A few blocks from the golden dome reflecting Friday's last sunlight, I found Montpelier's beer destination, the Threepenny Taproom. In a word or 12, it's the kind of bar every craft beer lovers wishes was at the end of their block. The narrow bar fits neatly into Montpelier's main commercial block, not spoiling the bounty of fresh, rare beers inside.
Immediately I noticed the plants - lots of hanging plants spread around the bar. A plackard announced, "We proudly DO NOT SERVE Anheuser-Busch products." Any doubts as to Vermont’s independent spirit ended there. Of the 24 taps, seven were sour ales, a ratio nearly impossible at any mainstream beer bar. Aside from Stone and Sierra Nevada, almost ever tap came from New England or East Coast breweries. Rarities from Dogfish Head, Allagash and others filled the chalkboard.
It felt slightly insular at first, but if people didn’t include me in a bar conversation, it wasn’t their fault. Montpelier was a small town, albeit a state capital, and I suspect casual visitors in May weren't typical. Still, the bar staff were friendly and helped with my choices.
An old sour stand-by got me moving: Rodenbach Grand Cru. Among the best-known sours, Rodenbach GC had plenty of secondary fruit tones behind the sour wave, and lacked the massive cidery, mustiness found in almost every sour (this could have been a result of having it on tap). Flavors including peach and apple tape into a delightful sour cherry on the finish. This world classic coats the palate delectably, the authenticity and freshness of the cherry never up for debate.
Switching to a local handle, I could have skipped on Hill Farmstead Arthur Saison in Greensboro Bend,which lies northeast of St. Johnsbury (it's way up there, folks). The brewery makes the same recipe twice and brews in extremely small batches. It produces 200 to 400 gallons of beer and only ships within Vermont (aside from special shipments to Philly and NYC, per their website). No saison lover could ignore local, small-batch saison brewed in an actual farmhouse.
I couldn't stop sniffing this beauty. Arthur crackled with dry zesty spices, and off the tap, rivaled standard bearers like Ommegang Hennepin and Saison Dupont, Stylistically, it falls closer to Hennepin but was still resoundingly unique. Arthur's lemon character defeats the orange by a few lengths. The race between the two augments Arthur's complexity. Fresh beer almost always tastes the best, and this was easily the best saison I found in Northern New England.
I closed with Cuvee des Jacobin Rouge, another sour ale. Because the wild yeast and lactobacillus lead to wildly divergent flavors, this couldn’t taste more different from Rodenbach. This yeast and bacteria came with a mean streak, heaping on the musty character and a punchy finish that refuses to weaken.
This brown sour lacked cider tones, but like Rodenbach, proves excellence can be routine. This might have been the best European sour I've sampled.
Three beers in, I needed a break. While contemplating a return trip later on Friday, four hours on a plane and seven more on unfamiliar, winding roads had sufficiently sapped my energy. For a few days, a return trip to the Threepenny appeared to be my trip's first regret.
The Threepenny Taproom (Reprise)
Alicia expressed interest after returning from the Kanc to Burlington, and with Montpelier in our path, we decided to stop. Besides, who was I to refuse her a chance at this hip watering hole? On a Monday, the Threepenny was much less occupied. A few Vermont legislators mingled with red-shirted single-payer health plan advocates who rallied at the Capitol earlier that day. It was a scene that could only have traction in Vermont.
We nestled up to the bar and Allagash's version of Vrienden stared at me from the chalkboard. It wasn't there Friday. However, I was still driving, and couldn't chance a 9 percent ABV ale before returning to the road. I remembered the New Belgium take on Vrienden as underwhelming, and pursued Allagash's other sour offerings.
The lighter side of wild yeast accentuated Allagash Confluence Ale, which uses Allagash's house Belgian style yeast and its proprietary Brettanomyces strain, along with Tettnang and East Kent Golding hops and pilsner, American pale, and caramel malts. After steel tanking aging, it received a final round of dry-hopping with Glacier hops. I hope you got all that, because there will be a quiz at the end.
Flashes of perfume and a little barnyard odor ripple beneath the lace. At times, its smell hearkens to a cellar filled with wine and beer barrels. In some ways Confluence resembles Reinart's Wild Flemish Ale. In others, a different beast emerges. This is the subtle side of wild ale, orange tones inflected with sour nibbles and a dry finish. The yeast plays a central role, but the maltiness cannot be denied. it possesses a little minerality, which it pairs with lemon grains, and coriander. Confluence leaves the palate achingly dry - a great sensation, in case you wondered.
I switched gears to Allagash Indigenuts, a more powerful ale brewed with cider yeast aged in oak barrels. Indigenuts doesn't quite pucker the lips, but the orange revels in its sour character. It comes off as a sour saison at times, and leaning toward my favorite style never hurts. There's a firm strain of tangerine, and some bitter orange that occasionally borders on passion fruit. Before passion fruit blossoms, Indigenuts quickly veers toward severe lemon, coating the taste buds challenging with its sour demeanor. The oak character barely breaks out. While much different than Confluence, Indigenuts freshness and multi-faceted approach to sour and wild ale begged for another pour to see what else turned up.
The same bartender from Friday came on as we finished a second round. I asked to buy some stickers, he gave them to me free, only requesting that I put them somewhere creative. Declaring that “Chimay had never given me anything," I slapped it on my beer notebook, covering up a red Chimay shield. Five beers in two sessions left me craving more from the Threepenny, a pain caused only by a good beer-bar.
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