About
Family owned and operated brewpub that serves delicious bbq! Featuring primarily local VT foods, spirits and craft beer.
Our brewery offers five styles of beer: an award-winning pilsner, a wheat brew, pale ale, a stout, and an IPA, all brewed on-site by co-owner and head brewer Dan Fitzgerald. Our smokehouse prepares and serves locally raised meats and produce, and we incorporates our Fitzgerald family maple products into our menu. Having a hometown, family feel is important to us, because we are family-owned and operated.
As the ownership team, Dan, his brother, David, and David’s wife, Joyce, bring their northwestern Vermont roots and spirit to Mill River Brewing. They provide a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere with indoor and outdoor dining, a brewery and tasting area, and retail space — all tucked between the shores of Lake Champlain and historic downtown St. Albans.
So come on in. Leave your stress at the door. And be part of our family.
Our brewery offers five styles of beer: an award-winning pilsner, a wheat brew, pale ale, a stout, and an IPA, all brewed on-site by co-owner and head brewer Dan Fitzgerald. Our smokehouse prepares and serves locally raised meats and produce, and we incorporates our Fitzgerald family maple products into our menu. Having a hometown, family feel is important to us, because we are family-owned and operated.
As the ownership team, Dan, his brother, David, and David’s wife, Joyce, bring their northwestern Vermont roots and spirit to Mill River Brewing. They provide a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere with indoor and outdoor dining, a brewery and tasting area, and retail space — all tucked between the shores of Lake Champlain and historic downtown St. Albans.
So come on in. Leave your stress at the door. And be part of our family.
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a quarter finger's worth of khaki foamy head which dissipated pretty quick and didn't leave any lace
Aroma: nice vanilla sweetness rolling into some milk chocolate and dark chocolate malts
Flavor: basically the same - it's sweet but brewed to blend and balanced correctly between the chocolate and the vanilla; finishes blended through the vanilla and chocolate
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; pretty smooth along the tongue
Overall: great aromas and flavors but maybe just a wee bit lighter in body than I expected.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a quarter finger's worth of khaki foamy head which dissipated pretty quick and didn't leave any lace
Aroma: nice vanilla sweetness rolling into some milk chocolate and dark chocolate malts
Flavor: basically the same - it's sweet but brewed to blend and balanced correctly between the chocolate and the vanilla; finishes blended through the vanilla and chocolate
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; pretty smooth along the tongue
Overall: great aromas and flavors but maybe just a wee bit lighter in body than I expected.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2026
at 22:15
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: murky dark yellow color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: lemon rind bitterness, some piney hops, light orange rind bitterness and a subtle floral hop note; light malts in the background
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a decent bittersweet to sweet quality; finishes leaning into those prior noted citrusy rind bitterness tones
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; light smoothness; medium carb to this beer and medium level of hop bitterness assertiveness
Overall: nice as an AIPA I could come back to this in that respect.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: murky dark yellow color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: lemon rind bitterness, some piney hops, light orange rind bitterness and a subtle floral hop note; light malts in the background
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a decent bittersweet to sweet quality; finishes leaning into those prior noted citrusy rind bitterness tones
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; light smoothness; medium carb to this beer and medium level of hop bitterness assertiveness
Overall: nice as an AIPA I could come back to this in that respect.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2026
at 21:42
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to English pint glass.
Appearance: bright amber color with a three finger white foamy head which slid off at a nice pace to leave mild lace
Aroma: huge amounts of sweet and tart red raspberries up front with a light biscuity malt base
Flavor: mostly just the raspberries - sweet and tart; finishes the same way
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; good smoothness - nothing preventing the flow; good carb level
Overall: might be a simple beer but they brewed it right and this would be a nice one with my feet propped up on the back porch.
Can to English pint glass.
Appearance: bright amber color with a three finger white foamy head which slid off at a nice pace to leave mild lace
Aroma: huge amounts of sweet and tart red raspberries up front with a light biscuity malt base
Flavor: mostly just the raspberries - sweet and tart; finishes the same way
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; good smoothness - nothing preventing the flow; good carb level
Overall: might be a simple beer but they brewed it right and this would be a nice one with my feet propped up on the back porch.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2026
at 21:34
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: glossy burnt amber color with a stifled transparency; three finger eggshell white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light piney hops, some mixed citrusy rind bitterness and a little bit of floral hops; clean caramel/toffee malts
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine bitter smooth quality flanked by a sweet character for balance; finishes semi-bitter but a slight dryness
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; the smoothness is there but somewhat bitter and dry; good carb
Overall: nice enough as a West coast styled IPA, it works.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: glossy burnt amber color with a stifled transparency; three finger eggshell white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light piney hops, some mixed citrusy rind bitterness and a little bit of floral hops; clean caramel/toffee malts
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine bitter smooth quality flanked by a sweet character for balance; finishes semi-bitter but a slight dryness
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; the smoothness is there but somewhat bitter and dry; good carb
Overall: nice enough as a West coast styled IPA, it works.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2026
at 21:22
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to notes.
Appearance: murky orange to copper color with a finger's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: mango to tangerine to floral and a touch of orange hop tones; clean malts come a bit in a semi-stiff sort of way
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine bittersweet to semi-bitter quality; finishes semi-bittersweet through some mango and tangerine hop notes
Texture: medium bodied; slightly sessionable; some smoothness but also some light hop assertiveness but nothing overbearing
Overall: not bad, it's kinda got that "semi-old school" bitter quality in the finish
Can to notes.
Appearance: murky orange to copper color with a finger's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: mango to tangerine to floral and a touch of orange hop tones; clean malts come a bit in a semi-stiff sort of way
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine bittersweet to semi-bitter quality; finishes semi-bittersweet through some mango and tangerine hop notes
Texture: medium bodied; slightly sessionable; some smoothness but also some light hop assertiveness but nothing overbearing
Overall: not bad, it's kinda got that "semi-old school" bitter quality in the finish
Tried
from Can
on 22 Mar 2026
at 19:45
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: semi-hazy bronzed orange color with a two and a quarter fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: piney with pineapple, oranges and some peachy hop tones up front with a light clean malt backbone
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a fine bittersweet to bitter quality; semi-long finish of the piney and orangey hop tones and a slight dry bitter tone
Texture: medium bodied, almost leaning to be a sipper....hmmmm...I wonder if I could session this beer...man oh man is that up for debate or what! Good smoothness to this and nothing distracting from any hop bitterness
Overall: absolute lovely aromas the finish might be a bit long and kinda bitter but I think I could return to this beer.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: semi-hazy bronzed orange color with a two and a quarter fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: piney with pineapple, oranges and some peachy hop tones up front with a light clean malt backbone
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a fine bittersweet to bitter quality; semi-long finish of the piney and orangey hop tones and a slight dry bitter tone
Texture: medium bodied, almost leaning to be a sipper....hmmmm...I wonder if I could session this beer...man oh man is that up for debate or what! Good smoothness to this and nothing distracting from any hop bitterness
Overall: absolute lovely aromas the finish might be a bit long and kinda bitter but I think I could return to this beer.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Mar 2026
at 19:22
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can to tulip.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a two finger khaki foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some messy lace
Aroma: dark malts, semi-roasty with a light toast to it, nice allocation of sweet woody barrel to level out the roast, subtle vanilla slides in underneath, super light maple
Flavor: blends the prior mentioned aromas sweetly then roasty with an ample toasty underneath; clean quick aftertaste of vanilla, roast and toast
Texture: medium bodied, good sipper, good carb, semi-smooth with some roasty harshness but not distracting; finishes semi-dry with woody barrel and roasty notes.
Overall: quite the impressive imperial porter aged in whiskey barrels, I wouldn't mind knowing the name of the whiskey barrel used other than "local."
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a two finger khaki foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some messy lace
Aroma: dark malts, semi-roasty with a light toast to it, nice allocation of sweet woody barrel to level out the roast, subtle vanilla slides in underneath, super light maple
Flavor: blends the prior mentioned aromas sweetly then roasty with an ample toasty underneath; clean quick aftertaste of vanilla, roast and toast
Texture: medium bodied, good sipper, good carb, semi-smooth with some roasty harshness but not distracting; finishes semi-dry with woody barrel and roasty notes.
Overall: quite the impressive imperial porter aged in whiskey barrels, I wouldn't mind knowing the name of the whiskey barrel used other than "local."
Tried
from Can
on 25 Jan 2026
at 15:20
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can to becher pint glass.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a one and a half fingers of eggshell white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: roasted dark malts, coffee beans, dark earthy sweetness, some cocoa powder or baker's chocolate
Flavor: mildly sweet with a balancing roasty and toaty taste; mild roasty and toasty coffee-ish aftertaste
Texture: light to medium bodied, some sessionability about it, finishes roasty, clean with some coffee bean
Overall: nicely done porter I would welcome again.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a one and a half fingers of eggshell white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: roasted dark malts, coffee beans, dark earthy sweetness, some cocoa powder or baker's chocolate
Flavor: mildly sweet with a balancing roasty and toaty taste; mild roasty and toasty coffee-ish aftertaste
Texture: light to medium bodied, some sessionability about it, finishes roasty, clean with some coffee bean
Overall: nicely done porter I would welcome again.
Tried
from Can
on 25 Jan 2026
at 13:38
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can to becher pint glass.
Appearance: mostly dark brown with some lighter parts near the edges and a two finger off white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some messy lace
Aroma: roasted nuts, clean caramel to toffee malts, some earthy sweetness, and light grassy hops
Flavor: blends all the prior noted aromas together sweetly and semi-toasty; light aftertaste of nuts and malts
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable, smooth along my tongue; finishes malt driven with some nuts and roastiness
Overall: nicely done brown ale worthy of returning to.
Appearance: mostly dark brown with some lighter parts near the edges and a two finger off white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some messy lace
Aroma: roasted nuts, clean caramel to toffee malts, some earthy sweetness, and light grassy hops
Flavor: blends all the prior noted aromas together sweetly and semi-toasty; light aftertaste of nuts and malts
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable, smooth along my tongue; finishes malt driven with some nuts and roastiness
Overall: nicely done brown ale worthy of returning to.
Tried
from Can
on 25 Jan 2026
at 13:33