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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Vermonters Drop in on Local Brewery

Vermont is famous for the quality of its food products – Vermont cheddar cheese, Ben and Jerry's ice cream and the country's finest maple syrup are three of Vermont's edible exports for which the rest of the country is eternally grateful. While these three delicacies are fixtures in the world of American gourmet, the topography of Vermont's culinary landscape has shifted in recent years to accommodate a mountainous addition to the already broad range of Vermont food specialties: craft beer.

According to the Brewers Association, an independent organization devoted to the promotion of the craft beer industry in the United States, the total retail sales of craft beer in America exceeded $8.7 billion in 2011, which represents a $1.1 billion increase from 2010. Nowhere is the prevalence of craft breweries more apparent than in Vermont. There are currently 21 craft breweries operating in the state of Vermont, giving Vermont the distinction  of having the most breweries per capita of any state in the nation.

The most recent addition to the Vermont craft brewery landscape is Drop In Brewery, a tiny independent brewery located on Route 7 in Middlebury, Vt. The brewery, a tiny operation that boasts four fermentation tanks, caters to restaurants and individuals in the greater Middlebury area. Brewmaster Steve Parkes, originally from England, and his wife Christine McKeever own and operate the brewery.

After brewing for a few years in England, Parkes decided to bring his expertise to America, opening a small brewery called the British Brewing Company in Maryland in 1988.

"That was back in the early days of craft brewing," said Parkes. "There weren't many breweries around then. We were the pioneers in Maryland at the time."
After establising the craft brewing industry in Maryland, Parkes relocated to Humboldt Brews in California. After a brewing stint in California, Parkes accepted an offer to teach brewing science at the American Brewer's Guild, and few years later, he and his wife seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase the school.

After purchasing the school, Parkes moved to Vermont with his wife to manage Otter Creek Brewing Co. The pressure of simultaneously managing a relatively large brewery like Otter Creek and operating the school began to take a toll on Parkes, however.

"The school got bigger and Otter Creek got busier and it became too much for me to do both, so I found a replacement at Otter Creek and retired from there in 2008," said Parkes. Instead of deciding to take a prestigious job with a larger brewery or establish his own craft brewery, Parkes decided to continue to run the school and to open his own small microbrewery,. From there, Drop In Brewery was born.

"For the first time in my life I [was] not working for somebody else," said Parkes. "There [wasn't] anybody to tell me "˜Steve, that's a stupid idea.' I [could] just indulge."

Today, Parkes operates the American Brewer's Guild and Drop In Brewery out of the same facility on Route 7. The facility provides an important, hands-on component to the education of his students. According to Parkes, the brewing school is sold out for the next two years.

"What was missing [from the on-line course] was the practical hands on thing, so we built the brewery and the classroom to go with it. Primarily this is the American Brewer's Guild Brewing School – Drop In Brewery is what we do with the equipment the rest of the time."

Parkes said he wants to keep the brewery small because he wants to maintain the integrity of the beers he makes at Drop In. Owning and operating his own brewery gave Parkes the opportunity to fully pursue his own interests for the first time in his lengthy career in the brewing industry.

"Brewing is a scientific discipline, but it's also a craft," said Parkes, who makes the effort to support local farmers and keep money in Vermont farming communities whenever possible. "All of my philosophies I've developed over 30 years of brewing are brought to bear on these beers. Every ingredient is chosen for a purpose. We've got German malt, American hops, Belgian yeast – a complete hybrid of a number of different brewing philosophies – all put together to build a beer from the ground up. We think people will enjoy it."

Parkes believes that the rapid growth of the craft brewing industry reflects Vermonters' rising standards for their food and beverages.

"People are starting to look now at value for [their] money," said Parkes. "People are turning away from commodity products and I think we're really riding that wave. Once you have a beer with flavor, you don't want to go back to one without."

Students and local patrons are thrilled with the addition of another local brewery.

"Vermont has a number of great breweries" said Dan Vatnick '15. "I'm really excited to see what Drop In Brewery has to offer."

"We have featured [Drop In Brewery's] "˜Heart of Lothian Scottish ale,' "˜Sunshine and Hoppiness Golden Ale' and "˜Solar Storm Belgian IPA,'" said Holmes Jacobs, owner and operator of Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury, Vt. "They make fantastic beer. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with Vermont beer."

Parkes and the rest of the team at Drop In Brewery strive to use the finest ingredients and personally deliver their kegs in order to ensure that all of their customers are completely satisfied with their beers. He references his peer Bill Cherry, founder of the Burlington-based Switchback Brewery, when he describes the importance of personal service.

"[Bill] brewed the beer, he put it in the back of a truck and he delivered it himself. At a basic level, every account he sent it to would see the owner of the company wheeling the keg through the back door from his truck. So the busboys, the waiters, the bartenders ... all knew ... he was willing to put sweat into brewing his brand. That's authenticity. You can't fake authenticity. You're either real or you're not."


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