Ahhh …. a beautiful, warm Saturday morning spent in Battery Park on the Burlington, Vermont waterfront … then, a short walk over to Foam Brewers for some refreshments! Doesn’t get much better than that.
My last visit to this in-town brewery was on a flurry-filled winter day, but today the outdoor patio was abustle with groups of patrons enjoying the sunlight and cool breezes off Lake Champlain. We joined the bustle as my party parked itself under an umbrella on the patio and began to scour the beer menu.
Foam Brewers offers quite a selection of beers with many of them exhibiting a foamy head. The brewery doesn’t do tasting flights, so my party agreed to get 8 ounce pours of five different beers and then share them around.
Here is what I found as I tried each beer:
Canvas (4.5% ABV) A pale ale with many different, fruity aftertastes. A refreshing beer on a warm sunny day.
Appearance: 4.5 | Aroma: 4.4 | Feel: 4.3| Taste: 4.3 | Overall: 4.4
Bonus Track 15 (8.0% ABV) This Double IPA packs a punch … brewed with lactose and dry-hopped with Citra, Enigma and Galaxy hops.
Appearance: 4.8 | Aroma: 4.6 | Feel: 4.7| Taste: 4.8 | Overall: 4.7
The Mystic Decade (5.0% ABV) This is a wild ale, fermented with passion-fruit, lemons juice, and dried açaí berries. The lack of a foamy head belies the exquisite aromas and flavors coming out of this beer.
Appearance: 4.6 | Aroma: 4.7 | Feel: 4.6| Taste: 4.6 | Overall: 4.7
Piano Fire (8.0% ABV) A Double IPA … looked great in the glass, but had a confusing set of tastes, including truffle. Not for me.
Appearance: 4.7 | Aroma: 4.0 | Feel: 4.2| Taste: 4.0 | Overall: 4.0
Dead Wax (6.8% ABV) A classic, bitter IPA with good hop flavors. Grabbed a 4-pack to go as well.
Appearance: 4.8 | Aroma: 4.4 | Feel: 4.4| Taste: 4.5 | Overall: 4.6
The Cicerone says: Foam Brewery is not just about the beer … choose a suitably warm day, find yourself a table on the patio and a chair facing the lake … then relax with one or two of their fine IPAs (or DIPAs) accompanied by a cheese plate. Nice, right?
Stowe Beer 