Wine-o: Long Trail Traditional IPA

Long Trail Traditional IPA, Bridgewater Corners, Vermont

Alcohol 5.4%

Price $8- (6-pack)

This brewery has a wonderful pub/tasting area for customers.  Although the exterior is nondescript (it looks like a warehouse set back from the road a bit). The interior front of house area takes advantage of the warehouse height ceilings to create a larger, airier, feeling.  They serve basic pub fare from 11-6 and also offer tastings of their large variety of beer.

We greatly enjoyed the self-guided tour.  While limited in vantage points, the brewery has very clear placards explaining the brewing process.  The bottling machine was going full tilt and it was amazing to see the grace and speed at which the glass bottles are filled, capped, and organized for casing.

Freya's Score: 65

Mona Value: 8.1

The MV is calculated by dividing the FS by the price, giving a better analytic that takes into consideration price as well as overall taste

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Wine-o: Harpoon Pumpkin Cider

Harpoon Brewery Pumpkin Cider

Windsor, Vermont

Alcohol

Price $8- (6-pack)

Imagine our surprise when we found not just Cider, but Pumpkin cider at the Harpoon Brewery store in Windsor!  Having tasted now the regular Cider and the Pumpkin, I will admit I prefer the regular cider. The pumpkin adds a bit of spice, and reminds me some of an apple pie.  The BF found it too sweet, but I prefer it over a dark lager or stout.

I am very excited to try to make beer bread with it as I think it will be amazing!

Freya Score 71

Mona Value 8.9

The MV is calculated by dividing the FS by the price, giving a better analytic that takes into consideration price as well as overall taste

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Wine-o: Heady Topper

Heady Topper Double IPA Waterbury, Vermont

Alcohol 8%

Price $12 (4-pack of 16 oz.)

The brewery is located in Waterbury, VT just 20 minutes southeast of Burlington along I-89 and right next to the Ben & Jerry's factory.  It is again a very nondescript building, but close to the highway.  They sell growlers and 4-packs of cans.  (Perhaps check their facebook ahead as they were out when we visited; they had just filled all of their Burlington area orders.)

This beer gains rave reviews from everyone we've met.  And Beer Advocate has ranked it as the #3 beer in the world.  Pretty impressive if you ask me.  To me, the hoppy flavors dissolved into a fruity goodness, swirling around my mouth.  It was a very different experience from other beers I've tasted.  I also like this brewery's business model.  This is the #1 beer their customers like, and so it is the ONLY beer that they brew.  Simple, smart, and lucrative.

The BF describes this as "#1 beer that I've ever had... that's still in production".  That's pretty good if you ask me...

Freya's Score: 98

Mona Value: 8.2

The MV is calculated by dividing the FS by the price, giving a better analytic that takes into consideration price as well as overall taste

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Wine-o: The Norwich Inn

The Norwich Inn (technically Jasper Murdoch's Alehouse) Whistling Pig Red Ale
Alcohol 5.4%

Price $6.50- (22 oz. bomber)

The Norwich Inn is very well known in the Hanover/Dartmouth College area.  It has a diverse menu featuring locally sourced products, as well as the microbrewery (and with that pub-fare).  It is also an Inn, and one can reserve rooms there.

We parked in the back and entered through a side door to the front desk.  The receptionist happily sold us a "bomber" of our choice right there.  While The BF deliberated over the assortment I was able to look at the dining room and bar area.  Both very New England, very classic, and just lovely looking.  Clean lines with a general sense of "old" sunken in and painted over in a beautiful minty sage green.

The Norwich Inn was very kind in responding to a comment I left when I joined their mailing list.  They provided me with this fun history of the brewhouse:

We have been brewing beer at the Inn since 1993 producing traditional English-Style ales in 5 gallon glass jugs. Ten years later we became established as a brewery and named it after the Colonel [and Dartmouth graduate] who built the original Inn in 1797.  

In May of 2003, Tim Wilson established our own Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse as one of the countries smallest breweries.  An historic barn was restored for this purpose and stands opposite the pub in the courtyard.  Our ales are handcrafted at the inn and pumped underground to the taps in the pub and packaged in 22oz bottles available for sale only at the inn.  In 2006 Joe and Jill Lavin purchased the inn...  They began renovations to the old vestry and carriage house to create the Walker House and Ivy Lodge giving us 11 more sleeping rooms, and added our beautiful wine cellar which houses one of the largest selections of wine in the state.   

We now produce over 30 different beers and have between 4 - 6 on tap in our pub at all times.  Our ales are crafted from fine English malts.  Filtration can strip flavor and body from a beer, therefore the ale yeast is allowed to settle out naturally in an extended cold-aging process.  Our beer is then pumped underground from our beer cellar to the pub, or packaged in 22 ounce bottles for sale in our Bottle Shop.

Very malty, almost smoky flavored; less hoppy than other red ales.

Freya's Score: 90

Mona Value: 13.84

The MV is calculated by dividing the FS by the price, giving a better analytic that takes into consideration price as well as overall taste

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Wine-o: Harpoon UFO White

Harpoon Brewery UFO White Wheat Ale, Windsor, Vermont
Alcohol
Price $8- (6-pack)

I was told very clearly by the BF and the BF's Former College Roommate (here on known as VegasBaby) that the Harpoon UFO White is one of the best if not THE best of White Ales.  In our house it is always served with a wedge of orange, and next to the Harpoon Cider is my favorite of their offerings (and beer in general).

The Harpoon Brewery has the most wonderful visiting area in Windsor, VT and Boston, MA.  They offer guided tours, have a lovely indoor and outdoor dining room, and offer tastings as well.  The layout is wonderful, with a nice retail area linked onto the dining room (but situated so that the diner and shopper can be comfortable in their area or floating between).  They also feature several wonderful events and do a great job of marketing.  All in all, this is our favorite brewery we have visited thus far and also The BF's favorite types of beer.  I have a feeling we will have Harpoon in the house as long as we are in the area.  Now to buy some of their Irish road signs...

Freya Score 95
Mona Value 11.9

The MV is calculated by dividing the FS by the price, giving a better analytic that takes into consideration price as well as overall taste

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Easter Banana Bread Muffins

This year, instead of the more traditional Easter Hot Cross Buns, I decided to make the King Arthur Flour Heavenly Healthy Banana Bread but in muffin form.

I do have a problem with this recipe, I have a hard time rationing it... hence turning it into muffins.  This also allowed me to try out a new muffin solution, instead of store bought wrappers, I used cut parchment paper.  (I love the rustic look.)  I changed the baking time to 30 minutes at 350.

In the past I have also replaced the butter in this recipe with sunflower oil.  Sunflower oil gives a great flavor to baked goods, however I have noticed that it decreases the baking time by a couple minutes.

Serve with chunky peanut butter...

Happy Easter!