New Beer is Here: Have You Been To These 6 New Breweries?

The Vermont Brewers Association welcomes six breweries and businesses to its membership this month: Brocklebank Craft Brewing in Tunbridge, Foam Brewers and House of Fermentology in Burlington, River Roost Brewery in White River Junction, Trout River Brewing Company in Springfield, and Saint J Brewery in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont.

Located at the former Organic Cow Creamery and dairy farm, Brocklebank Craft Brewing belongs to brewer Ben Linehan. He has been brewing since 2009 and opened Brocklebank in early 2015. Among Linehan’s brews are his two IPAs: Freedom & Unity and Timber Rattler. He features five beers in his tasting room and new offerings are frequent. His beer is currently distributed to a selection of businesses and farmers markets around the state.

Foam Brewers opened in April 2016. Owners Todd Haire, Robert Grim, Dani Casey, Sam Keane, and Jon Farmer are all industry professionals with many years of combined Vermont brewing experience between them. With Foam, they plan to create artisanal small batch beers, and to cultivate a space where beer and food are paired with live music, art shows, and other special events.

Foam is now serving beers from House of Fermentology, the first blendery in northern Vermont. It was founded by Foam’s Todd Haire and Bill Mares, former state legislator and sponsor of Vermont’s original brewpub law. Haire and Mares conceived the blendery when they co-wrote the book, Making Beer and envisioned a space to create wild and original unfiltered ales. They utilize the wort produced at Foam to create barrel-aged and bottle-conditioned sour beers. They plan to make their beers available both at Foam and at the blendery.

Owner and brewer Mark Babson opened River Roost Brewery in White River Junction in February of 2016. He currently sells growlers out of his tasting room and intends for River Roost to be an accessible stop for travelers and locals alike to find craft beer in the eastern part of the state. Babson recently obtained his distribution license under the name Roost Distribution and is focusing deliveries on draft to bars and restaurants.

After Trout River Brewing Company’s previous owner Dan Gates stepped down in 2014, Kelen Beardsley, Gabriel Streeter, and Trevor Billings of Vermont Beer Shapers, LTD purchased the brewery and opened the doors to Trout River’s new location in Springfield in March 2016. They are eager to rebuild Trout River’s brand while paying homage to its long history with Vermont craft brewing.

Saint J Brewery opened its brewery and pub in February 2016 where owner Scott Salmonsen offers a selection of the Saint J beers on draft and in growlers. Among their beers are an American Blond ale, A Belgian Strong Dark, and their Smokin’ J IPA.

With the acceptance of these six businesses, the VBA membership now includes 48 brewery members. Many of these members will be present at The Vermont Brewers Festival, which will be held July 15-16 at Burlington’s Waterfront Park. Tickets are still available for the Friday afternoon session.