The Beers Next Door

Not too long ago I walked into Westmere Beverage looking for a beer recommendation. I wanted a six pack of twelve-ounce cans. Something good, but not silly expensive. It needed to be refreshing enough for summer, and a beer I could enjoy without thinking too much about it.

Also known as a six-pack.

Beer is entering a strange era. It seems as if the end of the pool I’ve been playing in lately is filled with four-packs of sixteen-ounce cans. For my own sanity, I try not to look too closely at the prices. Some are more than $20. Most are less. But not much less. And I think Albany is incredibly lucky to have access to as many fantastic beers as we do.

Now, flashback to last week when I took a road trip up to Montreal for candy. I stopped at my old friend’s house in Burlington on the way back. And he took me to his local supermarket to check out the beer selection.

It was a category re-defining moment.

Right there on the shelf were four packs of sixteen-ounce cans from brands that are highly sought after around the country. I could have bought all the Heady Topper I could carry. But I didn’t. I walked out of there with four packs of Focal Banger, an American pale ale for Idletyme, and a single hop IPA from Burlington Beer Co.

The beers are fantastic. But here’s the rub. The four-packs were about $12 each.

One of my beer friends locally doesn’t buy a lot of the great beer that comes our way. And that’s because he’s up in Vermont all the time, and can’t justify paying $22 for a four pack when Heady Topper is only $12.

He’s even acknowledging that the more expensive beers could be better than Heady. There are certainly other beers I would rather have than a Heady myself. But I’m starting to reconsider the value proposition.

Now, here’s the twist.

Saturday, I’m headed into Vermont again. But this time I’ll be there for a whole week. No, I don’t think there will be time to get up to Hill Farmstead. It’s going to be a big trip with three families. And we’ll be in the south central part of the state, just outside Rutland.

Plus, there is a distillery that I simply must visit. Vermont Spirits is really the only thing on my to do list, besides check out the beer in the supermarkets and beer stores. Maybe, just maybe, I can convince the crew to go to a brewery. But if I can only make one executive decision, it’s for the distillery.

That said, I’m open for any recommendations of breweries and beers that I should try while I’m out there. I might have to pop back up to Burlington and refill my growlers from Foam Brewers.

I tend to go into these trips blindly. I still don’t even know the name of the town where we’re staying. I’m sure it’s in an email somewhere. But who reads emails these days?

Tomorrow is a very special post. It has to be special if I wrote a beer post for a Thursday. And next week is “Vacation Week”. That doesn’t mean the blog is taking a vacation. There will be posts. They will just be vacation themed, and will include another guest post from Emily L.

So get ready. The fun is just beginning.