An Epic Beer And Leaf Peeping Road Trip Through Northern New England

Visiting Northern New England is amazing any time of year but it just hits different when showing up during leaf peeping season. The colors will be in peak form in Northern New England from mid/late September to early/mid October and along with crisp temperatures, it’s a great time to get out on the roads and see the colors for yourself.

Along with the rainbow of color in the mountains, good beer abounds in Northern New England. You can do this road trip in a day but I would recommend taking a couple of days due to the beer consumption and to enjoy all the activities these places have to offer like getting outside for hikes, eating at some amazing restaurants and more.

Von Trapp Brewing – Stowe, VT

You read that right, yes, the Von Trapp family from the “The Sound of Music” fame has a brewery. Von Trapp’s brewing operations focuses on European style lagers. Their flagship is a Vienna lager, an Austrian style of beer that founder Johannes von Trapp wanted to recreate back for the clientele of his upscale mountain resort. From that moment, Von Trapp Brewing has been making world class lagers not just for their upscale resort, but for 17 states around the U.S. A visit to their bierhall is a great first stop or final stop with its elevated German cuisine and many European style beers.

The Alchemist- Stowe, VT

The Alchemist is quite close to Von Trapp and is a great place to stop off to try some of their popular IPAs, including the famous Heady Topper, which has achieved cult-like status amongst beer geeks. The Alchemist is more of a place to pick up beer to go but stop by and try Heady Topper on cask, a British version of dispense that serves Topper at cellar temp (around 55 degrees) and with a lighter semi-sparkling carbonation.

Hill Farmstead Brewery – Greensboro Bend, VT

Hill Farmstead Brewery is routinely named the best breweries in the world and it’s no easy feat to get to, as the trek will take you down several dirt roads. Hill Farmstead is a great stopover between the towns of Stowe and Littleton as it’s an hour from each town. Hill Farmstead’s consistency in excelling at every style they brew is why people drive hours to buy their ales and lagers. Known for excellent hazy IPAs as well as a stellar mixed fermentation/sour program, Hill Farmstead is worth the drive as some beer people consider a visit to their small but inviting tasting room almost a religious pilgrimage.

Wildbloom Beer- Littleton, NH

Featuring a spacious taproom and pleasant patio, Wildbloom Beer is a business of one, run by Devin Bush, who at 19 moved from Connecticut to the United Kingdom to study brewing and has been brewing and distilling for almost 20 years now. Bush’s beers tend to be more traditional: Wildbloom’s flagship is a Belgian blond, and all his ingredients from hops to malt come from local growers around New England like Maine Malt House or Four Star hop farm in Massachusetts. If you stop by, you’ll most likely see Bush (or his wife Beth) manning the tasting room bar. Bush’s beers are no joke: John Holl, the acclaimed beer writer and editor of All About Beer magazine once remarked that Bush is one of the most underrated brewers in the United States.

Schilling Beer Co.- Littleton, NH

An incredibly popular tourist destination, Schilling’s beers are similar to Von Trapp’s in that they tend to focus on traditional lagers. Schilling has been open since 2013 and their beers are widely distributed throughout most of the U.S. Their pub has 16 beers on draft as well as pizza and a sit down restaurant while their tasting room and shop has beer to go, beer pours and merchandise.

Enjoy the best of what New England has to offer in terms of beer and scenery and don’t forget to drink responsibly. Cheers!