On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I nestled into one of the comfortable chairs at Tap 25 with perfect viewing of the Patriot’s game on the large, flat-screen TV. Considering that Tap 25 is on the ground floor/basement of a commercial building on Main Street in Stowe (the north end of Main St.), it was remarkably bright and cheery, with windows opening onto a patio with additional tables.
As I settled in, a friendly staff member offered me a beer/food menu. Tap 25 boasts a lengthly list of IPAs, lagers, porters, and ciders in draught, can, or bottle. 
The bartender was very knowledgeable about the different beers.
I started with a pint of one of my new-found favorites, Goodwater’s “Hop Collusion”, an IPA (6.5% ABV) I discovered just a few weeks earlier (see Escape to Goodwater Brewery). The draught form was even better than the canned-version. After a few swigs, I ordered a grilled cheese, ham, and tomato sandwich which I felt was proper to offset the afternoon, alcohol-imbibing nature of my lunch.
Just like a little kid, I wolfed down the sandwich … 
which I washed down with the remainder of the Hop Collusion. I then ordered a 2nd pint, this time “It is What it is”, a “blond” IPA (4.2% ABV) from a Northfield, Vermont brewery called Good Measure Brewing. Guess what: I killed the keg (!), and the bartender put this one “on the house”! (I can’t remember ever doing that!). Anyways, “It is What it is” is an interesting IPA. It has almost no flavor or bitterness (can that be possible?), yet it is very dry and drinkable. The bartender said that Tap 25 had been going through the keg very quickly, so I guess that is a good sign for this beer/brewery.
The Cicerone says: This was my first visit to Tap 25 … I liked what I saw, drank, and ate. I hope to stop in more often and catch some more games.
Tap 25
151 Main St, Stowe VT
Open Tues – Sun from 12pm – 10pm (closed Mondays)
Website