Adventure Diary: Burlington Birthday Brew Bash

First adventure of the 2019 year was one for the record books! My 28th birthday conveniently fell on a Sunday this year, so what better way to celebrate than by planning a trip! This year, myself and 7 of my favorite people rented an Airbnb in Burlington, Vermont and treated ourselves to a long weekend filled with food, beer and laughs.

Making the Best of the Journey

We got together early Friday and drove up to Burlington stopping at Whetstone Station in Brattleboro and River Roost Brewery in White River Junction along the way. Whetstone station has the peanut butter burger that I’m in love with and River Roost was recommended to us by several people as a good stopping point for some good beer!

Once we arrived at our Airbnb in Burlington we cooked up some tacos for dinner and got ready to hit the town! The initial plan was to meet up with one of my friend’s from college at “speakeasy” style cocktail bar but unfortunately couldn’t get in. So we braved the icey sidewalks and met up with one of my coworkers and all her friends at a bar called Manhattan Pizza and Pub! She was up in Burlington for her birthday as well so it was great! When the group was ready to venture on, we decided on Red Square club on Church Street to dance the night away! I only recommend this place if you’re down for a seedy college bar with questionable music tastes but it hit the spot for us!

Let the Brewery Hopping Commence!

The next morning, my wonderful boyfriend made a huge batch of sausage and gravy over biscuits for breakfast and we slowly soaked up all the alcohol from the night before. Today’s itinerary included multiple brewery stops, so we needed to prepare!

First stop was Foam Brewers of course! A must-go when you’re in Burlington with a cool artist vibe down by the waterfront. We hung around for a while, had a couple beers then walked down to the water to checkout the cloudy and cold views.

We didn’t stay downtown long and ventured back down to South Burlington for Zero Gravity Brewery and Queen City Brewing, conveniently located across the street from each other. Zero Gravity is a fan favorite of our group due to it’s multiple locations and delicious beer. Queen City Brewing on the other hand was alright, but definitely not on the can’t miss list.

We then finished the brew tour at Switchback Brewing Co, one of the more well known breweries in the area. Not only did they have dogs, good beer and good vibe but they had BEAUTIFUL boards for their flights.

The bartender said that a local artist takes old snowboards and carves them into the shape of Vermont and sells them to the brewery. She also said that they have a rule not to allow them outside during the summer because they have a problem with people stealing them! I can see why!

We decided to treat ourselves to dinner out at Barnyard Wood Crafted Pizza which was a definite success. Most of us ordered pizza and wings to share and you really can’t go wrong. The worst part about this restaurant was deciding out of all the amazing sounding options. We finished out the night back at the speakeasy, which we were actually able to get into this time!

In an effort to protect local secrets, I won’t tell you where this is or what it’s called. But if you do happen to get the low down from a local, you won’t be disappointed by their craft cocktails, jazzy music, and menus hidden in old books. Very cool vibe!

Sunday Shenanigans

The group decided to extend our time in Vermont as long as possible so after a quick stop at Lake Champlain Chocolates and the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet (yup you read that right) we headed up to Winooski to Four Quarters Brewing. What was initially supposed to be a short stay to try some of their beers, turned into a multiple hour long Foosball tournament with a side of craft beers! Love the environment of this brewery.

And any trip to Vermont is not complete without a stop at the Prohibition Pig in Waterbury. The restaurant/brewery has barbecue meals on one side and tacos on the other. So naturally, we had to try both! It was a great but viciously filling way to end a fantastic weekend.

If you’re interested in a weekend trip to Burlington, check out my “Brewcation Brewery Guide to Burlington” or “My Guide to Exploring Lake Champlain” to see what other places you should check out! And until next time…

Stay Wild and Adventure On!