Best Beer Destinations – Burlington, Vermont

Vermont’s largest city is New England post-card perfect…home to an award-winning roster of artisan restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, and one of the most beautiful urban bike trails in the nation.

Burlington is also a great place for craft beer…but the world already knows that.

Nestled on the eastern shore of the beautiful Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont, Burlington is but 45 miles south of the Canada–United States border (Montreal’s only 94 miles north). And even with its almost 45,000 residents it still retains a village-like charm.

And as with Portland, Oregon (another great beer town) it’s a walkable city of neighborhoods, many of them with boutique breweries doing exciting things.

Next time you’re in town, plan for a day of beer touring. The city’s South End Arts District is a great place to start.

A once-industrial neighborhood, the South End Arts District is now home to a budding arts scene and some of Burlington’s most interesting breweries, brewing hotties like Zero Gravity, Queen City and Switchback.

Zero Gravity Brewery began in 2004 as a downtown brewpub. In 2015 it expanded into a 30-barrel brew house with a full canning line, tasting room, retail shop and sun-drenched beer garden. It’s one of our favorite breweries and a great place to start your beer run. And don’t pass on their Narconaut Black Ale when you visit.

Queen City Brewery opened in a smartly renovated warehouse in 2014 and their unashamedly traditional stylistic approach to brewing is a refreshing draw in a city that increasingly likes to push the beer envelope.

In a state known for progressive brewing, Switchback Brewing ups the ante. The first 100 percent employee-owned brewery in Vermont Switchback was founded by Bill Cherry in 2002. It’s built around two year-round beers (Switchback Ale and Citra-Pils) and a handful of rotating specialties and limited runs.

Located downtown in a vintage brick building just steps away from the scenic Waterfront Park and the Burlington Bike Trail that ropes around Lake Champlain, is Burlington’s hottest new craft beer mecca. Founded in 2016 by an eclectic group of industry professionals with a shared appreciation for brewing, science, art, music, and culture, Foam Brewers is a ‘must destination’ when you’re in town. With its rotating selection of beers that vary by season, mood and inspiration, Foam is where visiting brewers hang when they’re in town.

We probably don’t have to tell you that legendary The Alchemist is in nearby Stowe…And if you’ve rented a car you’re already committed, and not making the back-roads trek to the legendary Hill Farmstead Brewery would be like visiting Rome and not dropping by the Vatican.

Where to Eat: Burlington is home to almost too many great restaurants, but the farm-to-table Hen of the Wood is not to be missed.

Where to Stay: Consistently the highest rated hotel in Burlington, Hotel Vermont is that perfect combination of boutique design and location, and its Japan-meets-New England rooms overlooking Lake Champlain set a bar that’s hard to beat. And ask to meet Matt Canning, Hotel Vermont’s own Beer Concierge when you’re there.

Homepage photo credit: Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing