279. Woodstock Inn Brewery Loon Golden Ale

Anyone that has been following my blog for a while knows that I love growlers. When we went to Vermont (see details of trip here) we visited 6 different breweries / brew pubs in 3 days and I had the opportunity to pickup 4 growlers plus the many 750 ml bottles from Hill Farmstead. This one is from Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock NH which was out last stop on our way home.


Color is pretty typical of a blonde ale, maybe a bit darker but it is filtered and crystal clear. In fact some of the writing on the other side of the glass is visible. This is a blonde ale so I was not expecting much in the way of aroma or flavor and I was right. Maybe I have just been drinking too many big IPAs and I have ruined my palate. Nice beer for a hot afternoon as it is light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Pros: Easy drinking
Cons: Simple
Alcohol Content: 4.75% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 30
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Woodstock Inn Brewery

Brewers Description: Light golden in color. Dry and crisp with a semi assertive, Fuggles hop bitterness. Hops are prominent but not overwhelming. Overall, a well balanced representation of the golden ale style. O.G.1.050

Vermont Beercation 7/4/2012

Last week I headed to Vermont for a 3-day trip with my wife, her sister and her husband. I spent a couple of days looking at reviews of places to visit and getting input from my Twitter and FB followers on places not to miss. After spending 3 days visiting 6 breweries and eating tons of great food I have to say the trip was as good as I have had.

We left Maine shortly after noon on July 4th and hit a micro burst just west of St Johnsbury. This was some of the worst weather I have ever driven in with huge amounts of rain, street flooding and multiple trees down. We had to detour several times and ended up many miles north before finally making our way back through Stowe to Waterbury. See photos and notes about the storm here.

After making it to Waterbury we were ready for supper and stopped at The Reservoir for dinner and drinks. At this point I had been driving for 4+ hours and needed a beer. Fortunately they had a great tap list as well as some great burgers. I had a Hill Farmstead Edward, then an Abner and ended with a Celia Saison from The Alchemist.

My brother in law opted for a sampler including; Lawson's Knockout Blonde, Fiddlehead IPA, Harpoon Ginger Wheat and Hill Farmstead's Abner. I tried each of these in addition to my 3 beers and enjoyed them all. I have reviewed Edward previously and will be reviewing Lawson's Knockout Blonde in the near future. The others will have to wait for a future trip to Vermont as I did not take good pics or notes while drinking them. I can say the Celia Saison was different than anything I have had before. It is a Gluten free beer which may appeal to some people but for me the taste was a little too funky. The food was amazing with great chicken wings, sweet potato fries and burgers. After this stop we made our way to our hotel in Burlington for the night. It was a long drive and we needed our rest for the next three days.

On Thursday our first stop was The Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, VT just north or Burlington. They had a huge selection of beer, wine, glassware and pretty much anything else you would need. We ended up with 3 cases of Heady Topper, bottles from Dogfish Head, Founders (Double Trouble) and much more that we cannot get in Maine as well as some Lawson's Finest Liquids glasses. They did not have a limit on the amount of Heady Topper which was great as I needed to bring home a bunch for my Maine beer drinking friends. After this we made our way back to Burlington and spent some time on Church Street for some shopping. This is a great little marketplace that has something for everyone. We came back to Church Street on Friday and I will post some info on the restaurant we went to shortly.

For lunch we made our way to American Flatbread which is within walking distance of Church Street and they have their own brewery. The food there was amazing with my wife and her sister getting a very nice salad and then splitting a couple of pizzas. The small pizza was enough for two people to share even though the waitstaff encouraged us to get a large. We also had several beers from their tap list and since they serve halfs we were able to enjoy a bunch of different styles without drinking too much at lunch. We also ended up taking home a growler from Zero Gravity (their in house brewery) which I will review soon. (Read more after the break)

276. Woodstock Inn Brewery Pigs Ear Brown Ale

This is one of the breweries I plan to visit this week on the way back from Vermont so I decided to try their flagship beer - Pig's Ear Brown Ale. Love the name and the label.


Color is brown with tinges of red and a nice single finger tan head. Aroma is faint with some malts and maybe a hint of hops. Taste is what you expect from a brown ale, almost all malt, caramel and to a lesser extent; chocolate and coffee. Easy to drink and quite refreshing for a brown ale. Good example of the style but not as good as Sebago Boat House Brown or Smuttynose Old Brown Dog 
Pros: Easy to drink and solid malt character
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 4.3% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 25
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Woodstock Inn Brewery

Brewers Description: Pigs Ear Brown Ale won Grand National Champion for brown ales at the United States Beer Tasting Championships in 2004 and 2006. Medium bodied with a balance of roasted and crystal malts creating a hearty nutty flavor. Medium bitterness with a slightly sweet finish.