When you think of Vermont breweries, the first thing that comes to mind is either Magic Hat or Long Trail – right? At least, that is all I was privy to until taking this trip last week. If you read our post on Farm House Tap & Grill you would know that there is a new generation of brewery popping up in Vermont. You have The Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, and the newest brewery on the block, Fiddlehead Brewing Company.
Fiddlehead Brewing’s owner and brew master Matt Cohen is no stranger to craft beer. Matt has been brewing beer for over sixteen years, working numerous jobs in the industry from his beginnings at Shed Restaurant and Brewery to his days as a head brewer for Magic Hat. Like most brewers, Matt had dreams of one day owning his own place, and in 2010 he began turning his dream into a reality.
For those thinking this is going to be a massive production brewery I am sorry to disappoint you. Fiddlehead is working with a fifteen barrel brew house with two thirty barrel fermenters and one thirty barrel bright tank. Matt is trying to keep his operation small and local, but the demand for his product is rising. Originally he planned to brew a little under 700 barrels for the first year, which in two months turned too 2000 barrels while having his beer in 70 bars and restaurants throughout Vermont.
Most grains come from The Country Malt Group which is located right in Champlain, NY. Keeping things local.
Just in case you were wondering what a fiddlehead is – the furled leaves of a young Fiddlehead fern.
Currently Fiddlehead is only serving up their flagship IPA, but they will have other brews available as they continue on in their first year of business.
The tasting room is always busy at Fiddlehead, and with a bustling restaurant next door, patrons can fill up a growler of Fiddlehead’s IPA to pair up with fresh brick oven pizza from next door. The kid in the picture was not filling a growler; don’t worry.
Don’t forget to pick up your Fiddlehead gear while you are visiting.
Fiddlehead Brewing company is a brewery to look out for. Matt cares a lot about his product and wants to provide the beer drinkers of Vermont with a fresh local brew that they can call their own. I would like to thank Matt for showing us around; stop by their Facebook and give them a like, or better yet stop by the brewery and grab a sample and a growler of one of Vermont’s finest IPA’s. We look forward to seeing Fiddlehead thrive in this massive boom of the craft beer industry.
-Brian