What could be better than a brewery in your Vermont town? How about more than one?

Brent Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press
·4 min read

The Vermont beer scene has grown so much in the past decade that it now seems like every town has its own brewery. That’s not quite true, of course — Vermont has more than 250 towns and only 60-plus breweries — but residents generally don’t have to drive too far to find a place that makes beer in or near their town.

Some residents are lucky enough to have at least two breweries in their community. That gives them multiple varieties of beer to sample and at least a couple of taproom vibes to immerse themselves in.

Should you need a refresher on what breweries are in your town, or if you seek inspiration to travel the state to taste beer made somewhere else, we’ve put together a handy list of some of the communities brimming with beer makers.

Bennington

This community in extreme southwestern Vermont has Madison Brewing, a stalwart brewery/restaurant, and a couple of new beer-making entrants that are all within extremely easy walking distance of each other.

Brandon

For a small central Vermont town of only 4,000 or so residents, this community has cornered the market on under-the-radar but much-buzzed-about breweries.

A view from the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River of the Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery in Brattleboro on Aug. 1, 2021.
A view from the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River of the Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery in Brattleboro on Aug. 1, 2021.

Brattleboro

Much like extreme southwestern Vermont, a town in extreme southeastern Vermont lays claim to multiple breweries as well. (This list doesn’t include McNeill’s Brewery, which is temporarily closed.)

Celia Heath pours an amber ale Jan. 7, 2022 at Hogback Mountain Brewing in Bristol.
Celia Heath pours an amber ale Jan. 7, 2022 at Hogback Mountain Brewing in Bristol.

Bristol

This Addison County community of around 4,000 residents packs a pretty good beer punch for its size.

The Full Barrel Co-op Brewery & Taproom held an open house at its soon-to-open location on North Street in Burlington on Oct. 15, 2020.
The Full Barrel Co-op Brewery & Taproom held an open house at its soon-to-open location on North Street in Burlington on Oct. 15, 2020.

Burlington

The Queen City is the king of beer in Vermont. Not surprisingly, the state’s largest city has a number of breweries to wet your whistle and whet your appetite for beer.

Chris Kesler, founder/brewer of Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, tests beer with Dan Sartwell, head of brewing operations at the Essex business, on Aug. 12, 2020.
Chris Kesler, founder/brewer of Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, tests beer with Dan Sartwell, head of brewing operations at the Essex business, on Aug. 12, 2020.

Essex

Burlington is not the only community in Chittenden County that lays claim to more than one brewery, as Essex attests.

The Woodpile maple brown ale offered by Red Leaf Gluten-Free Brewing, which has a tasting room in Jeffersonville.
The Woodpile maple brown ale offered by Red Leaf Gluten-Free Brewing, which has a tasting room in Jeffersonville.

Jeffersonville

A traditional brewery and the state’s first one to specialize in gluten-free brews make this ski town a beer destination.

Morrisville

This community just north of Stowe has two breweries at the moment and, likely by the end of the year, will gain a third, the yet-to-open Soulmate Brewing Co.

The 14th Star Brewing Co. and Grazers restaurant, shown Jan. 12, 2022, operate out of the same space at a shopping plaza in St. Albans.
The 14th Star Brewing Co. and Grazers restaurant, shown Jan. 12, 2022, operate out of the same space at a shopping plaza in St. Albans.

St. Albans

Head to the northwestern reaches of Vermont to find these two breweries in the hub of activity in Franklin County.

Stowe

One of the most popular tourist and ski towns in Vermont has a trio of brewers to keep visitors and locals alike well taken care of in the beer department.

Lillian MacNamara, co-owner of Freak Folk Bier, pours a beer at the Waterbury brewery March 4, 2022.
Lillian MacNamara, co-owner of Freak Folk Bier, pours a beer at the Waterbury brewery March 4, 2022.

Waterbury

This town has more top-notch food-and-drink spots per square inch than just about any town in Vermont – and that includes a couple of breweries.

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont beer crawl ideas: Which towns have more than one brewery?