Vermont's Vibrant Craft Beer Scene

Once again, local cuisine from food trucks was on display in addition to a games section where numerous cornhole contests were ongoing throughout the event. The weather couldn’t have been better, and as the rosy sun set on this eventful day, Vermont permanently impressed me with the placid generosity of its residents, its mild summer weather and most importantly, its top-shelf breweries. 

The Alchemist's Heady Topper and Focal Banger, two of Vermont's finest brews, were couched innocently in an airport vendor's cooler.

Our flight the next day left at 6 AM, so after a few hours of sleep we headed to the small but well-equipped Burlington International Airport. During the hour long trek back up the Lake Champlain coastline, we split our time between warily eyeing the road for incoming moose, and gazing into the twinkling infinity above. To a city slicker, Vermont's pristine night sky really drives home the meaning of "light pollution." 

We grabbed breakfast at The Skinny Pancake, and to our surprise, tucked quietly in one of their coolers were cans of The Alchemist’s ever-elusive Heady Topper and Focal Banger Double IPAs. Such a fortuitous find seemed almost like fate, so we both bought one can each, crammed them into our overflowing carry-ons and flew away, with visions of Fiddles dancing in our Head.

Middlebury Inn Photo Credit: hotelroomking.com