Taprooms, brewpubs and the local beer scene in Burlington worth taking a tram to.

Where to drink local

Zero Gravity Craft Brewery ★ 4.7

BreweryLagers, IPAs, and a wide range of session beers$$south-endMon-Thu 08:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 08:00-22:00, Sun 08:00-21:00Daily 08:00-21:00

Zero Gravity opened in 2004 inside American Flatbread; the Pine Street brewery opened 2015 and absorbed the Great Northern as the current Beer Hall.

Tip: Beer hall seating is first-come, first-served. Covered outdoor patio in season.

Foam Brewers ★ 4.7

BreweryHazy IPAs, mixed-culture sours, lagers$$waterfrontMon-Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri 12:00-24:00, Sat 10:00-24:00, Sun 10:00-21:00Mon-Thu 12:00-22:00; Fri 12:00-00:00; Sat 10:00-00:00; Sun 10:00-21:00

Foam Brewers sits 100 feet from Lake Champlain's edge across from Waterfront Park with westward sunset views over the Adirondacks. New England hazies,

Tip: Sunset patio fills fast in summer; weekday afternoons are easier.

Switchback Brewing Co. ★ 4.5

BreweryUnfiltered ales, naturally conditioned$$south-endWed-Thu 14:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-20:00, Sun 12:00-18:00Tue 17:00-21:00; Wed-Sun 12:00-21:00; closed Mon (kitchen closes 20:00)

Switchback opened in 2002 under master brewer Bill Cherry; the first 100 percent employee-owned brewery in New England. The Beer Garden and Smokehouse.

Tip: Closed Monday and the dog-friendly patio is the seat; the Beer Garden Smokehouse kitchen closes at 20:00 even when the bar runs to 21:00.

Queen City Brewery ★ 4.4

BreweryGerman and English traditional styles$$south-endMon-Thu 13:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sun 13:00-19:00Sun-Thu 13:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-21:00

Queen City has 16-plus taps that rotate through German lagers, English ales, monastic styles and Scottish winter warmers from the renovated South End.

Tip: BYO food or order delivery as there is no kitchen onsite; the beech-smoked lager pours faster than the South End helles.

Burlington Beer Company ★ 4.5

BreweryNew England IPAs, stouts, full restaurant$$south-endMon-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sun 12:00-19:00Sun 12:00-19:00; Mon-Thu 12:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-21:00 (winter hours; verify summer extension on operator site)

Burlington Beer Co. moved its taproom from Williston to a 14,000-square-foot former brick warehouse on Flynn Avenue in 2021. 48 taps and a 46-foot bar;

Tip: Full kitchen; one of the few breweries in town that takes reservations.

Vermont Pub and Brewery ★ 4.3

BreweryBritish and American craft, year-round and seasonal$$church-street-marketplaceSun-Thu 11:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 11:30-23:00Sun-Thu 11:30-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:30-23:00

Vermont's first brewpub and the longest-running brewery in the state. Greg Noonan lobbied Vermont to permit onsite brewing-and-consumption and opened Vermont.

Tip: The cask hand-pull is the bartender pick most evenings; the kitchen runs full menu until close every night.

Citizen Cider Press House ★ 4.4

BreweryHard cider, cellar series, full bar$$south-endSun-Tue 12:00-19:00, Wed 12:00-20:00, Thu-Sat 12:00-21:00Mon-Tue 12:00-19:00; Wed 12:00-20:00; Thu-Sat 12:00-21:00; Sun 12:00-19:00

Vermont's biggest cidery closed its Pine Street pub April 2025 and opened the Press House Pub at 180 Flynn Avenue October 2025, consolidating production.

Tip: Full food menu and cider cocktails; rentable for private events.

Fiddlehead Brewing Company ★ 4.5

BreweryIPA-focused craft (Mastermind double IPA flagship)$$shelburneDaily 12:00-21:00Mon-Thu 12:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-21:00; Sun 12:00-20:00

Fiddlehead's original brewery and tasting room is in Shelburne, sharing a building with Folino's Pizza (BYO food encouraged across the hall).

Tip: No kitchen onsite; Folino's Pizza across the hall is the move and you can carry pizzas back to the tasting-room glasses.

Lawson's Finest Liquids ★ 4.7

BrewerySunshine IPAs, lagers and limited releases$$waitsfieldMon-Fri 12:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-20:00Daily 11:00-21:00 (verify before driving up; brewery posts the week's hours)

Sean and Karen Lawson founded Lawson's in 2008; the Waitsfield destination brewery opened 2018 in the Mad River Valley (45 miles from Burlington).

Tip: Earned B Corp certification in 2023; the solar canopy in the lot is one of Vermont's largest.

The Alchemist Brewery and Visitor's Center ★ 4.8

BreweryHeady Topper and Focal Banger double IPAs$$stoweDaily 11:00-18:00Daily 11:00-19:00 (verify on operator site; sometimes shorter)

John and Jen Kimmich founded The Alchemist in 2003; the Heady Topper IPA from this Stowe brewery (35 miles from Burlington) sparked the entire haze-IPA.

Tip: Same-day Heady-Topper four-packs sell out by midday on weekends; arrive at open.

Hill Farmstead Brewery ★ 4.9

BrewerySaisons, mixed-fermentation, double IPAs$$greensboroWed-Sat 11:30-17:00, Sun 11:30-15:00Wed-Sat 11:30-17:00; Sun 11:30-15:00

Shaun Hill founded the brewery in 2010 on family land in Greensboro Bend; the seventh-generation Hill descendant on a Northeast Kingdom plot held since 1788.

Tip: Download directions ahead; service is patchy past Hardwick. Retail allocations rotate.

von Trapp Bierhall ★ 4.5

BreweryAustrian-style lagers (Vienna, helles, dunkel, pilsner)$$stoweDaily 11:30-21:00Daily 11:30-21:00

Johannes von Trapp opened the brewery at the Trapp Family Lodge in 2010; the Bierhall opened 2016, a mile from the lodge, serving Austrian-style food.

Tip: Bierhall is dog-friendly outside; lodge dining rooms separate.

Stowe Cider ★ 4.4

BreweryHard cider, year-round and seasonal$$stoweWed-Thu 16:00-21:00, Fri-Sun 23:30-21:00Wed-Sun 12:00-21:00; closed Mon-Tue

Stowe Cider's Shakedown Street taproom serves dry preservative-free ciders alongside barrel-aged and fruit-forward releases. Barbecue and gluten-free menu;

Tip: Closed Mon-Tue; verify Friday music lineup on the operator site. The Tips Up dry cider is the gateway pour into the cellar series.

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