Visit a Small Brewery

What I like to try every once in a while is a beer....of course, most of the time I try ales, lagers, stouts, porters...

While in Vermont recently, my brother had told me I should visit the Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington.

I drink Magic Hat #9 often in Florida as most bars have it on tap now.  It always fun to let a person taste it and ask them what the fruit flavor is.  The beer itself never says what the hidden treat is, so unless you know, or are an expert at tasting things, most people admit the flavor is familiar but are unable to correctly identify it.   The answer is apricot...

As I turned onto the side street off of Route 7 after a short ride from Middlebury (with a few excursions), the first thing I see is some kind of weird contraption near the guest entrance.

I think it is a beer lighthouse!

 As I entered the brewery, I was overwhelmed with the darkness and neon lights; I felt like I was in a Halloween Haunted House.  A young lady greeted me and said I was welcome to try four of the nine current drafts on tap for free, or I could take the tour first and drink afterward.  I mentioned the Halloween ambiance and she replied "Halloween is Magic Hat's favorite holiday!" Okay!

One of many signs at Magic Hat Brewery

 I decided to do the tour first since it was only 11 AM.  The first sign looked as if it use to be on Route 7, directing you to the heaven of free samples...










As I toured through all the memorabilia including posters and guitars and paintings...I came across a coffin filled with Magic Hat bottles.  I assume it was the labels that were dead, and no longer used.

Coffin full of "dead" beer bottles at Magic Hat

There was a small movie theater, I remembered the girl telling me to push the button on the wall and the movie would start.  It was an animation explaining the process of making beer, which is interesting but a story I kind of know.  What was more interesting were the benches in the theater, old Magic Hat kegs.

Magic Hat theater keg benches

Leaving the theater I entered the brewery floor viewing area. It was heaven, look at all the stacked cases of beer.  They said that each morning they bottle one beer.  The assembly line of green labeled bottles (I think it was Dream Machine) was continuously filling bottles with nectar, labeling and capping each bottle, and then placing the bottles into cases. But it was noisy...and I was getting thirsty

Magic Hat bottling assembly line

One of the Magic Hat explanation signs

 As I walked to my right, I could see where they were filling the bottles. I knew this because they had placed thoughtful signs explaining each part of the process.

I hoped that was not beer on the floor (see below), but some kind of bottle cleanser.  I did not dare to ask!

Filling area at Magic Hat Brewery

I finally finished the tour and went back to try a few of the beers I have never had. The first, and only one I took a picture of, is the Single Chair (text from the web site):

Sample of Single Chair

SINGLE CHAIR IS A LIGHT, MEDIUM-BODIED GOLDEN ALE WITH A BREADY AROMA AND A MALT FORWARD FLAVOR. SMOOTH AND DRINKABLE, PERFECTLY BALANCED LIKE NATURE ITSELF, SINGLE CHAIR GOES DOWN EFFORTLESSLY.
Malts: Pilsner
Hops: Apollo, Hallertaur
Dry Hopped: Hallertaur

It did go down effortlessly...right on!


I ended up buying two of the tasting glasses (they look like a shot glass) and a hat with Magic Hat on it...I guess that makes it my Magic Hat Hat....

Sign above bar for Single Chair