Return to Sender!

Aggghhh! Got my passport back yesterday, Thank you US Postal Service! Apparently I forgot a stamp?!
I would have been pretty upset had I missed out on the mother load of prizes just because I forgot a stamp...
I think I had a touch of PTSD from our route 17 trip. So I took the opportunity to show you all what our passport
looks like and made sure to mail it out today with a Mother Teresa stamp for extra security.

The (bittersweet) End

That's us, mailing in our passports! Now we await the mother load of prizes....

Drink Vermont Beer, it's the best!!!!

Thanks Tracy for a journey I will remember forever!

Last but not least, Otter Creek Brewery, Middlebury

November 27, 2010

We made it to our last stop on our passport tour, Otter Creek, and guess what? We were carded, yes, the first and only time along the way, but we were asked to show our IDs!


Free popcorn for the boys and free samplers for the moms. Can't beat that!

Copper
IPA
Ultra Gracia Coffee Porta

Bobcat Cafe and Brewery, Bristol

After the life threatening drive through the mountain pass, we really needed a beer. Thank God for the cute, young, chef who let us in, stamped our passports, and gave us beer (even though they were closed)! We tried a Kolsch - yummo, gets a 10 and a Raspberry Wheat which was also quite nice earning a 9.

If you look across the street from Bobcat Cafe and Brewery, you will see the neatest, funkiest, Vermont store. It's a must visit next time you're in Bristol! Loved it and loved Bobcat. Will definitely visit again, just not in the snowy weather and not through the Mad River pass.................

The store across the street is called: Emerald Rose. Everything from Jackie Chan Post cards to Buddha's and prayer flags. Even a
Praying Dash Board Jesus!

The Shed, Stowe

It was snowing in Stowe.... The Shed had food, so we ate lunch. The boys ordered french fries. They earned a rating of 9 without ketchup and a 10 with. The moms each ordered a West Branch Golden, which kinda reminded us of Grandma's attic or a basement that flooded and then dried out. Not our favorite beer, sorry Shed.

Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville, VT

Rock Art was really cool! We loved the vibe, the stuff they sold inside, the delicious beer, and the nicest curly haired brewery friend we've met - Valerie! Valerie hooked us up with some great samplers. The first was the most unique beer I've had yet, Sunny and 75 degrees. It was spicy and fruity but really good. We tried The Riddler, The Ridge Runner, and Summer IPA. I have to say my personal favorite would be the Ridge Runner with the Riddler coming in a close second, both earn a 10 from me! We got tons of information from Valerie on the different types of beer and even got some tips on making our own micro-brews. Tracy

This was certainly the highlight of our morning because after this the story goes down hill (no pun intended). We encountered lots of snow and lots of mountains. Please read our OMG from Stowe to Bristol post to hear what happens next!

Thanks Valerie for making our day! Love your hair and love you! xoxoxo Tracy & Abby

This brewery stop was what I love about Vermont, it was out back behind a building that stored plows and equipment. Inside was small, and warm (pellet stove), the bar was a beautiful assortment of woods that someone connected to the bar lovingly made. Valerie who was working that day even told us that one of their brewers is a woman! Tracy and I liked that. The beer was fantastic!!! I'd go here again for sure.

OMG trip from Stowe to Bristol! 11/27/10

Seriously, we could have died! We started out early Saturday morning headed for a North and West tour to capture our last four passport stamps. We planned a great big loop of a tour and we were so excited to finish this final leg of an amazing experience! First stop: Rock Art, Morrisville, VT from there we would travel south to The Shed in Stowe, and then onto Bristol to find Bobcat and finally end at Otter Creek in Middlebury. On paper it was a long but great plan. We had our trusty GPS, a full tank of gas, four wheel drive, and away we go! (You can read about each of these breweries on their individual posts. The beer was exceptional and we met some wonderful people). The story I want to write here is about a harrowing car ride over the Mad River Glenn pass, and down about 3000 feet in elevation. Yes, we encountered snow from Danville onward (most of the trip). We drove in four wheel drive and listened as our GPS friend sent us into imminent danger! OMG, we climbed a mountain like none of us had ever seen before (in VT anyway). And when we got to the top, all you could see was sky and no road. It was so steep that you couldn't even see down! Horrific fear set in. We were skidding down the mountain sideways,remarkably we all remained calm. Abby did this incredible co-pilot soothing voice thing and Tracy managed to drive without freaking out, taking us in and out of skids. The boys tried not to look or talk but you could hear quiet whimpers coming from the back seat. After 19 miles of pure fear, we made it to sunny skies and bare tar (no snow). Bobcat was closed but the friendly chef gave us some samplers anyway. We really needed them!
Earlier we came upon an accident half way down a different mountain. Perhaps this should have been a warning...
The good news is we are safe and importantly we lived to find the last three breweries. There is however, a moral to go with this story: NEVER take Route 17 in the late fall, winter or early spring!

Abby here and I just wanted to add that Tracy really took control of that SUV on route 17! I am a VT girl, lived on a farm for 18 years and visited many VT towns and I have never been so impressed with how one girl mastered a vehicle! Tracy, this farm girl was impressed!

Trout River Brewery,Lyndonville, VT

Had to do this trip without Abby, bummer. Really cool place, loved the beer and the pizza. Really crowded (only open two days a week). Bought my first growler! Will return for sure!!!

Hoppin' Mad Trout 10
Rainbow Red Ale 9

AWESOME Pizza!

The Alchemist - Waterbury

The Alchemist is a really cool place - a little funky in a Vermont way. Good selection of beer, french fries were a hit. We saw a rainbow on the way home, nice way to end a long day of brewery hopping (6 breweries in one day)!

Magic Hat - South Burlington

Magic Hat is by far the coolest place we've been.

Lost in Burlington & Vermont Art

Photo 1: We found this cool tower of filing cabinets.

Photo 2: Lost, after only 1 beer, really.

Switchback - South Burlington

Switchback was closed too... met a nice worker there, got our stamp, and moved on!

Three Needs - Burlington, VT

They weren't open but this nice Three Needs employee unlocked the door and gave us a stamp!
I think we were so excited about the stamp because we walked to the wrong parking garage (in the rain) and couldn't find our car(Abby and Tracy share a keen sense of direction). Eventually with the help of our children we found our vehicle and headed to Switchback!

American Flatbread - Burlington, VT

Reflecting on the summer :)

Here it is only 6 days before school starts and I’ve had the best summer I can remember in years. I’m thankful for the special memories with my boys, Mark, my friends and family. The weather has been exceptional, gorgeous, hot, perfect, summer weather! I’ve been fortunate to make it to 12 breweries to date with my dear friend Abby. Spending time with Abby has been a complete joy and source of peace and happiness for me. I’ve certainly gained a few beer pounds in the tummy but I’ve loved every pound. I couldn’t be happier to know and learn that my all time favorite Vermont Beer is less than 15 miles down the road. I guess you really don’t have to look far to find the good things in life! Cheers~Tracy

Vermont Pub and Brewery - Burlington, VT

McNeill’s Pub and Brewery 90 Elliot Street, Brattleboro

July 9 2010

Tracy got a flat tire!!! (see How we Met Tiny)Agggh. Bummer.

So Owen and I continued on to Brattleboro. McNeills was by far the most interesting and the smallest. Located on a side street in downtown Brtlboro, along a section of one level, older buildings. No lunch or dinner type foods served, so Owen and I ate at Frankies (Pizza, grinders and pasta….)located right across the street, and then went back to McNeills. Frankies was a great place to eat with reasonable prices and homemade checkerboard tables, also interesting was that they had signs that said BYOB…

We finally got into the pub around 1:30. My first impression was that it was a very funky artistic place. Old wood surrounds the entire inside with interested colored glass light fixtures as well as wood and stone sculptures. There is even a very large chair fit for perhaps the days of Robin Hood? Owen really liked the chair. The inside is what I would imagine an old fashion beer hall might look like? Many large long tables with chairs and a bar against the wall.

The beer. The unlucky day continues here…..the first two beers were not available so I settled for a medium light beer….from the tap which was exellent. The tap was very unique, not sure how to explain this but it worked by hand pumping. Seemed to operate on the compression of air? The barmaid pumped the handle a few times and then out came the beer. I was a little flustered over not having my first and second beer choice, so didn’t write the name of the beer down…you’ll just have to go and try them yourself!! No tour of the brewery available, but the barmaid told me the master brewer brews down stairs in the basement.

Overall not your cookie cutter place and happy to see some small pubs still operate and have some character!!
Rating: B+ for uniqueness and small hometown feel.

Madison Brewing Company Bennington Vermont

July 18 2010


So this trip to Madison was with my family Craig, Dylan and Owen. Tracy and family were in Pittsfie1d I think? I would like to apologize in advance to all the Redsox fans reading this as Craig insisted on wearing his Yankees shirt. It appears in one pictutre.

Madison is located on Main Street in a two story brick building. When entering one is struck by the high ceiling and long bar that covers the back wall. There is a knight in shining armor to greet you by the door (he just stands there, no one hiding inside it).
There are options to eat downstairs, or upstairs where you can see down into the bar area. You can also eat outside on the roof top terrace, which also has a small cabana style bar. The views are beautiful!! The green mountains almost looked purple/blue due to the humidity?(about 92 degrees that day). The Dylan and Owen left to roam the streets and check out the local shops.

I ordered a Wassick Beer (white) and Craig got a Long Hammer (not a Madison beer). 4 of the 7 beers they brew had run out over the weekend so like McNeills Pub we were a little limited in choice. The Wassick has a thick taste to it and they put an orange slice in it which adds a nice little citrus flavor, Captain Craig who doesn’t like beer (figures he is a Yankees fan) said the Long Hammer was good and that he could drink that if he needed to….! You can tell this place gets very busy on the weekends, it has a college town vibe with young wait staff and lots of patrons for a Sunday.

Check out the food we ordered, a Turkey Cranberry Melt and a Buffalo Wrap. It was delicious!

Rating: A for fun atmosphere, good beer and exellent views of VERMONT!

EXTRA TID BITS…..
On Rt. 9 from Brattleboro to Bennington we stopped at 3 places that are worth mentioning. The first is WaHooo Eatery. Its like a fancy Whippi Dip. But wow is the food good! They use local Vermont produce, it’s clean and they have healthy choices as well as less healthy choices. They also compost and recycle. Craig loved the Philly Cheese Steak wrap and Dylan and Owen said the Cheeseburgers were the best they have ever had.

Also we stopped at both Vt State Parks, as I love to camp at Vt parks. First on Rt. 9 is Molly Stark State Park (named after an independent woman who raised 11 children and was a key reason the battle of Bennington was a success). 23 campsites, 11 lean to shelters and a hiking trail to a fire tower. Very nice bathrooms and clean. We are going back here the end of August to camp for the weekend.

Woodford State Park is 30 minutes past Molly Stark on Rt 9 West. This campground surrounds Adams Reservoir, much bigger and has separate tenting/lean to sites. A small playground a small beach access. Very clean as well and the sites seemed generous.

Norwich Inn and Brewery

Mark and I went on a date to celebrate 15 years of marriage -woo hoo! Norwich Inn it was... I forgot the camera (but you probably live close enough to drive down and see it in person. Quite charming indeed, especially the patio area).
Loved my beer! Oh be Joyful gets the best rating of all beers thus far ~ 10 ~ Yumm-o!!
Mark had Whistling Pig Red Ale and enjoyed it. Atmosphere was lovely. Food was delicious! Great place to celebrate our marriage.

Ratings

Beer Ratings:

Harpoon Summer 9 (Tracy)
Harpoon Raspberry UFO 6 (Abby)


Long Trail Blackberry Wheat 7 (Tracy)
Long Trail IPA 6 (Abby)

McNeil's (Abby)

Madison (Abby)

Oh be Joyful Norwich Inn and Brewery 10 (Tracy)
Whistling Pig Red Ale Norwich Inn and Brewery 7 (Mark)

Vermont Pub and Brewery Bombay Grap IPA 9 (Abby)
Vermont Pub and Brewery Grand Slam - not rated (Tracy)

Magic Hat Summer Wacko 7 (Abby)
Magic Hat Summer Wacko 8 (Tracy)

Alchemist Lightweight 7 (Tracy)
Alchemist Shut the Hell Up 6 (Abby)


French Fry Ratings:

Harpoon 8 (Noah)
Harpoon 6 (Isaac)
Harpoon 8 (Owen)


Long Trail 7 (Noah)
Long Trail 9 (Isaac)
Long Trail 9(Owen)

Vermont Pub and Brewery 10 (Noah)
Vermont Pub and Brewery 10 (Isaac)
Vermont Pub and Brewery 10 (Owen)

Alchemist 9 (Noah)
Alchemist 1 (Isaac)
Alchemist 9.5 (Owen)