The Shed Brewery

Client Brewer in Middlebury, Vermont, United States 🇺🇸
Owned by Harpoon Brewery
Associated Venue: Shed Restaurant and Brewery - Out of business

Established in 1995

Contact
793 Exchange St, Middlebury, VT, 05753, United States
Description
The Shed Brewery has been a Vermont staple for nearly 50 years. The original building on Mountain Road in Stowe was built in 1830 as a blacksmith shop. It later served as a cider mill and local gathering spot for Stowe farmers. During harvest, the local farmers would drop off their harvested apples and stay for a drink of hard cider and spirited conversation.

After a short stint as a variety store and youth hostel, the old cider mill became The Shed Restaurant in 1965. Spirited conversation returned in the form of tall tales of downhill glory as skiers filled the Shed and set the roots for the après ski culture in Stowe. Steeped in history and rooted in Vermont skiing lore, the Shed became THE spot for locals and tourists alike.

On a frigid evening in 1994, a fire destroyed the restaurant. Rising from the ashes, the restaurant reopened the following year with the addition of a seven-barrel brewery that focused on English-style, handcrafted ales. The Shed Mountain Ale soon became as steeped in Stowe folklore as the ski area up the road.

One of the first brewpubs in Vermont, the Shed's tradition of brewing fine ales remained part of Stowe's culture until 2011 when production shifted to Middlebury. Now, for the first time in our storied history, people outside of Vermont are able to enjoy Shed at their neighborhood bars and restaurants or pick up a six-pack from their local store. The legacy of the original Shed lives on in every batch of Mountain Ale, IPA and the spirited conversation that erupts over a shared pint.

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5.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark brown color with red highlights and a large foamy beige head that lingered and left great lacing. The aroma was toasty with caramel and fruity hops. The flavor was bitter with notes of anise, floral hops, fruity hops, cocoa and coffee. Long finish. Medium body. Ok.

Tried from Bottle on 25 Mar 2016 at 08:47


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Tap at Reservoir, Waterbury. ABV 7.0%. Colour is clear reddish copper with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Dry fruits, sweetness and malts. Simple.

Tried from Draft on 15 Feb 2016 at 15:47


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottled. A golden beer with a white head. The aroma has notes of hops, grass, and malt. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, hops, straw, and pine needles, leading to a bitter finish.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Sep 2015 at 18:48


6.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled. A brown beer with a huge yellowish head. The aroma has notes of malt and bread. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt and caramel, leading to a bitter finish.

Tried from Bottle on 20 Sep 2015 at 20:10


6.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled. A red-brown beer with a huge yellowish head. The aroma has notes of malt, brewmash, and caramel. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, bread, and fruit, leading to a dry finish.

Tried from Bottle on 20 Sep 2015 at 19:19


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Good pine aroma and flavor, somewhat bitter with a bit of caramel background. Good beer.

Tried on 20 Sep 2015 at 11:01


5.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Pours a deep dark brown, almost black, from a bottle. Nose of vanilla and coffee, like a coffee syrup. Flavor rather sweet, offset by some bitter roasted malt notes, almost burnt. A little unbalanced with sweetness, and a little too much on the vanilla side of things covering up the malts. Okay beer.

Tried from Bottle on 18 Sep 2015 at 22:31


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Pours a dark brown from a bottle. Comes off as more of a black IPA, at least at the temp I served it at. Some caramel flavor, but the big notes were piney hops front and center throughout it all, lots of bitterness too. Good beer.

Tried from Bottle on 18 Sep 2015 at 22:28


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

This was poured into an English pint glass.
The appearance was a dark brown color with slight ruby hues along the sides. The head was about a finger’s worth of white to off white foaminess quickly dissipating. Lacing was barely there.
The smell starts off with robust coffee beans delivering on sweet rich dark and milk chocolate. Vanilla enters in as it warms.
The taste was moderately sweet with a delicate roastiness about it. The aftertaste is sweet milk chocolate leading into a wet finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. Carbonation runs fairly light allowing a really nice smooth sweet stickiness running all over my tongue.
Overall, as an English Porter this one works despite not having the \"dark fruits\" element to it. I’d still have it again.

Tried on 04 Sep 2015 at 12:21


6.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle dated 05/15/15.
This was poured into a nonic pint glass.
The appearance was a hazy brown with red hues roaming around the sides of the glass. One finger white foamy head leads to a stringy sliding lacing.
The smell starts off with a big burst of citrus hops eventually balancing into a toasty nutty malt.
The taste copies the aroma and leads into a sharp citrus aftertaste and finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation seemed decent for a Brown ale - allowing enough hops to empower the bitterness to be the harshness.
Overall, American Brown ale, well it sure is. Definitely one of the more bitter brown ales on the market. It might even make you swear, haha.

Tried from Bottle on 27 Jun 2015 at 11:19