(HOST) Recently, commentator Bill Mares attended the Vermont Brewers Festival on Burlington’s waterfront, along with nearly ten thousand other suds conoisseurs.
(MARES) Almost 30 years ago I wrote a book about the beginnings of the craft brewing movement. It described what happens when a home brewer gets carried away with the idea of building his own brewery. At the time, there were only six micro breweries in the country. I "sobered up" before I took the final fateful step into the business myself.
But hundreds of others pursued their sudsy dreams with such cock-eyed optimism that today there are more than 1500 small and medium breweries and brewpubs across the land. Nineteen are in Vermont giving us more breweries per capita than any other state.
This year’s festival was dedicated to the memory of Greg Noonan, the owner of the Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, who died last year. In the 1980’s he and I worked to pass the law which legalized brew pubs in Vermont. His mantra to all aspiring brewers was simple: It’s all about the beer.
The Vermont brewers, with some help from surrounding states and Quebec, tapped their imaginations and kegs and between them brought 150 different beers to taste.
They ranged from tiny Norwich Inn and Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Warren through Rock Art in Morrisville and Trout River in Lyndonville to the relative behemoths like Long Trail and Magic Hat.
During the brewing revolution, the original styles of beers and stouts, ales and lagers have morphed into a score of styles variations like Belgian ales, German rye beer, fruit beer, smoked beer, vegetable beer.
Coining weird names is a favorite game for brewers. Among those on tap at this brewers’ festival were: Camp Ale, APP-GAP Ale, Deadhorse Ale, Noonan’s Tribute, Vanilla Expresso Woodchuck Stout, Vermontster, Boneyard Barley Wine, Pomegranate Wheat.
The lines at the festival were long enough that you could digest one four-ounce serving, talk about it with others in the line, have a bit of food, and be ready for the next, while remaining under the legal limit.
Designated drivers and non-drinkers got in for $5.00 instead of $25.
There were also Education panels, where beer, cheese and chocolate mavens sagely discussed the merits of pairing such foods and drinks. At a few sessions, individual brewers described the genesis of their prize-winning beers.
I ran into lots of people I knew, including a few of my former high school history students. Now that they could drink legally, we could compare notes on the revolution in brewing and share the diversity of beers available in their backyard.
In one exchange, I couldn’t resist resist quoting lines from the English poet A.E. Houseman:
Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think
(TAG) You can find more commentaries by Bill Mares at VPR-dot-net.