Otter Creek Brewery pours pints galore

Ever gone on a tour at one of Vermont’s finest local breweries and reached the end prepared to enjoy that long awaited (and perhaps necessary) pint, poured straight from the source, and then thought that the only thing missing was a cup of soup or a plate of fries? This spring, Middlebury’s own Otter Creek Brewery plans to fulfill this wish, and will open a restaurant adjacent to the current brewery.

Started in 1991, the brewery has long offered tours of its facility and encouraged patrons to visit its Visitors Center, where small samples of the microbrew are available for tasting. This December the brewery applied for a First Class liquor license, which allows it to serve beer and not just tasters on its premises, and it recently received approval.

Over the past weekend, Feb. 12-13, the first pints were poured, and plans to serve light fare and appetizers are underway.

“We don’t want to compete with the other local fine food retailers,” said Emily Wright, manager of the Visitor’s Center. “We will be serving mainly soups and appetizers, items that will pair well with our beers and highlight their taste.”

The plans to add food came from a desire to enhance the brewery’s tour experience and to offer other complements that would leave people satisfied. However, all hope to keep the focus on the beer and the brewery.

“I’ve been on the tour once before, but this is the first time I’ve gotten a pint,” said Ben Weitz ’11, one of the first to enjoy the brewery’s newest perk. “I don’t know how much food I’ll be eating, but I definitely like the idea.”

Beyond this addition to the Visitor’s Center, Otter Creek has no other immediate plans to expand or upgrade the brewery. It instead seeks to continue working in the same footprint it has been in and to serve patrons and fans the beer they enjoy. The reaction thus far to the pints has been expectedly positive.

“We want to create the Visitor’s Center to be a nice marketing center for the brewery,” said Wright.  “We want people to fall in love with the place and to create a cool atmosphere. If you like microbrews and that kind of beer, this is the place to go.”