For serious Vermont craft beer drinkers, the value of a growler fill up is well respected — a fresh, large quantity of draft beer from a local brewery. For Stowe tourists heading to Burlington, its worth a stop at The Growler Garage to fill up on some local brews and sample the latest offerings. We got a chance to hear more about the business from General Manager Taylor de Lisle.
What is The Growler Garage and why did you start the business? What was your background before?
The Growler Garage was the first non-brewery location in Vermont to be approve to combine a first class (bar) & second class (retail) license under one roof. What this means is that we are a full sized bar, with a retail store inside. The idea was to have a location where people could try everything before they buy it. You are able to come in and try 24 different beers from Vermont (and all over the world) on tap and go home with a Growler, Howler, Crowler, bottles, & cans. My background before this was Biochemistry and it was research on plants & yeast that pulled me into the beer scene.
You are Cicerone Certified — what does that mean for your customer’s experience?
Being Cicerone Certified means that I am able to properly educate customers on the different styles & taste profiles of beer. It also allows me to identify off flavors and practice accurate quality control over our tap list. It is just as important for us to educate our customers as it is to provide fresh, properly served beers. Our brewers here in Vermont work hard to brew some of the best beers in the world. We want to make sure that customers get the experience that the brewers intended.
What’s the most exciting thing you are seeing happen in the Vermont craft beer community?
I think that the most exciting thing happening in the Vermont beer community is the sense of community, itself. It has been amazing to see all of these breweries open up over the years and work together to bring people from all over the world to bond over something we all love.
Do you have plans to expand beyond Burlington or any other future growth ideas you are experimenting with?
We do not currently have plans to expand beyond Burlington, but it is definitely not out of the question. We moved to downtown Burlington a little over a year ago, from our location in South Burlington. Since then, we have been focusing on making our current location into the bar that we envisioned. Our next big plan is to enclose our outdoor patio, so that customers can enjoy sitting by the lake outside year round.
Stowe is about 45 mins away from your Burlington location. Any thoughts or tips you want to share with a Stowe local or tourist who is thinking of making the trip up to The Growler Garage to make their journey awesome?
I believe that all visitors coming to Vermont need to visit the mountains in Stowe and see the lake from Burlington. The mountains and lake are two of Vermont’s finest qualities and it is definitely worth the short trip from the mountains to see the lake. We are located a 2 minute walk from the water and have 2 parking decks. You can come park in our garage all day and explore the city, and as long as you end the day at the Garage, we will validate your parking. It is definitely a package deal worth taking advantage of, especially with the difficulty finding parking spots on the weekends.
The Growler Garage
30 Main St, Burlington VT
Open Sun – Thurs 12pm – 10pm; Fri & Sat 11am – Midnight
Phone: 802-865-BEER (2337)
30 Main St, Burlington VT
Open Sun – Thurs 12pm – 10pm; Fri & Sat 11am – Midnight
Phone: 802-865-BEER (2337)