Stowe is in the heart of Vermont’s ceaselessly growing craft brewery scene and an emerging craft distillery region. That’s why Edson Hill serves some of the area’s premier craft beer and wine with lunch and dinner at our picturesque retreat. Escape to the genuinely breathtaking Green Mountains this autumn for a colorful journey back in time at our elegant luxury inn. Three of the best breweries in Stowe VT are minutes from our 38-acre country estate, so remember to support local business by sipping on a refreshing adult beverage at these creative establishments.
1. Heady Topper – The Alchemist
The Heady Topper is a complex six-hopped double IPA with hints of orange, tropical fruit, and pine from the ninth-best brewery in the U.S., according to Untappd beer drinkers. The Alchemist tasting room is only three miles down the road from Edson Hill. The first batch of the flagship Heady Topper was brewed all the way back in 2003.
2. Safety Meeting – Stowe Cider
Hard cider is vastly undervalued and overshadowed by craft beer, but that’s going to stop Stowe Cider. Even beer aficionados who rarely try other alcohols will fall in love with Safety Meeting, Stowe’s deliciously tart, herbal dry-hopped hard cider.
3. Luminous Series – Ten Bends Beer
You’ll have to trek 15 miles to Hyde Park to get your hands on Ten Bends’ latest award-worthy IPA. These rotating hoppy ales utilize refreshingly creative combinations of hops and malts.
4. Seyval Blanc – Boyden Valley Winery
Boyden Valley Winery is set on a gorgeous plot of land near the Lamoille River. Their Seyval is a crisp, dry, and smooth Sauvignon Blanc with hints of green apple and grapefruit.
5. Green Jacket Vodka Mojito – Green Mountain Distillers
There’s nothing quite comparable to a refreshing mojito in the summer heat, and Green Mountain Distillers has concocted one of the very best. The Green Jacket features their Sunshine vodka with a splash of lime juice, club soda, sugar, mint, and cucumber – aah, delicious!
6. Doubletyme – Idletyme Brewing Company
Sitting at 8% ABV, the Doubletyme imperial IPA is for beer geeks who crave ales with dry hops and ultra-malty backbones. Idletyme is one of the can’t-miss craft breweries in Stowe VT. Many of our guests at Edson Hill plan an afternoon of beer sampling in Stowe because Idletyme Brewing is only 0.3 miles away from The Alchemist.
7. Smugglers’ Sizzler – Smugglers’ Notch Distillery
Head south on VT-100 to Waterbury for a refreshing cocktail at Smugglers’ Notch Distillery. Their “Sizzler” combines housemade gin, cranberry lemonade, lemon, and blueberry.
8. Limited Access – Rock Art Brewery
Rock Art Brewery, out of nearby Morristown, began brewing local beer all the way back in 1997. They’ve made a living crafting well-balanced hoppy IPAs, and the surprisingly crushable Limited Access is no different.
9. Oktoberfest – Lost Nation Brewing
Märzens must ever-so-slightly balance the fine line between sweetness and maltiness. Many beer companies fail with sugary Oktoberfest ales, but Lost Nation Brewing has successfully nailed this autumn classic. The problem is that it’s only available in the fall.
10. Vienna Style Lager – von Trapp Brewery
A crisp Vienna-style lager is one of the few beer styles on this Earth that can be thoroughly enjoyed on a 100-degree summer day and during a 20-below blizzard. The folks at the von Trapp Brewery, one of the premier breweries in Stowe VT, still craft a mean Vienna-style lager!
