Warning, sexual content and nudity may follow, viewer discretion is advised.

Only kidding, this is not a porno. Just some down right neighbor love from Montreal to Vermont. Beverage Warehouse located in Winooski, Vermont, or as I call it, simply “Bevie” or “Bevie Ware” or “The Bevie” has been the sole location in Vermont that has truly made some of my wildest beer dreams come true. Since being an adopted Montrealer for the past five years, having come from not so sunny San Francisco, California, there was definitely a part of me that missed my USA craft beer. Without access to USA brew up here in Quebec, Vermont was my go to location to pick up some of my old favorites. The beer scene in Quebec is plenty good to keep me satisfied, but sometimes your just feeling a little nostalgic and missing holding a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. What I did not expect at the time was when I had moved to Montreal at the end of 2011, something spectacular had been taking place in Vermont. Craft beer began a huge boom! Since 2008 and especially since 2010 things in Vermont have exploded! I caught wind a little later on in 2014, but after my first visit to Vermont I was hooked! And since my exploration of craft beer in Vermont began, Beverage Warehouse was my go to place for all things beer and all things smiles! There isn’t a visit I have left frowning, I always have a smile on my face as I walk out with a box full of goodies.

From their extensive beer selection to the super friendly staff, it is one of my go to locations in Vermont to get my loot. You can find me at The Bevie every six weeks or so and I am easily identifiable. I am the guy with a notebook, a pen, and a cart full of single beers. Quebecs importation laws are a bit strict and only allow us to import 9 Liters or 304oz within 24 hours with an additional 9L after a 48 hour period. With so many options and special releases coming out of Vermont, a frequent trip for me is the best way to explore the craft beer scene down there. What started as trips to The Bevie few years back has since turned into several trips all through out Vermont. Visiting Hill Farmstead, Burlington Beer Company, the new comers Foam Brewers and Alchemist Brewery as well as many other fantastic acclaimed breweries. Along with consuming some great local beer there is also some great food to be had down there, one of my favorite spots is Prohibition Pig, their selection of drafts and their burgers are on point. Not to forget the spectacular Parker Pie Co. close to Hill Farsmtead Brewery!

No day trip is complete without having some goodies to bring home and that is why I visit The Bevie. Along with Bevie I have discovered some other great spots around Vermont to pick up my loot. Craft Beer Cellar in Waterbury and the recently opened Stowe Public House in Stowe are my other must stops. Great beer, great people that’s the slogan for Vermont!

All locations have some great releases from Lawsons and The Alchemist every week or sometimes more than once a week. The Bevie has a Whole Lotta Love to share with everyone and they always do! The love is always present from the owners to the bar manager, Jason, to the rest of the staff. My friendly neighborhood beer store.

The Bevie is where I initially went and returned only with a 4 pack of Heady Topper, and the rest of my beer was all of my old Californian favorites, Stone, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, 21st Amendment and so on. I had really only heard of Lawsons and The Alchemist at that point in time and slowly but surely my cart continued to grow with local Vermont craft beer. Currently my loot of 304oz from a day trip is 90% local Vermont beer and it is absolutely fantastic! Why drink Californian beer when you can drink Vermont or Quebec beer? I also discovered, no fault of the store, that some of the brew from California often gets into stores way past the bottle date. It is all a matter of perspective but I would prefer a Stone IPA sitting at 2 weeks rather than 6 weeks. This as mentioned is no fault of The Bevie, it is just how distribution works. Thus the whole notion that you should always drink local. Not only does it support local business and economy, it is also a more pleasurable experience because you are getting beer from the source and as fresh as fresh can be. This in turn also forces you to travel, meet great people and explore different places. All for the love of beer! But don’t let beer be the only thing you enjoy as you explore places with great local craft beer. Vermont is not only a beer state, it is an everything state. It has great food, beer, cheese, amazing places to explore and fantastic sights! Taking a hike up many of its peaks, exploring the lakeside or spending a night at a secluded cabin are all exciting activities to enjoy. And of course getting completed hammered off some great brew while you do it all!

Now a days Lawsons Sip of Sunshine and The Alchemists Heady Topper are available much easier than they used to be. However, The Bevie is still churning out their releases weekly and the beauty of it is some of the Lawsons special foil bottles which are released Friday and Saturday when they recieve special bottles. For more information on the Lawson foil bottles follow their facebook page Here. Lawsons posts a monthly newsletter with all the information you need! As far as the information on The Bevies Heady and Sip of Sunshine releases, you can find them Here and Here. Lawsons Sip of Sunshine is available every week on Friday and Saturday and Heady is released Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Recently The Bevie has also started a growler filling station with several rotating beers on tap. I have yet to explore that aspect of The Bevie, but the selection as I have seen it is always solid.

Like Han Solo, I wish I was frozen in carbonite at the Bevie, spare my face though, I’ll need it to drink all that good beer!

Thirsty? I sure am, just writing this article has me salivating and awaiting my next opportunity to drive down for some great food, beer and of course to meet all the friendly people! Beverage Warehouse for me is a must place to visit for out of towners as well as locals and I would highly recommend it, although my recommendation isn’t necessary, the place speaks for itself and is already popular with travelers and locals alike! Keep it up guys and gals of The Bevie, you have, do and I’m sure will continue to put smiles on our faces and fill our needs with delicious libations.

Words + Photography by Hopcitizen