A VERMONT CRAFT CLASSIC-LONG TRAIL BREWING COMPANY
By Andy Crouch
Founded in 1989 by businessman Andy Pherson, Long Trail (originally Mountain Brewers) grew to become one of the strongest presences in the Vermont beer scene. Pherson vacationed in Vermont and after business trips to the West Coast, he decided to quit his job and open a brewery. He eventually upgraded to the brewery by the river in the very small town of Bridgewater Corners. From its earliest days, Long Trail Ale dominated production, growing to two-thirds of the brewery’s production and finding a home on tap handles across New England.
The brewery is located in a former hay field, which is beautiful but a challenging location to run an industrial business. Bridgewater Corners is a tiny town comprising a general store, a post office, and a brewery. It is an improbable place for such an enterprise, and Pherson and his team had to install three power poles to bring electricity to the site and drill two bedrock artesian wells 200 feet deep to secure brewing water. In 2006, Pherson sold Long Trail to a private equity group that went on to buy Otter Creek, Wolaver’s Organic, and the Shed Brewery. In 2022, Mass Bay Brewing, which brews Harpoon, UFO, and Clown Shoes, purchased Long Trail and its other associated beer brands. Mass Bay transferred all brewing operations to its Windsor, Vermont, facility, but maintains a riverside pub at the Long Trail site. Let’s review some of Long Trail’s beers.
DOUBLE BAG
alcohol by volume 7.2%
Double Bag Ale is a much amped-up version of the flagship Long Trail Ale. It is brewed in the sticke-alt style, a fairly rare German style that has a more intense malt profile and an elevated alcohol level. The sticke part of the name is derived from the German word for secret. It pours with a deep ruby brown hue and a substantial tan head. It brims with notes of caramel, sweet toffee, dark bread, and hints of dried fruit, including cherries. Weighing in at above seven percent alcohol, Double Bag walks an odd line between its higher alcohol content and a surprising level of drinkability. Each sip brings a new wave of malt character and light alcohol bite, with layers of rich toffee, toasted bread, caramel, and chocolate, dark honey, roasted nuts, and hints of raisin. A welcome bitterness slides into the finish, balancing the sweetness and refreshing the palate. Despite its higher ABV, Double Bag remains quite smooth with no overwhelming measure of alcohol heat. Another classic style from Long Trail that is worthy of a cool evening or after a long day hiking.
LONG TRAIL ALE
alcohol by volume 5%
Inspired by the state’s 273-mile walking path, Long Trail Ale first debuted in 1989 and has led the way ever since. Brewed in the German altbier style — one of Pherson’s favorites — this flagship offering pours with a rich copper color and creamy off-white head. The aromas flit with subtle notes of lightly toasted malt, touches of caramel, and a faint floral hop note. On the palate, Long Trail Ale is a classic, balanced, and smooth, with a malt-forward disposition but never venturing into cloying. A mild hop bitterness helps maintain balance throughout. Showcasing slight hints of biscuit and toffee, with a mild nutty quality, Ale finishes clean and dry. This New England classic isn’t showy or in your face, definitely a throwback to an earlier history of American craft beer. The classic styles, when done right, never go out of fashion.
VERMONT IPA
alcohol by volume 6%
In a state like Vermont, the IPA competition among the Green Mountain State’s breweries is hyper intense. Not between the brewers themselves, just in the quality and breadth of the options available. First released in 2018, the Vermont IPA or VT IPA for short, is Long Trail’s year-round entry into the hazy IPA game. It pours with a hazy straw-gold and a dense white head. The aroma releases a burst of fresh citrus and tropical fruit, with notes of orange zest, grapefruit, passionfruit, and mango rounded out by subtle notes of peach and grassy pine. On the palate, VT IPA is noticeably lighter in alcohol than many Vermont hazies, without losing the smooth, juicy hop expressions appreciated in the popular style. The beer starts bright and tropical, with notes of pineapple, melon, and clementine, and a light lemon-lime character near the end. Light and pillowy, from a malt bill of Munich malt and flaked oats, it finishes clean and dry, avoiding any cloying sweetness that weighs down many hazy IPAs. The bitterness is restrained but present, just enough to refresh the palate between sips.
RIVERSIDE LAGER
alcohol by volume 4.8%
Balancing out Long Trail’s ale-leaning portfolio is the Riverside Lager, named after the brewery’s perch on the banks of the Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater Corners. Brewed with Vermont-grown ingredients, this is Long Trail’s take on the helles style. Riverside Lager is a straightforward offering, a no-frills beer that delivers exactly what a good lager should: balance, clarity, and drinkability. Pouring with a clear, pale straw color and a frothy white head, it gives off a gentle aroma of freshly cracked grain, sweet corn, and a light floral hop note. On the palate, Riverside Lager is light-bodied and crisp, with flavors of lightly toasted cereal, biscuit, and a hint of honey. There’s a mild grassy bitterness from the hops that offers just enough snap to keep things refreshing. The lager finishes dry and clean, with no lingering sweetness or harshness, just a soft fade that encourages another sip.
LONG TRAIL BREWING COMPANY
Bridgewater Corners and Windsor, VT
www.longtrail.com
Long Trail beers are available from Atlas Distributing, Colonial Wholesale Beverage and
Commercial Distributing Company.
