The Second Day of the 2009 New England Brewery Tour

Greetings,

First of all, as you may have noticed, there have been no pictures. Blame that on technology. They will follow on the web-site. (I have some super pictures - and video of the fermenters at Magic Hat and the new bottling line at Harpoon - Windsor, VT).

We began the day at Harpoon (Windsor,VT) after a short drive from Norwich, VT. We discovered there have been some major changes there over the last year. One of the most impressive is the "brew-pub" part of the operation. It was still being worked on while we were there. The new bottling line was also impressive. At over 400 bottles a minute they have developed a system that gives them a chance to make even more of an impression on the national market.

The brewpub aspect, as well as the merchandising area will be impressive when finished. In particular, the care to detail is going to make a visit there memorable.

The next stop was the renovated facility at Magic Hat. Their new open fermenter system was a beauty to see and gave a olfactory impression that was memorable. Again, pictures and video to follow.

Unfortunately Flat Bread was not open when we got there in the early afternoon. And so it was off to Waterbury and The Alchemist. This brewpub was just getting its first rush when we got there. One fellow had been there most of the afternoon it seemed and was enjoying the results. More to the point the beers there were tasty, clean and refreshing. One, just over 4% abv was a real fine brew. As we were expected at a fine restraunt later we just had a small plate of cheese. The Vermont cheeses they presented were served at the best temperature and were better than at the place where we had dinner.

And now the big confession... after consideration it is time to return to Brooklyn. The New York breweries in Lake George will have to wait. On the way back we will visit The Guilded Otter and call it a trip.

Thanks for following and I'll let you know when and where the pictures and video will be posted.

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance
( http://www.beerbasics.com )