POST UPDATED 2023
When it comes to things to do in Vermont, one of the most popular attractions is visiting the local breweries. Did you know Vermont is the state with the most breweries per capita? The state may be small, but there are breweries everywhere. What’s even better? They are all fantastic. In fact, Vermont is home to some of the best craft beer on the east coast!
Since it can be overwhelming to choose which breweries to cram into your Vermont getaway, I put together a list of the top 20 Vermont breweries you won’t regret checking out. I even threw in my personal recommendation for the best beer at each one. Cheers!
Don’t want to worry about driving? Take this Burlington Beer Tour. They’ll bring you to many of the breweries on this list. Plus, it includes 15 Vermont beers and FREE pizza for lunch!
At your first brewery, make sure to ask for a Vermont brewery passport. Yes, you heard that right! The Vermont Brewers Association has a brewery challenge where you can win prizes for collecting stamps at a certain number of breweries! Check out the Vermont Brewer Association’s website to get more info, find bus tours and even design your own beer trail.
Visiting during the spring time? Check out the best things to do in Vermont during the Spring!
ultimate list of the 20 best Vermont breweries –
1. HILL FARMSTEAD BREWERY
403 Hill Rd, Greensboro Bend, VT 05842
MUST TRY BEER: Edward- Pale Ale- ABV 5.2%
This brewery may be in the middle of no where, but it is well worth the trip! At the top of most beer bucket lists, Hill Farmstead is known to have some of the best beers in the country. It was even rated the top brewery in the world for five consecutive years by RateBeer.
I’ve stood in line for an hour and a half to get some Hill Farmstead beer, and I don’t regret a second of it. If you plan to visit, be sure to check out Hill Farmstead’s website to see which beers are available and their hours. Most of the time there will be a line before they even open, so keep this in mind!
2. LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS
155 Carroll Rd, Waitsfield, VT 05673
MUST TRY BEER: Sip of Sunshine- IPA- ABV 8%
The first time I tried Sip of Sunshine was at the Vermont’s Brewers Festival in 2014. Lawson’s name became huge! Their beer was so good, if you found a four pack of Sip of Sunshine, it was like winning the lottery. They have expanded tremendously over the past 6 years, and in 2018 opened their new tasting room in Waitsfield. It’s lodge style Vermont hang out is located at the bottom of Mad River Glen, making it the most perfect place to grab a beer after a day of skiing or snowboarding.
3. FOAM BREWERS
112 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401
MUST TRY BEER: Quasi- American Wild Ale- ABV 5.5%
Foam’s beer menu is always changing. They all have great ratings, but Quasi is my personal favorite!
Located on the shore of Lake Champlain, Foam is the perfect place to go watch the sunset over the lake while sipping an ice cold beer. Their beer menu focuses mostly on IPA and sours. (My two favorites!) If you are looking for a tart sour that makes you pucker your lips when it hits your tongue, this is the place for you. Some of my favorite sours I have ever had come from Foam Brewers. Foam beers are hard to find outside the state of Vermont, so this is well worth the visit.
4. THE ALCHEMIST
100 Cottage Club Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
MUST TRY BEER: Heady Topper- New England IPA- ABV 8%
I have never seen a beer blow up in the media quite like Heady Topper. The Alchemists most famous beer was first brewed in 2013, with only 1200 cases being produced per week. With limited quantities being made, the beer caused hundreds of people to flock to the state to get their hands on it. I have personality stood in line waiting for the Alchemist truck to deliver to a beer store. (And might I add, I was 20th in line..) In 2016, their new location in Stowe opened and they started brewing tons of other beers including one of the new local favorites, Focal Banger.
5. FOUR QUARTERS BREWING
70 Main St, Winooski, VT 05404
MUST TRY BEER: Phaze- IPA- ABV 6.5%
Four Quarters has a small warehouse style taproom with a great food menu. You can either taste test in house, or grab a four pack or growler to go. If you can get your hands on freshly brewed Phaze, I highly recommend it. It’s one of my favorite beers from all of Vermont!
6. FROST BEER WORKS
171 Commerce St, Hinesburg, VT 05461
MUST TRY BEER: Lush- Imperial/ Double IPA- ABV 8%
Frost Beer works opened their taproom in 2015. Known mostly for their hoppy IPA’s, they also distribute to most of New England. If you don’t have time to visit in person, make sure to pick up some Lush before you leave Vermont!
Not sure where you can purchase their beer? Distributing to six states on the east coast, they created a “Find Our Beer” feature on their website to show you the closest place to you that sells Frost Beer Works!
7. BURLINGTON BEER COMPANY
180 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT 054010
MUST TRY BEER: You Can’t Get There From Here (Any fruit version)- Wild Ale- ABV 4.5%
Burlington Beer Company opened their brand new taproom at the end of 2021. Located in a historic brick building, their new facility houses a large restaurant with incredible food options.
As an art major, I thoroughly enjoy the art and graphics of Burlington Beer Company’s cans and apparel. Founded in 2014, ‘BBCO’ brews a range of hazy IPA’s and loves to push the boundaries with specialty fruit beers and dark stouts. (They even have a peanut butter and jelly beer sometimes!)
This is an excellent place to go if you want to taste range of different styles. You will get to try a bunch of traditional and unique beers when visiting here. Not to mention… they have some pretty great games to play at the brewery itself!
8. UPPER PASS BEER COMPANY
228 Chelsea St, South Royalton, VT 05068
MUST TRY BEER: First Drop- American Pale Ale- ABV 5.9%
Releasing their first beer at the Tunbridge Fair in 2015, Upper Pass has made a name for itself in the Vermont beer scene. Recently opening their taproom in Tunbridge, they continue to grow and add special releases to their menu. First drop is my fiance Lucas’ favorite beer in the world!
9. FIDDLEHEAD BREWING COMPANY
6305 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482
MUST TRY BEER: Second Fiddle- Imperial IPA- ABV 8.2%
Fiddlehead is a staple in the Vermont beer scene. This is many local’s go-to for a solid IPA that you can find on draft at almost any restaurant or bar.
Fiddlehead Brewing Company has a very small tasting room. However, right next door is Folino’s, a wood fired pizza place. They allow you to bring in growlers of Fiddlehead beer and drink it there while eating pizza to your hearts content. I mean, what’s better than than that?
10. ZERO GRAVITY
716 Pine St, Burlington, VT 05401
MUST TRY BEER: Conehead- IPA- ABV 5.7%
Zero Gravity is home to one of my favorite most ‘drinkable’ IPA’s, Conehead. Excellent beer paired with one of the best outdoor patios in Vermont, Zero Gravity is a great place to hang out.
11. CITIZEN CIDER
316 Pine St #114, Burlington, VT 05401
MUST TRY CIDER: The Dirty Mayor- hard cider- ABV 5.2%
Citizen Cider is known for crafting their hard ciders with all locally sourced apples. Their warehouse is in a great location with a large patio space easy to fit all your friends. They have a killer food menu that was even featured on Food Network’s show ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’. Many of their dishes incorporate their hard ciders, even the wing sauce uses their very own ginger infused cider The Dirty Mayor.
12. 14TH STAR BREWING COMPANY
133 N Main St #7, St. Albans City, VT 05478
MUST TRY BEER: Tribute- Double IPA- ABV 8.1%
Known for their hoppy IPA’s and darker stouts, 14th star is a great place to visit year-round with their outdoor beer garden or indoor taproom. Owned by two veterans who dreamed this idea up while deployed in Afghanistan, the brewery makes a commitment to give back to veteran organizations.
13. PROHIBITION PIG
23 S Main St, Waterbury Village Historic District, VT 05676
MUST TRY BEER: Amarillo Dream- Wheat Beer/ American Pale- ABV 5%
Prohibition Pig is the place to come for specialty cocktails, beer and BBQ! You can even get buy bottles of their barbecue sauce to bring home with you.
If you can’t try the beer Amarillo Dream, they also have unique and flavorful dark beers such as their Toasted Coconut Porter.
I also recommend the Craft Beer Cellar across the street if you need to find any other Vermont beers to take home with you. They have a great selection!
14. FOLEY BROTHERS
79 Stone Mill Dam Rd, Brandon, VT 05733
MUST TRY BEER: Fair Maiden- Imperial IPA- ABV 8.2%
Owned by two brothers and their sister, Foley Brother’s tasting room is located in a vintage barn shared with Neshobe River Winery. Their menu has a wide range of hoppy IPA’s, to barrel aged sours and rich dark stouts.
15. SWITCHBACK BREWING COMPANY
160 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT 05401
MUST TRY BEER: Switchback Ale- American Amber/Ale- ABV 5%
Founded in 2002, Switchback was one of the first stand out craft breweries in Vermont. Their original Switchback Ale is still a favorite throughout the state.
Today there are tons of other competition, but the Switchback name has maintained a staple throughout Vermont.
Since 2017, the brewery has become 100% employee owned, and vows to always remain locally owned and operated.
16. VON TRAPP BREWING
1333 Luce Hill Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
MUST TRY BEER: Helles Golden Lager- Lager- ABV 4.9%
Have you ever seen The Sound of Music? That movie was based off the story of the Trapp family. The family settled in Stowe, Vermont and created The Trapp Family Lodge.
Book a once in a lifetime stay at The Trapp Family Lodge here.
Von Trapp Brewing is located on the same grounds as the lodge, and has breathtaking mountain views surrounding it. (These views reminded the family of their home in Austira!) With a new outdoor biergarten and bierhall, it’s the perfect place to taste their Austrian style lagers and dishes.
17. QUEEN CITY BREWERY
703 Pine St, Burlington, VT 05401 24401
MUST TRY BEER: Oktoberfest- Marzen style Lager- ABV 5.5%
Right across the street from Zero Gravity, Queen City Brewery is another excellent brewery to check out. They specialize in German or English style beers such as hefeweizens, saisons, and scotch ales.
18. ROCK ART BREWERY
632 Laporte Rd, Morrisville, VT 05661
MUST TRY BEER: Vermont Spruce Stout- Stout- ABV 3.67%
Rock Art Brewery has a small tasting room with an indoor upper deck where you can observe their beer production. Currently only distributed in Vermont, you will often find Rock Art beers offered in 22 ounce bombers with specialty styles depending on the season. One of my favorite Christmas beers is their Vermont Spruce Stout.
19. LOST NATION BREWING
87 Creamery Rd, Morrisville, VT 05661
MUST TRY BEER: Gose- Sour/Gose- ABV 4.8%
Lost Nation has a year round series of every style of beer you can imagine. From a crisp light pilsner, to a rustic dark amber, this is an excellent place to try traditional versions of every style. With a mouth watering food menu and outdoor biergarten, Lost Nation is the perfect place to relax and have lunch.
20. LONG TRAIL BREWING
5520 US RTE. 4 Bridgewater Corners, NY 05035
MUST TRY BEER: Blackberry Wheat- American Wheat Ale ABV 4.2%
Founded in 1989, Long Trail Brewing Company is one of the oldest Vermont breweries. Long Trail makes a variety of different styles, but mostly focuses on English style Ales. They distribute to most of the east coast, but 45% of their beer is consumed in the state of Vermont. They have a taproom with pub style food and an observation deck where you can see the production within the brewery.
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Need to grab beer before your trip home? I got you! These are hands down the best craft beer stores in the state of Vermont:
- Craft Beer Cellar (Waterbury, Vermont)
- Beverage Warehouse (Winooski, Vermont)
- Bennington Beverage Outlet (Bennington, Vermont)
Now that you know the best Vermont breweries, you are well on your way to drinking your way around Vermont. (With a designated driver of course!) If you can’t find the time to go to all of these breweries in one visit, be sure to stop at a local beer store and get some to take home with you. A lot of Vermont breweries like to stay local and some beers can be hard to find out of state. Cheers!
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Omg! I will be coming to Vermont for a beer, wine and cheese tour after reading this post. I’ve heard the beer and wine were great there and now I’ll mix these breweries in too! Thanks for sharing.
Paula, yes! VT has some of THE BEST beer, wine and cheese! It’s the perfect getaway combination. Let me know if you need any suggestions for your future trip. I’m always here to help!
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