Fiddlehead Brewing Company has a stack of the new Passport cards located on their serving bar, so we picked up a newer version of the card.

The brewery is located on Route 7, just south of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and across the street from the Shelburne Winery. They have a large parking lot and additional parking across the street at the Shelburne Winery.

When we arrived, the brewery was empty except for "Matty O" working behind the large glass window and the server at the bar. My wife and I were treated to three samples of their brews: IPA, Hef-You Hefeweizen, and Blonde. I'm a big fan of hoppy IPAs, so I'm very pleased we got free samples of all three beers. Otherwise, I would have ordered a glass or sample of their IPA, but since they offered multiple beer to sample, I was able to taste two Fiddlehead brews that I hadn't tasted before.

Zero Gravity Craft Brewery at American Flatbread

While researching the Vermont Brewery Challenge and the state breweries, I discovered that the Zero Gravity Craft Brewery was located inside of the American Flatbread restaurant. I have walked by the American Flatbread restaurant several times.

The restaurant is located across the street from the Burlington Farmer's Market and very close to the Vermont Pub & Brewery. From the outside, it appears as a normal restaurant and since I hadn't ever had a craving for flatbread, I never entered the restaurant. To be honest, if I had seen a Zero Gravity Craft Brewery sign in front of the restaurant, then I'd have already visited this brewery. The American Flatbread restaurant has 3 locations within Vermont and focuses on local, regional, and organic ingredients.

It was our first day of the Brewery Challenge and we needed something to eat, so I suggested we try American Flatbread to start our challenge. Parking near the restaurant is always hard to find (especially on Saturdays with the Farmer's Market), so we parked in the Burlington Town Center Mall parking (a short walk away) taking advantage of the free 2 hours parking.

Vermont Brewery Challenge

Last week, I discovered the Vermont Brewery Challenge from the Vermont Brewers Association's web site. The challenge is to visit every brewery in the state of Vermont – that’s 24 (currently).

Since I’ve moved to Vermont, I’ve visited a couple of the breweries and sampled beer from about 1/3 of the breweries listed below. During those brewery visits, I never noticed the “passport” cards that some of the breweries have sitting on their counters. The task is simple: 1) Get a passport card (at brewery); 2) Drink; 3) Get a stamp on your card.

If you get 4 stamps, then you can mail in your card to get a free Drink Vermont Beer bottle opener. If you get 10 stamps, then you get a free Drink Vermont Beer t-shirt. If you visit all of them, then you get a Collector’s Set of VT Beer Gear.

Of course, I’m shooting for visiting all of the breweries!