Adventures in (re)Visiting Vermont and Revisiting Blogging by Boy Kyle

  It has been entirely too long since we last posted an adventure. And it's not for lack of adventure. It's merely a case that everyone is familiar with: Life gets busy and things fall by the wayside. But we've circled back around and picked the baton back up. The first few posts may be recaps of things we've done in the past year but we will get back to fresh new adventures before too long. For now, I'll let you know about our most recent adventure in Montpelier, VT.
  For those just joining the blog (why are you jumping in at the middle? Start at the beginning; things will make much more sense), Girl Kyle and I are avid craft beer fans. So much so that I've started a career in it. The inspiration for this latest trip was an elusive brew called Heady Topper from The Alchemist Cannery in Waterbury, VT.
  Some back story on The Alchemist: John and Jen Kimmich had a highly successful brewpub operating in downtown Waterbury when Hurricane Irene caused major flood damage. The damage to the brewpub was extensive enough that they were forced to close indefinitely. But soon they were able to open the Alchemist Cannery a few miles up the road. No longer operating an eatery/bar they have been able to focus all their attention on brewing. As a result, New England will be blessed with a more readily available supply of Heady Topper, their flagship double IPA.
  In search of this TRUE king of beers, Girl Kyle and I journeyed to Montpelier, which is about 20 minutes from the Cannery and also home to our favorite bar, the Three Penny Taproom. Some of you may recall back when we had our road trip around New England, we stopped in at the Three Penny and could not stop raving about the bar and the owner Scott Kerner. This would be our daily home base for the extent of our trip.
  Our first full day we wandered around the downtown area investigating the shops. Books were purchased, lunch was eaten, fresh roasted coffee beans were purchased. At 6:30p we had dinner reservations at Hen of the Wood, where we feasted upon rabbit. This was the best tasting rabbit I've ever had. The only downside to the meal was that the man at the table next to ours had some issues with halitosis and every so often I would get whiff of something decidedly non-rabbit like. But this would not dissuade me from enjoying every last scrap of my meal.
  We also visited the Prohibition Pig which is in the former brewpub location of The Alchemist. Delicious smoked meats and good brews.
  On our last day we headed to the Cabot Cheese Annex. They had a wide range of cheeses, ranging from the standard sharp cheddar to cheddar aged 5 years to cheddar with bacon in it. Girl Kyle procured some 2 year aged cheddar and cheddar with sage in it.

  After one more quick stop in at the Three Penny Taproom, it was time to realize our goal for this trip. So off to the Cannery we went. Being in the brewery was an absolute delight for the senses. One of my favorite smells is fresh hops and fresh malts. This building had both of them in spades. Not only were we able to check out their process but we could do so while inhaling the sweet perfume of fresh beer ingredients. Of course we had to buy some Heady Topper to cap off the adventure so we did.
  A hearty thank you to Scott at Three Penny for being an all around awesome person and for his generosity. Anyone traveling near Montpelier needs to stop in for a tipple at his bar. It's well worth your time, as is the Hen of the Wood. We throw our support fully behind these two gems and hope you will too.


  Now for a little housekeeping. Like before, this blog will strive to bring you new and renewed adventures as often as we can. However since both Kyles are working more and on largely opposing schedules we're finding it necessary to relax our rules a bit. We'll still try to get a new adventure up every week but we won't guarantee it. What we can promise is that we will have at least one a month. As always we will be accepting suggestions for affordable/free adventures which can be sent to us at KyleandKyleBlog@gmail.com. Stay tuned and we hope you'll jump back on the bandwagon with us as we explore.