Yankee Brew News Archive

What's Brewing: Vermont

Originally Published: 06/96

By: Tom Ayres

Magic Hat Hopes to Ride Bus Deal to Bottling Facility

A two-year battle between the city of Burlington and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) could end on a magical note for a local brewer.

Magic Hat Brewing Company, which has brewed its draught product at a site off Flynn Avenue for nearly two years, hopes to have a brewery and bottling plant in full operation on an Industrial Parkway lot by fall. The site presently houses the CCTA offices and bus barn.

Magic Hat products are currently bottled at the Kennebunkport Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Bob Johnson, Magic Hat cofounder, vice president and head brewer, says the company hopes to increase its annual production from 6,500 barrels to 15,000 barrels if the deal goes through.

The bus lot has been mired in dispute since CCTA officials proposed to use the present site and an adjoining lot for expansion in 1994. City officials balked, contending the neighboring lot was needed for industrial development.

Now the CCTA and the city are working out details of a deal that could end the impasse. The compromise would entail CCTA's expansion onto the disputed parcel. In turn, the transportation company would give up its current property for development.

Magic Hat hopes to renovate the existing, 20,000 square foot building to house a brewery, bottling, and kegging operation. The company would retain its current facility as well.

As of this writing, both the CCTA and the city have asked the Vermont Supreme Court to delay decision on a city appeal of land condemnation proceedings involving the disputed parcel while discussions on the proposed agreement continue.

Another Homebrewer Plans to Step Up to Microbrewing

The Franklin County Brewery could be sharing space with The Brew Lab homebrewing and winemaking supply store in St. Albans as early as midsummer.

Bennett Dawson, an avid homebrewer who has operated the supply shop since the summer of 1983, is wending his way through the BATF permit process in hope of opening the Green Mountain State's northernmost brewery soon.

Dawson is not planning a brewpub on the site near City Hall in downtown St. Albans. Instead, he hopes to sell a range of specialty beers to local retailers and restaurants. The initial response to Dawson's proposal has been so favorable that the homebrewer-turned-potential-microbrewer is reconsidering plans to begin commercial production with a modest four-barrel system. Stay tuned for further word on his progress.

McNeill's Doubles Capacity

McNeill's Brewery of Brattleboro has recently doubled its annual capacity, bringing it to around 2,000 barrels. This most recent expansion will allow the brewery to keep up with demand in southern Vermont., and allows for some distribution in Massachusetts. The brewery added two new 10-barrel fermentation tanks, one of which will be devoted entirely to the production of traditional lager beers and the brewery's gold medal winning Alle Tage Altbier. Two more conditioning tanks were also added, along with a third bright beer tank. A new bottling room was also added.

Massachusetts consumers and retailers interested in McNeill's beers can contact International Beverages at 617-821-2714 for their nearest outlet.

Vermont Rivals Northwest in Thirst for Good Beer

Sales of mainstream beers may be flat or fizzling nationwide, but the microbrewery niche continues to show modest growth.

In Vermont, that growth is verging on the spectacular. The state's beer drinkers have embraced microbrewed beers with the same fervor that has made the Pacific Northwest a specialty beer mecca for years.

Andy Pherson, president of Long Trail Brewing Company in Bridgewater Corners, notes that specialty beer consumption tapped nearly 40% of the state's market earlier this year. Vermont beer drinkers--fiercely loyal to local producers--are consuming steadily increasing amounts of beer from the state's four top micros--Long Trail, Catamount, Magic Hat, and Otter Creek.

Brewing Frenzy Reaches Across Lake Champlain

The brewing fever endemic in Vermont has reached across Lake Champlain to New York's North Country. The Plattsburgh Steak and Ale House--the city's second brewpub--opened its taps in early March, following several months of licensing hassles. Watch for a review of the craft brewing scene unfolding on the other side of Vermont's western border in the next issue of Yankee Brew News.